Believe it or not, leaks are responsible for more than 1 trillion gallons of water wasted nation-wide each year. Some are easy to spot and repair, but others can take time before you ever notice they’re happening.

Slab leaks are some of the most troublesome and serious leaks you can have on your property. The sooner you notice them, the better off your home will be.

Unfortunately, slab leaks aren’t always easy to spot. Here are some of the most common slab leak symptoms to watch for around your home.

1. Hearing Water Running When It’s Off

You know what noises each of the faucets in your home makes. When they turn off, they should be completely silent.

Pay attention to the way your plumbing sounds throughout the day. If you hear water running even when the water fixtures in your home aren’t running, you likely have a slab leak.

Keep in mind that the leak could be elsewhere on your property. It’s always best to hire a plumber immediately and let them inspect your pipes. Once they find the source of the problem, they can fix the damage and protect your home.

2. Unexplainable Increases in Your Water Bill

Even minor leaks can increase your water usage by hundreds of gallons each month. Unfortunately, you pay for every gallon of water you use each month, whether it’s from taking long showers or ignoring a small drip in your kitchen sink. This will show up directly on your monthly water bill.

Take a look at your monthly water bill and compare it with the last few months’ statements. It should be relatively consistent.

If you see a spike in the total number of gallons used and can’t find a cause for the increased use, you may have a slab leak. Even if that leak is minor, it could cause serious damage to your foundation and put your home at risk for structural issues in the future.

Schedule an inspection as soon as you see an unexplained increase in your water bill.

3. Puddles Forming Around Your Home

Sometimes slab leaks cause water to leach out around the foundation. This often creates standing water and puddles around the exterior of your house.

Take a walk around your property and look for any oversaturated areas around the base of your home. If you notice that water pools up when you take a step or see puddles forming around the exterior for no noticeable reason, call your plumber.

Over time, that water can soak into the foundation and cause cracks in the cement itself. When this happens, you’ll need to get the foundation fixed, which can cost hundreds of dollars on top of your standard plumbing repairs.

4. Damp Floors

Water seeping up into your flooring is one of the easiest warning signs to notice and it almost always means you have a severe slab leak.

If you have carpet, see if it feels damp. You can also press down on the fibers with a paper towel to see if any moisture gets soaked up. If you have hard floors, look for signs of condensation or overly hot and cold spots on the surface.

The sooner you can deal with a slab leak, the less damage can get done to your flooring. Remember, even minor leaks can cause severe water damage that might force you to redo your flooring.

5. Low Water Pressure

Anytime water gets used at one point in your home, the pressure in the pipes gets released. This means you’ll get slightly less pressure in your water fixtures when you run more than one at a time.

The same holds true when you have a slab leak. The pressure gets released at the source of the leak. When you go to turn on the tap or shower, you may notice that the water pressure is lower than normal.

If it is and it keeps happening even when you’re running one tap at a time, you likely have a leak on your property, this is one of the more hidden slab leak symptoms. Once your plumber repairs the leak, the water pressure should go back up to normal levels.

6. Mold in the Carpet or Along Baseboards

Mold needs high levels of moisture to grow and thrive, and when you have a slab leak, the spores have access to that moisture all day long. Since the moisture often seeps up through the floor, most mold will start growing in carpet padding and fibers or along the baseboards.

Take a look at the baseboards on the first floor of your home. If you see any speckles or discoloration that aren’t due to dust and dirt, it could be mold.

You’ll also want to test your carpeted rooms for mold growth. If it looks like anything is growing in it or if the carpet smells overly musty when it hasn’t recently, you could have a leak in the slab.

7. Cracks in the Walls and Ceilings

Sometimes, moisture from slab leaks can soak into the walls and ceilings of your home. When this happens, it’s normal for the sheetrock to crack or warp.

Take a look around each room and see if you notice any bubbling in the paint or see cracks starting to spread. If you do, call your plumber immediately and let them check your plumbing.

Fixing the leak will help keep the damage from getting worse.

Watch for These Slab Leak Symptoms

Leaks are a major problem no matter where they happen on your property, but slab leaks put your entire house at risk for severe water damage. Inspect your home regularly and you’ll be on track to keep your property in good shape.

Have you noticed any of these slab leak symptoms in your home?

If you have, don’t wait. Contact our team and schedule an appointment. We’ll find the source of the leak and get it repaired quickly.