Slab leak repair starts with non-invasive location — acoustic listening equipment, thermal imaging, and pressure testing to pinpoint the leak before anything is cut. Then you choose among three repair paths: spot repair through the slab, rerouting the line above ground, or repiping.
Step One: Confirm and Locate
We verify a leak exists by isolating the system and pressure testing, then locate it precisely using acoustic equipment that hears water escaping under concrete, thermal imaging that finds temperature anomalies from a hot-water line, and tracer methods where needed. The goal is a specific spot, not a general area — because the difference between the two is how much concrete comes up.
The Warning Signs You Probably Noticed
A warm spot on the floor, an unexplained water bill increase, the sound of running water with everything off, damp or discolored flooring, cracks in flooring or foundation, or reduced water pressure.
Step Two: Choose the Repair
- Spot repair. Cut through the slab at the located point, repair the pipe, and restore the concrete. Least disruptive when the leak is isolated and the rest of the piping is in good shape.
- Reroute. Abandon the failed segment and run a new line through walls or the attic instead. Often the better choice when the slab section is difficult to access, or when a spot repair would sit under finished flooring you would rather not cut.
- Repipe. If the system has already leaked more than once, or the piping is at end of life throughout, replacing it ends the cycle rather than funding it in installments.
Why Slab Leaks Deserve Urgency
Water under a slab does not just waste water. It erodes the soil supporting your foundation, which is how a plumbing problem becomes a structural one. It also soaks flooring and subfloor from below and grows mold in places nobody inspects.
What Causes Them Here
High water pressure without a working pressure reducing valve, abrasion where pipe contacts concrete as the slab shifts, corrosion accelerated by soil chemistry, and hard water scale. Most Albuquerque homes are slab-on-grade, which is why this comes up as often as it does locally.
