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Pipe leaks that occur within walls are bad enough "you have to cut open walls or ceilings to repair the pipe(s) and the water damage theyve caused. But when your leaking pipe is inside or underneath the concrete of your floor or foundation, you face a much more time-consuming and expensive repair. While one solution is to re-route water around the affected area with new above-ground pipes, epoxy pipe lining often eliminates the need to tear or dig up your concrete floor or foundation by restoring your pipes while they are still inside or below the concrete.

The obvious signs of a slab leak are damp, moist or wet spots on the carpeting or floor. Another sign is low water pressure or an increase in your water bill. Maybe youve noticed low water pressure, or it may be a noticeable (even dramatic) increase in your water bill.

Slab leaks can occur in your homes potable water line or in your outgoing sanitary sewer line; both of which may be embedded in or under the foundation of the building. Leaks in either set of lines can cause large amounts of damage to the foundation and each has its own list of causes, some are shared. Slab leaks in the potable water line can potentially be more destructive because the supply water is under pressure. It runs through or under the concrete slab, then to the water heater where copper pipes split off and carry water to all the hot and cold water fixtures in your house.

There are four main causes of slab leaks in a houses incoming water lines. Chemistry is the first, either the chemical interaction between copper water pipes or the water running though them (copper pipe is very susceptible to pinhole leaks caused by the chemical composition of your water), or electrolysis from the copper pipe coming into contact with soil. The second is that due to the foundation shifting (because of poor design or installation, or a change in the moisture of the ground) and pull your pipes apart. The third is water pressure that is too high (the diameter of the pipes installed may be too small) will corrode copper pipe. Leaks will also form at points where the pipes bend or change direction. The fourth cause may just be poor craftsmanship or workmanship: inferior plumbing supplies or materials (e.g. pipes, soldering) or a plumber that rushes or isnt experienced. It could also be a kinked line (a piece of pipe with an imperfection) or nicked by another (non-plumbing) workman, such as those that pour the concrete.

Unlike those in incoming water lines which will continuously leak because of the continuous flow and pressure, slab leaks in sanitary sewer lines only leak when a toilet is flushed, someone takes a shower or bath, or faucet is turned on. There are four main causes of slab leaks in sanitary sewer lines. The first is a crack or break in the cast iron, galvanized steel, or PVC sewer pipes, caused by shifting of the foundation. The second is, in the case of cast iron or galvanized steel pipes, parts of the pipe may be exposed to soil, sand, or gravel which are porous to water -this can lead to rusting. The third cause is the chemicals, solvents, and cleaning solutions that are poured down the drain which interact and corrode the metal pipes. The fourth cause is poor craftsmanship or workmanship, inferior plumbing supplies or materials, or a plumber that rushes or isnt experienced.

If you think have a slab leak, you should get a free estimate from a qualified epoxy pipe lining company. Rather than go through the time-consuming (days or even weeks) and expensive process of either re-routing the affected plumbing altogether, or digging/breaking up your concrete floor or foundation, destroying the flooring you may have covered it with, and buying new replacement pipes, you may be able to save time and money by restoring the pipes you have, right where they are (by connecting epoxy lining equipment to your existing fixtures and valves). A conventional repair will solve your problem right now, but epoxy pipe lining can protect your plumbing system from future slab leaks.

Mr. LeMaire has served as President of Curaflo since September 2006. CuraFlo is a leader in solving low water flow. Brain is an industry leader in solving problems created by pinhole leaks Tuberculation with are both of concern when dealing with slab leaks.

American homes consume about 100 gallons of water a day –that’s almost 70% more than homes of other industrialized countries. Residential water use makes up 47 percent of the water supplied by U.S. water utilities. We can each become more environmentally friendly, and our plumbing systems are a good place to start. There are lots of ways you can save money and the environment if you just take the time, including some well-known and not-so-well-known ways.

Low-flow: Inexpensive and relatively simple to install, low-flow shower heads, faucet aerators, and toilets can reduce your home water consumption by as much as 50% (an average household can save about 7,800 gallons of water a year), making them the most effective home water conservation projects. But what you may not realize is that if you’re cutting your water consumption, that reduces the amount of water that you need to heat –cutting your electricity or natural gas (whichever your hot water heater uses) bill up to 50%.

Bottled or tap: A water filtration system attached to your faucet (or free-standing) can purify enough water to fill up more than 3,000 disposable plastic water bottles every year. Globally, 38 billion disposable plastic water bottles are thrown out every year. Cutting down on the use of these disposable bottles also reduces crude oil dependency –crude oil by-product is used in plastic water bottle manufacturing, approximately 17 million barrels of oil are used every year just to meet America's demands for these plastic water bottles. Buy a reusable bottle and fill it with water you filter yourself, you’ll save money and the environment.

Graywater (or greywater) systems:  A safe and easy way to collect and filter the water used by faucets, dishwashers, and washing machines, and reuse it for non-potable (non-drinking water) purposes --cutting back on your home's water consumption. The system recycles water, to water plants for example, reducing your use of fresh, potable water.  It also cuts down the amount of water going into your community's sewage system instead of the soil.

Leaky faucets: The steady drip of a leaky tap isn’t just annoying, it can really add up. Fixing your leaky faucets is a way to keep water and money from slipping down the drain. The average American household consumes about 90 gallons of water a day. About 12.6 gallons of that is due to faucet, toilet, and pipe leaks. Stopping this ongoing loss is as easy as calling your plumber to fix that chronic leak that you’ve been putting off. A dripping faucet can waste up to 74 gallons a day, a leaking toilet up to 200 gallons a day. Repair a leaky toilet and you can save 73,000 gallons a year.

Leaky pipes: What happens when your leaky pipes are so full of pinhole leaks or can’t be repaired and need to be replaced? A repipe, or pipe replacement, involves cutting open walls and removal of the affected pipes. Not only does this mean you’re throwing away drywall and old pipes, but you’re using new drywall and pipes, each with its own manufacturing toll on the environment.

CuraFlo’s® epoxy pipe lining is a “green”, or environmentally friendly alternative to repipe. It involves less mess and takes less time than pipe replacement. More often than not epoxy lining is more cost-effective too. Your pipes are epoxy lined through connections to your existing plumbing fixtures and valves, nearly or completely eliminating the need to cut open walls. Your pipes are cleaned out and epoxy is blown through. Your existing pipes are restored to good as new condition with at least another 50 years of service life.

Brian LeMaire is President of CuraFlo and has been in the plumbing industry since 1981. He is a qualified Journeyman plumber throughout all of Canada as well as a State registered plumbing contractor in Ohio. Brian has been involved in all aspects of being a plumbing and heating contractor including new construction of hospitals, schools, and industrial facilities. Prior to founding CuraFlo in 1996, Brian owned and operated a very successful service & repipe business in Vancouver, British Columbia. Together with Dr. Dave Dunn is Vice President of Research and Development for CuraFlo, he coauthors PipeProblems.com –a blog that answers people’s questions about pipe repair.