If you’re a DIY enthusiast or just naturally handy around the house, you probably know how to solve minor plumbing issues. You may have repaired a few leaky faucets in the past or even changed several pipes and fittings. Yet some plumbing problems are more severe than others and can’t be fixed without the help of a professional. Take slab leak repair, for example.
Outline
- Reason No. 1: Professionals use the right tools and equipment.
- Reason No. 2: Professionals have the proper education and training.
- Reason No. 3: Professionals need a license to operate.
- Reason No. 4: Professionals have a breadth of experience.
- Reason No. 5: Professionals have insurance.
- Reason No. 6: Professionals have a clear repair plan.
- Professional Slab Leak Specialist in Waco, Texas
Reason No. 1: Professionals use the right tools and equipment.
Fixing a leak isn’t possible until you know precisely where it originates. With slab leaks, locating the source of the leak is even trickier because the pipes run through or beneath several layers of concrete.
Without the tools and equipment you need to pinpoint where it’s happening, you might end up tearing down vast portions of your house and foundation to fix the problem.
A slab leak specialist uses high-tech tools like ground microphones, acoustic listening discs, thermal scanners, and video pipe cameras to inspect for slab leaks. These devices also don’t come cheap, so it’s usually not cost-effective for you to buy them unless you run a plumbing business. Most importantly, having them isn’t enough—you also need special training to learn how to use them safely and correctly. And that leads us to Reason No. 2.
Reason No. 2: Professionals have the proper education and training.
Slab leaks are serious problems that not only affect the structural integrity of a building but also threaten the health of those who inhabit it. It can cause your walls and ceilings to crack and even encourage toxic mold to grow inside your house, harming you and your family in the long run.
Plumbers must get the proper education to understand and apply all the necessary plumbing codes and laws. They also need a solid grasp of the engineering and plumbing principles required to do a repair job that can potentially damage property or endanger lives when done incorrectly. Moreover, as mentioned earlier, special training is needed to operate the advanced tools and devices necessary for slab leak detection.
Reason No. 3: Professionals need a license to operate.
A plumbing license not only confirms that the person tinkering with your plumbing system has the proper education and has had enough training to do the job correctly but is also legally entitled to work in the plumbing industry. They could be doing the job illegally without a license, perhaps undercutting prices and selling substandard work.
The Tradesman Plumber-Limited License in Texas, for example, signifies that the holder has undergone a minimum of 4,000 hours, or about two years, of apprenticeship, has passed the licensing exam, and has completed 24 hours of board-approved classroom training.
Reason No. 4: Professionals have a breadth of experience.
Experience allows professionals to better connect theories and knowledge with real-life situations. Plumbers with expertise in fixing slab leaks also have an advantage over those encountering the problem for the first time. A professional can quickly draw from prior experiences and apply that learning to a current situation, knowing which steps to take and which to avoid.
Reason No. 5: Professionals have insurance.
This one is so important. A plumber or a plumbing company that isn’t licensed, your friend who likes plumbing stuff, or even you, a DIY fan, won’t have insurance.
“Uninsured” means “liability.” If the uninsured party causes damage to your plumbing or home, you won’t have insurance to cover the cost. Worse, if you or your friend sustain injuries while “repairing,” you will have to pay for the medical bills and lost wages.
On the other hand, licensed plumbers have liability insurance. So, you won’t have to worry if something happens to your property or the plumber. For plumbing contractors to get a license, they usually need at least general liability insurance. As a general tip, always ask for insurance proof before letting a plumber touch your plumbing system.
Reason No. 6: Professionals have a clear repair plan.
Slab leak repair is a complex process that requires thorough planning. After leak detection and identifying the exact location of the damaged pipe, professional plumbers would have to devise a repair plan that would entail the least damage to your foundation. Depending on their assessment, they would have to do pipe rerouting, condemn an existing piping system, or even decide to apply trenchless methods.
With a clear repair plan, a professional plumber can make a close-to-realistic cost estimate and prepare a good bill of materials. Possible bottlenecks are also addressed correctly and on time because the repair plan has already considered them. A clear repair plan helps the professional plumber see the big picture and figure out which steps are most important and which ones can be skipped.
Professional Slab Leak Specialist in Waco, Texas
Most slab leaks in Texas homes are caused by the shifting or settling of the foundation, which is caused by how our soil moves. We have a lot of clay in our soil, so it can expand and contract a lot when the weather is hot or cold.
It is not unusual for our weather to change from hour to hour. There are some frigid days in the winter, and the summers pretty much burn our skin off. When you add in times of high humidity, downpours, and times when it doesn’t rain, you have a recipe for the clay to grow and shrink. This swelling and shrinking can cause the foundation to tilt and move. Since most plumbing runs through the foundation, this movement will cause the PVC pipes that run to crack and break.
If you suspect a slab leak at home or if you have observed any of the slab leak signs, contact Smelscer Plumbing immediately. Our company started solving plumbing problems in Texas in 1966. Our experience, expertise, and team integrity have built for us a company that stands on a solid foundation of excellent service.
Let us take care of your slab leak problem. We know exactly what to do. For immediate attention, click here to request service or call us at 254-749-7955.
