Month: August 2014

Foundation Plumbing Leaks Gainesville Florida

Foundation plumbing leaks in Gainesville, Florida: Often times homeowners are unaware of the danger of hidden plumbing leaks lurking below the concrete slab of their home. Most homes in Florida are built on a “slab on grade” foundation which means the plumbing lines are running beneath the home within the concrete slab foundation. The copper plumbing lines running underneath your home and inside your slab can spring leaks over a period of time (we find that timeline to be around 15 years).

The water in Gainesville, Florida is very hard and filled with lime rock scale and deposits. This is abrasive to copper and, over the course of time, these lime rock deposits will cause the copper pipe to fail causing a plumbing leak within your home’s foundation. Unlike a plumbing leak that is above the home’s foundation, these leaks are very difficult to repair and locate and can go undetected for weeks ultimately causing expensive water damage and mold damage to your home. Plumbing leaks within the foundation can also lead to serious structural issues due to the water pressure moving sand and fill-dirt that is under your home’s foundation. Walls can crack when the foundation shifts and more plumbing issues can arise. Below are clues of plumbing leaks within your home’s foundation.

  • Water usage increase causing your utility bill to rise significantly
  • Hot spots in your floor
  • Wet spots on flooring that are un-explained
  • Cracks in your walls, ceilings or flooring
  • Water lines in drywall that are un-explained
  • Visible mold growth on building materials
  • Base trim separation from walls
  • Fill dirt in your yard that has been pushed out from your home

If you suspect you have a plumbing leak it is important to contact a leak detection professional as soon as possible. Gainesville Leak Detection is North Central Florida’s leading water leak specialist and can help you with your plumbing leak issues. Contact them today.

Plumbing Leak Damage Gainesville Florida

Plumbing leak damage Gainesville Florida: Plumbing leaks can cause a variety of damage to your home or office and often times can go undetected for days even weeks. Plumbing leaks in the foundation’s of homes can be difficult to locate with out the proper equipment such as thermal imaging camera’s, moisture survey equipment, sonar guided leak detection equipment. Leaks in a homes foundation often times start so small they can’t be spotted by the naked eye however they can grow the size of a pea within days flooding your home or causing hidden mold damage. Mold damage resulting from a hidden plumbing leak in your foundation can be costly and often times insurance companies are looking to deny the claim or minimize the claim. Most homeowners have what is known as an HO3 policy in the state of Florida. The HO3 policy is a standard protection policy regulated sold to consumers by insurance companies. Every year insurance companies review the claims for the year and make amendments to the policy any where they are losing money. The state of Florida regulates amendments to insurance policies attempting to protect the consumers from the insurance companies. Insurance companies decided mold remediation and mold liability was costing money so a mold limit of 10,000.00 dollars per policy period was passed. Hidden plumbing leaks can cause more then 10,000.00 dollars in mold damage in a 5 day period leaving the consumer or homeowner stuck with the remaining costs for mold related services. Mold remediation can be very expensive testing for mold contamination can coat as much as 1,500.00 dollars before any work begins. Mold contamination can be harmful to building occupants and should be remediated quickly by a licensed professional. Plumbing leaks in foundation of homes often times occur in copper plumbing lines that are 15 years old or more. North Central Florida has very hard water due to lime rock deposits which can be abrasive to copper plumbing lines over a period of time. Usually when a home suffers from a foundation leak in a copper line we find that chances of another leak increase by 50 percent. If you feel you have plumbing leak damage call Gainesville Leak Detection Inc.