You’ve got a lot of questions about hydrostatic plumbing testing. For starters, what IS a hydrostatic plumbing test? But then you’ve got a plethora of follow-ups, like what does it tell me, when do I need one, how is it done, and more! You’re looking for something that answers all the major questions in one place. This is it, baby.
At Anchor Foundation Repair, we’ve been helping Brazos Valley homeowners handle their foundation problems since 1985. We make sure that hydrostatic plumbing tests are conducted during every slab foundation repair project and have observed thousands of hydrostatic pressure tests over the years. We can sure *fill* you in on the basics. . .
That was a hydrostatic pressure test joke, but you probably didn’t get it. I guarantee that you will after you read this article though!
This article offers quick answers to the most common general questions homeowners have about hydrostatic plumbing tests when they don’t know anything about them at all. By the end, you will have a good basic understanding of hydrostatic testing including why and when it’s important for your home plumbing system.
The Top Questions About Home Hydrostatic Plumbing Tests
When you know *nothing* about something, you tend to have many basic questions. Here’s a list of common homeowner inquiries we will cover in this article.
- What is a hydrostatic plumbing test?
- How is a hydrostatic plumbing test performed?
- Why is a hydrostatic test important?
- What equipment is needed for a hydrostatic test?
- How long does a hydrostatic test take?
- What pressure is used for a hydrostatic test?
- Can a hydrostatic test damage your plumbing system?
- What are the common issues found during a hydrostatic test?
- How do you fix leaks found during a hydrostatic test?
- Can I perform a hydrostatic test myself?
If you don’t want to read the whole post, you can always click on your main questions and jump to the answer. Or if you don’t want to skip over any details, you can take in the full narrative for a Hydrostatic Plumbing Test 101.
What You Really Want to Know About Hydrostatic Plumbing Tests
Let’s get right to the good stuff by listing the questions and a quick basic answer. There might be some sub-questions to cover or if you need more info than we can cover quickly, we’ll send you to another more detailed article to check out if you like.
1. What Is a Hydrostatic Plumbing Test?
Some industry professionals call it a hydrostatic plumbing test, while others call it a hydrostatic pressure test. Both terms are accurate and interchangeable. This type of testing can be used on any closed rigid pipe system. In this case, we’re only talking about plumbing drain lines that carry water away from your home.
Hydrostatic means “standing water” in Greek—’hydro’ for water and ‘static’ for standing still. Thus, a hydrostatic test involves using standing water to check the plumbing drain lines for issues by pressurizing the system with water and observing if there is any pressure loss.
2. How Is a Hydrostatic Plumbing Test Performed?
For a hydrostatic plumbing test on your home, the drain lines are first sealed off from the outside sewer system. Then the lines are filled with water up to floor level as revealed in a tub or shower drain opening.
Then you just watch and wait for at least 15 minutes. You’re looking to see if the water level remains the same and *holds water* or if the water level drops revealing an issue. If the water level changes, then the drain system is compromised somewhere.
3. Why Is a Hydrostatic Test Important?
The purpose of a hydrostatic pressure test is to detect breaks or leaks in the under-slab plumbing system. Using this testing method determines if your home’s drain lines are intact or if there are hidden leaks that need repair.
Hydrostatic pressure testing is important because it offers an early alert to an issue that should be fixed before more costly and serious problems can develop.
Unaddressed leaks under your home can lead to bigger issues. Not only do you have sewer water and other *stuff* that could leak into the soil, but you also run the risk of clogged and backed-up pipes, inconvenient flush and drain problems, recurrent tree roots growing into the lines, and eventually even foundation issues.
Check out this article for the top reasons to conduct a hydrostatic test on your home plumbing.
4. What Equipment is Needed for a Hydrostatic Test?
Even though the words sound complex, a hydrostatic test is not super high-tech. It’s actually pretty simple stuff. You need an inflatable test ball device and an air pump of some kind to inflate the ball.
The plumbing test ball looks like a rubber balloon going flat and has an air valve to fill it up. You can fill the test ball with something as simple as a bicycle pump. The ball is inserted into the plumbing clean-out pipe located just outside your home. Then it is pumped full of air to isolate your home drain line system from the rest of the sewer system.
You also need water to fill the lines – most often provided by the tub faucet in the home. An extra piece of pipe is sometimes used to extend the level of the clean-out pipe to match the floor elevation of the home. Oh, and you need eyeballs to watch the water level.
Check out this article for more details about the hydrostatic testing equipment, process, and steps.
5. How Long Does a Hydrostatic Test Take?
A hydrostatic test from start to finish probably takes about an hour, with most of the time taken for filling up the lines with water. Once everything is set up and the lines are full, the actual active part of the test should take about 15 minutes or so.
