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Triple master contractor Ed Del Grande
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By Ed Del Grande
Q: Dear Ed, I have learned from your column and look forward to getting your book, but I have a problem now that is driving me crazy! My house has city water and is built on a slab foundation. The problem is whenever I use water in my kitchen and I shut off the faucet, it still sounds like there is water running somewhere in the ceiling above the kitchen! I checked all my faucets inside and out, and nothing is leaking, I even checked the yard for an underground leak but cannot find any wet areas around the house. What can I do next? I feel like a water torture victim! Brian (Michigan)
A: Hello, Brian. I just want to let you know that a hidden leak can be one of the most frustrating problems to deal with. If you are lucky, it could be very easy to fix. If you're not so lucky, this can be a very expensive problem to locate and repair.
First, you have to find out exactly what you are dealing with. Next time you hear the water running in the kitchen ceiling, you need to confirm that something is actually leaking. Go to your water meter and look at the little "flow wheel" on the meter to see if it's spinning slowly. If the meter wheel is spinning and everything in the house that uses water is shut off, you do have a hidden leak. If the meter is not showing any flow at all, that will confirm that it's not running water you hear.
It may be the sound of water draining and in that case you should have your drain and vents checked to make sure they are installed properly. But let's assume that you do have a hidden leak in the house. The first things to check are your toilet tanks to make sure the fill valves are not running. A slow-running toilet can waste thousands of gallons of water, and you may not know it's leaking. The water simply goes down the tank overflow tube and out the toilet trap! That would be the lucky leak, since a toilet fill valve is very easy to repair.
Now let's talk about the unlucky hidden leak. Since you live on a slab, if everything in the house that uses water is off, your toilets check out fine, and the water meter is reading flow, there could be a water piping leak somewhere under the slab. This is now a problem that needs to be checked out by a licensed plumber to pinpoint the location of the leak.
Once located, a leak under a concrete slab can only be fixed by removing the floor, breaking up the concrete, digging up the soil to expose the pipe, repairing the pipe, then putting everything back in place with a new concrete patch. I've been there and done that for many of my customers, and it's an expensive job.
The good news is that in most cases the leak is just a toilet fill valve, so don't panic yet! Hopefully this hidden leak won't make your money disappear as well!
Q: Hi, Ed, we have a very puzzling water problem with our basement. In 30 years we never had any water problems, but this year water has started seeping up in the basement! We have cleaned out the gutters and sloped the flower beds away from the house, but nothing has worked. The water keeps seeping up, and we don't even know why. What is going on? Do you have any thoughts on this problem? Who do we call to fix this? JoAnn & Art (Pennsylvania)
A: Yes, JoAnn, I have seen this happen before. To put it quite simply, you are now in a battle with Mother Nature! Ground water can be very tricky to deal with.
First, understand that ground water can be compared with an underground river, and like all rivers, over time the direction of their flow may change. Plus, water tables may rise or fall in any area. Even if your basement has been dry for 30 years, now you unfortunately have a ground water issue to deal with.
In my experience I have found that you really can't stop ground water, but it can be controlled by installing a sump in your basement floor along with a sump pump. The sump is a special water-collection pit below your foundation grade. When the water starts to rise in the sump, the sump pump kicks on and pumps the water outside before it floods your basement. That's the plan anyway, but even with a sump pump you may still have problems from time to time!
The good news is that ground water problems are very common and there are "waterproofing companies" that take care of nothing but wet basements. Find a local licensed and insured basement contractor in your area with a good reputation. Remember, in this case, you want to hire someone who will leave you "high and dry"!
Ed Del Grande was born and raised in a family-owned plumbing business. With more than 25 years of experience in every aspect of construction, he holds current Master licenses in pipefitting, fire protection and plumbing. If you have a question for Ed, send him an e-mail at eddelgrande@hgtvpro.com.
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