I will Inspect your foundation for signs of plumbing leaks!
I am a foundation repair consultant. My job, which I have been doing for forty year, is to examine residential and small commercial buildings. This is to determine how to prevent, stop and/or reverse foundation movement and damage.
I charge a fair and reasonable fee and if I don't help you I don' expect you to pay. Since foundation repair companies usually send out commissioned salespeople charged with selling piers I suggest you contact me before getting bids so you will be better able to evaluate what they are purposing.
After our meeting you will be armed with the information needed to make intelligent decisions about what to do.
Remember, I don't have a dog in the fight, I do not profit one way or the other based of any repairs to choose.
Now let's talk about plumbing leaks and repairs.
One of the major causes of Foundation damage in areas of expansive soil is upheaval caused by plumbing leaks!
Expanding soils are the number one cause of foundation damage in areas of expansive soils. The main reason that soils expand is the addition of water into a dry soil. When soils under a slab or around a crawl space pier expand and lift a section of a home, a small business or any other object sitting in or on the soil it is called upheaval. Along with negative drainage, plumbing leaks are a major cause of expanding soils and upheaval.
Cutaway of mono slab
Slab Leak
IF YOU HAVE A PLUMBING LEAK UNDER YOUR SLAB OR IN YOUR CRAWL SPACE YOUR FOUNDATION WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE UNTIL IT IS FIXED...
When Upheaval is experienced due to plumbing leaks areas of the structure will be lifted above original grade.
Piers won't help and drainage correction won't stop the movement, nothing will stop it from moving until the leak OR leaks are repaired.
When a plumbing leak occurs in either a crawl space or under a slab foundation built that is built on expansive soils, the soils tend to expand as water is received. As the soil expands areas of the building are lifted. This is called upheaval and is the main cause of foundation movement, distress and damage in much of the world
Most slab foundations consist of a slab 4" to 5 "thick and a perimeter beam that is anywhere from 20" to 30" deep and 12'' or so wide. This is similar to a cereal bowl turned upside down and pushed into the ground.
Occasionally a structural crack in the slab will allow water from the broken pipe to rise through the slab, often wetting the floor in unlikely areas such as away from walls. I n this case the pressure is released and upheaval is avoided but wet floors are also not pleasant.
Either way the leak or leaks need to be fixed for the home to reach a point where it can be considered safe, sanitary and completely livable.
If you have a question about a possible leak under your slab or in a crawl space that may be affecting your foundation I can help. If you know, or think, you do have a leak, do not put piers on your home before having the leak repaired and allowing the soil under the building to dry. Usually with the leak stopped and positive drainage, the structure will return to near as built and piers can be avoided and technically you may not have not experienced foundation damage.
When upheaval happens
structures twist...
Most foundations are designed to flex. Building materials, for the most part do not flex. When a portion of a structure is lifted the structure often becomes twisted to a point that cracks and uneven elevations occur.
However, the structural crack will allow water to rise through the slab, often wetting the floor in unlikely areas such as away from walls.
Either way the leak or leaks need to be fixed for the home to reach a point where it can be considered safe, sanitary and completely livable.
What they say
Hello Richard,
You came out and looked at my foundation problem a few weeks ago. You were right I do have a drainpipe leak. The plumber used a camera and located the busted pipe. It looks like it might be by a load bearing wall and could weaken the floor. They won’t know until after the pipes are exposed. The work begins this Monday to do the repair. More checks for leaks will be done after they open up the slab. Thanks for the advice,
Joe
Good morning Richard,
Thank you so much; this document makes perfect sense to me. I appreciate you being able to visit with us so quickly after my initial phone call to you. Your know-how and expertise were very helpful and I feel much better going forward having the knowledge you provided to us. We plan to hire a plumber to come do the pressure test within the next couple of weeks and then we’ll go from there. Thanks for being our advocate; it’s great knowing we have you as a resource. I’ll certainly call you with any questions that come up, and I’ll keep you posted as we move forward. Have a great day,
Jennifer
Richard,
Just a note to thank you for visiting with me yesterday. The information with which I am now armed gives me a lot of leverage with future experiences relating to foundation issues. Today’s meeting with another foundation repair co. went very much like the others. Recommendations, 13 piers across the front of the house. None in back. I played very uninformed. I asked how it would be to do the plumbing test before starting the pier installation and was told that would be useless until the work was completed because there might be some plumbing line damage after the piering and we would just have to repeat the testing. No sense in doing the testing first. I explained that it made sense to wait based on that assumption. I am planning the plumbing test for one day next week. I will let you know what I discover. Again, Thank you for being willing to share your insight with me. A classic example of knowledge being power.
Regards, Jim
pricing
My fee: within 50 miles of DFW airport is $400.00
A little further...
a little more.
A lot further... can be negotiated.
Richard Rash,
Foundation Repair Consultant.
Helping people with foundation issues for over forty years.
Contact me now. The longer you wait the greater the chance of increased damage.
Contact Information
Richard Rash, Foundation Repair Consultant. Call/Text 817-308-8186 www.repairfoundation.com email: thefoundationman@gmail.com