You’ve just had your foundation repaired but now you’re wondering about your plumbing. You know that the home was raised so you’re like . . . ummmmm, should I be worried??
At Anchor Foundation Repair, we understand the impact that foundation repairs can have on your home plumbing. Sometimes it’s affected and sometimes it’s not, but we can tell you what we have seen and tell you what we know as plumbing comes up on every foundation repair project one way or another.
In this article, we will discuss whether or not to test plumbing after foundation repairs and offer basic info on how often plumbing can be affected during the foundation repair process. We will also talk about what kind of plumbing tests are available and what to do if a leak is found.
Please note: this article is intended for slab-on-grade foundations and slab foundation repairs. If you have a crawl space foundation, some answers would be slightly different or not apply. For a crawl space or pier and beam home, just remember that the plumbing is above ground in the crawl space so it makes things a *little* easier to handle.
Should I Worry About My Plumbing After Foundation Repairs?
No matter what method of slab foundation repairs you are having done, you should be at least a little concerned about your plumbing. So the answer is “yes” . . . plumbing is something that you need to think about post-foundation repair.
In general, the degree of worry depends on the scope of work the foundation repairs include, whether there was a leak before the repairs, and what kind of plumbing lines you have.
- If your foundation repairs only included stabilizing the home (and not raising it) then there is less need for concern.
- If your foundation repairs did involve raising the home from a settled elevation, then plumbing issues are more of a risk.
- If a leak was present before the foundation repairs, then this leak is still a major concern after the repairs.
- If the raising process caused a new separation of the lines, this is a concern that needs to be addressed.
- If you have an older home with cast iron drain lines, it adds a layer to your concerns with potentially degrading under-slab plumbing.
Some foundation repair companies will do the worrying for you by pointing out these issues and recommending homeowner action and others won’t. Read on to find out more.
How Would I Know If Plumbing Was Leaking Under My Home?
The best way to know if the plumbing is leaking under a home is to test it, scope it, or possibly both. Certain recurring plumbing issues can also point to an under-slab leak. Here are three solid ways to determine if under-slab drain lines are leaking:
- Knowing the signs of compromised drain lines like: flush strength issues, slow drains, recurring blockages, gurgling, and issues that occur mainly when it rains,
- Having a hydrostatic pressure test performed on the drain lines, or
- Having the drain lines scoped with a camera.
These 3 methods of drain line leak detection have their strengths and weaknesses so if one technique is inconclusive or confusing, you might need to explore the other options with your plumber or sewer drain specialist.
Alternatively, during the foundation repair process, the contractor might notice the leak because water is actively infiltrating the work area. It can be quite obvious at times and potentially cause work delays in dealing with any existing or created leaks.
If water starts to show up in a hole being dug, it’s a pretty reliable indicator that a leak is nearby. An experienced foundation repair contractor can figure out if the leak is coming from the home drain lines vs. irrigation/ sprinkler system lines.
Whose Responsibility Is It To Test the Under-Slab Plumbing?
Even though some foundation repair companies might help you out with this issue, ultimately, making sure the under-slab plumbing is tested and intact is the homeowner’s responsibility.
Some foundation repair contractors actually stipulate that the homeowner be responsible for post-foundation repair plumbing tests as part of the warranty.
In other words, the contract can say something like, “You must test for leaks immediately after foundation repairs in order for the warranty to be valid,” or even “Any under-slab leaks will invalidate the warranty.”
So when we say you should worry about testing your plumbing, it’s really YOU who needs to take the lead and ensure that testing is completed. It’s nice when a foundation repair company helps you with this, but they are not obligated and often exclude themselves from the task.
Make sure you read and fully understand your responsibilities concerning under-slab plumbing and plumbing testing as stated in whatever contract you sign.
More About the Tests to Check for Leaks Under a Foundation
The hydrostatic pressure test aka hydrostatic plumbing test is one of the most reliable ways to determine if drain lines are leaking. The hydrostatic testing process basically entails filling up the home drain line system completely. Then, you see if the system holds water or leaks by watching if the water level drops from a certain vantage point.
Here’s more info on how to know if your home passes or fails a hydrostatic test.
Also, here are more details on both testing methods to find leaks.
- The hydrostatic test will identify most kinds of compromised drain lines but doesn’t immediately pinpoint the exact location of the leak without a lot more work. Locating the exact area of the leak can be done with hydrostatic testing, but it involves narrowing down the area of the line being tested and repeating the process, which can be time-consuming.
- For a camera scope, a tiny camera is fed through the drain line system looking for visual evidence of line breaks and compromised parts of the system. The camera can pinpoint obvious separations and compromised lines with efficiency but is not as reliable for finding small hairline cracks or any issues that *look okay* but are not sealed properly. This is why we say that a combination of signs and testing methods is sometimes necessary.
What Happens If a Leak Is Found Under My Home?
If a leak is found in the plumbing under your home after foundation repairs, you should get it fixed right away. These leaks often lead to more recurring plumbing problems in addition to just being plain icky. On top of that, plumbing leaks can *undo* foundation repairs by creating more opportunities for the foundation to settle again.
You don’t want to keep dealing with plumbing issues, do you? And you *really* don’t want to pay for foundation repairs again because of an old or new leak that didn’t get fixed after the foundation work was completed!
Under-slab plumbing leaks can be repaired via under-slab tunneling or by breaking through the slab. It’s your choice how to facilitate getting the leaks repaired by a plumber, but understand the advantages and disadvantages of each approach.
Mega-Important Point: Also, know that the homeowner is responsible for paying for any plumbing repairs. Most foundation repair contracts stipulate that plumbing repairs are not included in the scope of work and are decidedly separate.
Again, know what is stated in your foundation repair contract on this topic!
How Often Are Leaks Found During Foundation Repair?
Now you’re wondering how often this plumbing leak situation occurs when foundation repairs are happening.
Sometimes, a long-term plumbing leak is what caused the foundation problem in the first place. Other times, existing leaks are discovered as the digging begins and repairs are in progress. Also, leaks can be brought forth as the home is raised back into position. It’s hard to separate out these instances.
We certainly don’t know how it goes for other foundation repair companies. In our experience, about 35 to 40% of homes need some sort of plumbing repair in association with slab foundation work. If you learn nothing else from this article, know that under-slab leaks happen enough for you to 100% prioritize checking your plumbing after foundation repairs.
Keep in mind that *we make sure* the drain lines are checked when we feel it’s warranted, while other companies don’t always do that. Another company’s instances could be lower simply because they’re not looking into it and are leaving it all up to the homeowner to take care of on their own after the foundation contractors have left your property.
When Anchor Repairs Your Foundation
So far, we’ve been talking generally about this *should I test my plumbing* situation as it applies to ANY foundation repair company you might use. But if you live in Bryan, College Station, or any surrounding Brazos Valley communities like Caldwell or Navasota, you need to know how we do things here at Anchor.
At Anchor Foundation Repair, we go above and beyond to create the best situation for the homeowners we help. Your plumbing gets tested (when appropriate) after we repair your foundation, it’s part of the process. We make sure your under-slab lines check out so that we can finish up your foundation repairs with mud-pumping to fill the void under your home.
We help facilitate checking the plumbing lines and coordinate with your chosen plumber if repairs are needed. Check out what else we do to make your service experience unbeatable with Anchor.
