Leak under slab that cannot be located? (insurance, house)

[aljka]

We found a house and did inspection. We found that there is a small leak and requested to fix it prior closing. Seller called plumber and plumber could not locate a leak. Their answer is "the leak is so small that it cannot be located. Advice is to wait until leak is bigger so it can be located and then fix it". This sounds a bit scary. We never had a house on slab before, so trying to google and everyone says that leak cannot be left untreated. Please advice if anyone had problems like this?
Thank you!

[NTXPerson]

I also ran into a similar situation. I also got the same answer from the plumber. What kind of pipes are they?

[aljka]

Originally Posted by NTXPerson

I also ran into a similar situation. I also got the same answer from the plumber. What kind of pipes are they?

We don't really know, but the house is from 2004. What did you end up doing? Did you eventually fix it?

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

I would walk away. Digging under a slab is very expensive, used to be $100/ft, probably much more now. I had to have it done in a prior house.

[CollieMan]

Originally Posted by aljka

We found a house and did inspection. We found that there is a small leak and requested to fix it prior closing. Seller called plumber and plumber could not locate a leak. Their answer is "the leak is so small that it cannot be located. Advice is to wait until leak is bigger so it can be located and then fix it". This sounds a bit scary. We never had a house on slab before, so trying to google and everyone says that leak cannot be left untreated. Please advice if anyone had problems like this?
Thank you!

Who located the leak? Based on what finding?

If a plumber came in and could not find it, I HIGHLY doubt a run of the mill inspector found it.

[aljka]

Originally Posted by CollieMan

Who located the leak? Based on what finding?

If a plumber came in and could not find it, I HIGHLY doubt a run of the mill inspector found it.

It was found during inspection. Water meter is still moving when all water is shut off. They called plumber to locate the leak and plumber could not "because it is too small"

[aljka]

Originally Posted by SouthernBelleInUtah

I would walk away. Digging under a slab is very expensive, used to be $100/ft, probably much more now. I had to have it done in a prior house.

Did your home insurance cover?

[Threestep2]

Originally Posted by aljka

Did your home insurance cover?

Unless your coverage specifies water damage prior to purchase it will not.
Run do not walk.

[Farmer Larry]

I discovered my slab leak when one of my cats started laying in the same spot in front of my kitchen sink because the floor was nice and warm. The other clue was hot water was getting to that faucet much quicker because the leak had hot water 3/4 of the way there at all times. If you have a shutoff at your water heater you could turn it off and at least isolate the leak between hot or cold. Most slab leaks are on the hot line because it expands much more than the cold.
The idiots that did the plumbing when this house was built did not follow code and bury the pipes in sand, they were buried in rock and all kind of crap. There may be many more leaks to follow, check with neighbors and see if they have had the same problem. It might be time to run PEX through the attic as I did.

[escanlan]

Originally Posted by aljka

We found a house and did inspection. We found that there is a small leak and requested to fix it prior closing. Seller called plumber and plumber could not locate a leak. Their answer is "the leak is so small that it cannot be located. Advice is to wait until leak is bigger so it can be located and then fix it". This sounds a bit scary. We never had a house on slab before, so trying to google and everyone says that leak cannot be left untreated. Please advice if anyone had problems like this?
Thank you!

Originally Posted by aljka

It was found during inspection. Water meter is still moving when all water is shut off. They called plumber to locate the leak and plumber could not "because it is too small"

Any sub-slab leak can contribute and/or cause issues with foundations. Even a small leak over time (undefined as each case is different) can cause large issues later. No leak should be left un-repaired until it becomes "bigger".


Since this is the purchase of a home it is time to make a decision. Farmer Larry has pointed out a very good alternative if it is a single story home. If so I would recommend obtaining honest estimates for a full PEX retrofit and then decide if you would approach the owner for a concession to cover it and if you even want to deal with it.


Did the Plumber even advise if the leak was sub-slab or not?