Underground Leaks Clues, Causes and Cures

Property owners beware: Underground plumbing leaks can quietly do thousands of dollars worth of damage before anyone becomes concerned about the signs that one may exist.

It can cause damage to your foundation, to your basement, or even to your flooring. Foundation problems are invariably expensive to resolve. Resolving them is also critical. In extreme cases, foundation problems that go unresolved can lead to the building falling down.

Underground leaks can also cause mold and mildew problems. This can worsen allergies or even be deadly, depending upon the type of mold involved and the severity. Mold should always be taken seriously as a health threat to all family members, but especially so for very young children, the elderly and for people who are immunocompromised, such as cancer patients.

Read on to learn how to spot a possible hidden leak, what causes them and what you should do.

Clues or Indicators

If your water bill has mysteriously gone up, this can be due to a hidden leak. If there are wet or moldy patches in the basement, this can suggest an underground leak. If there is a perpetually wet spot in the yard or if you hear running water when all the taps are turned off, take a closer look. You may have a hidden leak somewhere. Sunken basement floors and the smell of mold or mildew in the house can also suggest an underground leak.

Causes of Underground Leaks

Over time, the action of water going through metal pipes causes corrosion. This is not a question or if. It is a question of when. It is always true that metal pipes will eventually corrode. It only varies in terms of how quickly and how badly the pipes become corroded.

Water that is more acidic than average can cause corrosion to happen more quickly. This is particularly true if you have copper pipes. Usually, copper pipes develop an internal film of rust that helps protect the pipes, slowing the corrosion. However, if the water is sufficiently acidic, it will strip this film out of the pipes, causing them to have no protection. This will cause them to corrode more rapidly.

Water with a high oxygen content can corrode pipes faster. Oxygen is the chemical source of rust, which is also known as oxidation. Fresh water always contains some oxygen. Highly oxygenated water can be a problem for pipes, even though it would be deemed to be good quality water in terms of human consumption.

Warmer water causes corrosion more quickly than cold water. Hot water lines in homes always corrode more quickly than cold water lines. Thus, if the source water is abnormally warm for some reason, the pipes will corrode more rapidly than usual.

If the pipes are over 15 years old, the odds are high that you simply have normal wear and tear leading to a leak. However, even newer pipes can become corroded or otherwise damaged under the right circumstances. It also depends in part on the type of pipes in use on the property.

Other sources of leaks include joint problems and underground roots growing into the pipes, thereby causing damage to pipes. Problematic roots are typically from large plants with deep roots, such as trees and certain types of bushes. Landscaping can add a lot of value to a property, but it can also cause problems with underground pipes.

If you want substantial landscaping without the headaches of pipes damaged by the roots, it may be worthwhile to talk to a professional landscaper and provide them with a map of all underground utilities. You may be able to get the outdoor amenities you desire without causing yourself a plumbing problem by making sure that trees and other landscaping are planted away from the underground pipes in the yard.

Additionally, you can get leaks due to pipes that are not buried far enough below ground in areas where the ground routinely freezes. If pipes are too close to the surface when the ground freezes, the freezing causes the ground to contract. This underground movement can place stress on pipes and lead to breaks in the pipes or accelerate current deterioration of the pipe system.

I Suspect A Leak. Now What?

Now it is time to call a local professional plumber. Underground leaks are not well suited to being resolved by inexperienced laymen. This is not the time to try your hand at doing it yourself.

A professional will have tools for detecting the exact point of the leak and verifying if there is actually an underground leak. They have the experience and equipment for digging up the damaged pipe and replacing it.

They can help you figure out what else many need to happen to fully resolve the situation. For example, they may identify badly placed landscaping, such as a tree or bushes, that is causing root growth in a problematic area. Or they may be able to advise you of other contributing factors.

It may be a good idea to get a water softener or to change to a different type of piping material in order to reduce the odds of seeing too many leaks, too quickly. Of course, over time, any system will require some maintenance and repair. It is simply not possible to entirely eliminate leaks for all eternity. That is not a realistic expectation. But, you do want to make reasonable efforts to reduce the severity and frequency of leaks.

Talking to a qualified plumbing professional is the best way to get advice on that count. Make sure you let them know from the start that if there is an underground leak, you not only want it repaired, you also want it repaired in a manner that will help prevent a future recurrence. This information will help your plumber decide how to approach the problem. A more comprehensive solution may involve a slightly different approach than just replacing the damaged pipe, such as choosing different piping materials.