Any plumbers here?

[63DH8]

If you have a leak that's coming through the cement floor, and there's no crawlspace under the cement, how do you deal with the leak? I have a pipe that goes through a cement foundation that water is leaking through. I mean the leak is coming between the pipe and cement. How do you find and stop the leak?

[Lupeloff]

I ain't got the heart to tell ya. ;-)

[NRAJOE]

I've laid some pipe in my time....:D

[Odd Al]

You're gonna have to rent a concrete cutting saw and cut up the floor. You'll need a sledge hammer, too. Be careful not to damage the pipe further when busting up the concrete. Repair the pipe, and repair the floor.

You could abandon the pipe in place, and re-route it outside (underground) or another way.

The pipe could fail again in another spot after your repair also.

[Rew]

has it stright. The best thing IMHO is to re-route the water line. Running water pipes through concreat was poupler at one time, but was never a real smart idea.

Lupeloff, you know what needs to be done. ;)

[NAPOTS]

isnt there going to be a likely hood of this happening in almost all houses with a slab foundation as the house settles and the foundation shifts sligtly under the weight of the house?

[Rew]

Yes, any house that had water lines run throught the fondation will develope a problem over time.;)

[63DH8]

You're gonna have to rent a concrete cutting saw and cut up the floor. You'll need a sledge hammer, too. Be careful not to damage the pipe further when busting up the concrete. Repair the pipe, and repair the floor.

You could abandon the pipe in place, and re-route it outside (underground) or another way.

The pipe could fail again in another spot after your repair also.


Uuunnnnfortunately, the pipe is between the walls, between the kitchen and the bathroom. There's a counter and dishwasher in the kitchen and the toilet on the bathroom. I don't think a saw will fit where the pipe is. :(

I don't know where the pipe enters the house, so I don't know where to start. If it was steel instead of wood, I wouldn't have problem! :(

[75_stingray]

Ouch!, That stinks! All who have posted are right I'm sorry to say.

[Odd Al]

Do you have vynil siding?

[63DH8]

Do you have vynil siding?


Uhhh... Yeah. :confused:

[aviator]

Is that an outside wall or inside? if outside wall you can get a chipping hammer and work away at a piece of the foundation to reach the pipe. I have had that trouble before.

[63DH8]

Is that an outside wall or inside? if outside wall you can get a chipping hammer and work away at a piece of the foundation to reach the pipe. I have had that trouble before.


Inside wall. :( It's looking bleaker and bleaker.

[aviator]

yeah, it's going to get messy then, Is the house flooding because of the leak?, homeowners insurance will cover the repair if it does, call a plumber and find out.

[Country]

Doesn't look good. Is this the supply pipe from the well?

[Odd Al]

Find where the main waterline enters the house. Turn off the water to the house. Cut the pipe there and install a new "T" as close to the foundation as you can - you might even "notch" the foundation a bit to get it into the wall. Remove the vynil siding from the area above this area (not as hard as it sounds). Cut a "window" into the wall- it should be plywood or OSB. This window needs to run from the top to the bottom, narrow enough to run a new pipe up the wall and into the attic (I hope it's one story there). Install a new pipe, insulate it well, and attach it to whichever stud is closest.

In the attic, run the new pipe to the wall above where the old one is. You'll have to cut the sheetrock on one side. Pick the easiest area to repair. Run your new pipe down, and tie it into whatever's being fed there. Secure it to a stud before repairing the sheetrock.

The hard part will be finding the end of the old line, and disconnecting it. It's likely under the concrete somewhere- hard to say just where without seeing it.

Why the vynil siding question? Vynil is easy to take down and put back. A brick house would be much harder to do this repair.

[63DH8]

yeah, it's going to get messy then, Is the house flooding because of the leak?, homeowners insurance will cover the repair if it does, call a plumber and find out.

Homeowner's insurance? I totally forgot about that! I never missed a payment, nor have I ever been late. I'll give them a call asap!

[Country]

Homeowner's insurance? I totally forgot about that! I never missed a payment, nor have I ever been late. I'll give them a call asap!

Before you do, look around. Is there some reason they might not renew your policy if they check out your place? For instance, do you have a woodstove? Here in Maine, homeowners insurance company's have been canceling out customers (even long-time) for bullshit reasons. Dogs, swimming pools, woodstoves, etc.

[ksuguy]

I think I'd bring in a professional on a problem of this magnitude.

[75_stingray]

I think I'd bring in a professional on a problem of this magnitude.
Good call,,,and for sure use your homeowners. Subconscious has made the call though. This is exactly what a plummer is gonna do.

Good luck 63.

[Odd Al]

Ah~ just ocurred to me...

if it's a leak in a hot water line, you've got a whole other problem!

The best bet may well be to cut up your floor. A lot of it.

Homeowner's should cover it though. That's your only bit of good luck. And by the way, good luck!

hehe... I used to be an electrician...

[aviator]

Good luck and let us know how you made out.

[63DH8]

Thanks guys! I can't tell you how much I appreciate the help! :up:

[Bullwinkle]

in the late 80's and early 90's DuPont made a water line pipe called PolyButualsomething or other..We call it "Big Blue". It is blue flex line. The stuff is DEFECTIVE and a class action lawsuit has set up a releif fund to compensate homeowners who are forced to replace this crap. IF you have the blue flex water line you may be eliable for replacement with only a $50 deductable. If it's galvinized or copper or PVC....$$$$$ end OVER. You CAN bore under slabs and insert new pipe. , long run it's probably cheaper to get a pro....

IF you know where your water meter is on the outside, it generally makes a straight run into the house. Often times, you'll have an exterior water faucet at the same point on the outside wall. (NOT ALWAYS).

Poly Blue can be SLEEVED(in SOME instances) from the meter up into the house. It is VERY common in GA for plumbers who handle these claims to simply insert a smaller dia. flex pipe into to old water line. You'll lose VOLUME/GPM but NOT pressure. (Your tub will take longer to fill) Once clear of concrete Poly blue can be cut away and PVC (shd. 40) or copper can be installed.