It doesn’t take that long to determine if your pipes are holding water or if the water level is going down indicating a leak somewhere.
6. What Pressure Is Used for a Hydrostatic Test?
Once the drain lines are full, it creates just enough pressure to gently test the lines for cracks, breaks, or separations. No further pressure is exerted on the lines other than the pressure of the water from filling the pipes. That’s where the *pressure* comes from in this type of pressure test.
7. Can a Hydrostatic Test Damage Your Plumbing System?
Some people think that a hydrostatic test on your drain lines can damage them, but that is not accurate. A hydrostatic plumbing test will not damage a plumbing system in good repair. However, the test can reveal cracks, breaks, and separations that have not yet started to cause issues.
Like, it didn’t *seem* like anything was wrong before the test, so people think the test caused the problem, but that’s not right.
Think about it this way – If you fill up a pipe that is meant to hold water, filling it all the way up should do nothing impactful because it is already made to withstand that amount of pressure.
If you fill up that same pipe and it has a hairline crack in it or two parts of it joined together are not well sealed then a problem will be uncovered and something will start to leak during the hydrostatic pressure test. The test didn’t cause the problem because the issue was already present, just not yet discovered.
This subject probably deserves a whole article all to itself, but we don’t have one just yet. I’ll add it to the list for future publication!
8. What Are the Common Issues Found During a Hydrostatic Test?
These things have already been mentioned, but in case you just jumped here, hydrostatic testing of your drain lines can reveal:
- Hairline cracks in pipes
- Poor or loose connections between pipes
- Broken pipes
- Separated connections
- Degraded drain lines due to rusted cast iron pipes
- Any compromised material or connection in the under-slab plumbing system
This kind of test can identify quite a few issues, but it can’t detect *every* under-slab plumbing issue. Here are some things that a hydrostatic test won’t be able to pick up:
- Sags or “bellies” in the drain lines
- Blockages (either partial or full)
9. How Do You Fix Leaks Found During a Hydrostatic Test?
Leaks under a slab-on-grade foundation are tricky because you have to get under the slab to fix them. A plumber can approach under-slab leak repairs in one of two ways:
- Breaking through the slab from inside your home to repair from above, or
- Using under-slab tunneling to access and repair the leaks from below.
There’s a lot to consider when you’re trying to decide between these two options to handle under-slab plumbing repairs. You might want to check this out for the full rundown: Under-Slab Tunneling vs. Breaking Through Your Slab (Pros and Cons).
10. Can I Perform a Hydrostatic Test Myself?
A hydrostatic pressure test is not difficult to perform with a little know-how – it’s definitely not *rocket science* as they say. Sure, someone could probably do it themselves if they had the inflatable test ball and were able to locate and open the clean-out.
But remember, you didn’t know *anything* about hydrostatic testing before reading this super-basic article on the internet. Reading this article is frankly not enough to qualify you for this task. You should probably leave it to a professional who has done this sort of thing before.
You want someone who can confidently place the test ball in the correct location and has experience with plumbing systems. So even though the testing process seems simple, I would still recommend letting someone who knows what they’re doing do it instead of trying to DIY.
Some states or cities have regulations about who is allowed to do such things. If you were to violate any codes or mess something up on the city side of the sewer system, you could be fined in addition to being on the hook for more repair costs. Yikes!
Who Can Perform a Hydrostatic Pressure Test for Me?
Any plumber should be able to perform a hydrostatic pressure test. If for some reason your plumber doesn’t know how to do it or doesn’t want to do it, then you probably should fire that guy. Find a different plumber who has more experience with under-slab plumbing issues.
Many municipalities have codes regarding sewer line access. Cities typically only want plumbers performing this kind of work.
We make sure that hydrostatic pressure testing is done because it’s important for our foundation repair services. Hydrostatic testing is conducted for every slab foundation repair job we do, but it’s not offered as a stand-alone service. We only have it done for our foundation repair customers, so your best bet is to find a plumber of your own.
How Does Hydrostatic Testing Relate to Foundation Repair?
Now that you know all about hydrostatic testing, first off, do you get my joke now? It’s hilarious, right? Ok, maybe just mildly amusing or worth a light groan? But now you’re wondering why a foundation repair company knows so much about hydrostatic testing in the first place.
At Anchor Foundation Repair, we don’t fix things that don’t need fixin’ and we don’t try to sell you stuff that you don’t need. After 40+ years in business, we know that’s what’s best for conscientious homeowners like you. We want to make sure that your foundation repairs last and one of the ways we do that is by making sure you don’t have leaks under your home before we finish our foundation work.
Want to know more about plumbing leaks that cause foundation problems and what to look for? Check out the Top 5 Signs Your Plumbing Problem is Foundation Related.