Copper water pipes in cement slab

[Lois Lane]

It's the weekend, and I am going at it again. Our final and last bathroom remodel. It is in the basement of a 1950's quad level. The water pipes to the top floor bathrooms run under the slab of the basement bathroom floor. I know they are leaking, but my water pressure is great. There was quite a bit of erosion of the slab under the wall of the bathroom, and the slab feels and looks damp where the pipes are, and you can feel a warm spot on the floor. If I could figure out where the pipes go up through the wall between the basement and the walk out level to the top floor I would rerun them through the basement ceiling. I think I would have to take out the shower to find them, and I really don't want to do that right now. It of course is an old tile shower on 2 inches of mud and diamond lath. How bad is it if I just pour concrete down the void under the basement bathroom wall, put in a new wall and ignore the problem?

 

[Terry]

Do you have a water meter with the small dial that spins showing a small amount of flow?
Water leaks only get bigger. If there was anytime to bypass a leak, the time would be now. To me, bypass means new pipe routed around the problem.
I would think that the water lines to the shower are in the wall and not the pan. Perhaps access from a room behind it?

I had one customer with a slab leak, thought it was a bad water heater not keeping up. Nope, it was a copper leak under the slab.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[John Gayewski]

Ignoring a leak in your water supply piping would be a disaster. No if ands or buts

 

[Jeff H Young]

many times an underslab line can be capped off where it enters slab and a new line rerouted above through walls or ceilings. but what ever it takes repair the leak

 

[Lois Lane]

Thanks all. That is not the answer I was looking to hear. When I look at the water bill, (I didn't think to actually check the meter!) I figure the leaks are costing $10-$20 a month, but I also have a boiler for heat and some of the heating pipes go under the slab as well . Removeing and replacing is a huge and expensive job for the heating pipes. I think I could reroute the water pipes in the basement bath to the ceiling, if I could only figure out where to look for the pipes that go up to the top floor. I like plumbing repairs. I hate plaster repairs.

 

[Jeff H Young]

My water is 150 to 300 a month a 10 or 20 bucks fluctuation I would never have a clue anything is wrong by water billing.
usually you can figure it out somewhat, or hire a leak detectinon company . that old bath room in a basement Id surface mount the pipes paint it out . too many details unknown but generaly avoid old 60 plus year old pipes underground that were likely never properly protected, at your leisure before they bust. So id start a plan to eliminate all underground lines in the house and implement as budget and time allows

 

[Reach4]

but I also have a boiler for heat and some of the heating pipes go under the slab as well .

If you cut off the valve that supplies the refill valve for the heat, see if the pressure stays up in the heating system. The point would be to distinguish a leak in the heating pipes vs the other pipes.

 

[Fitter30]

Pipe is leaking 24/7 how long will it be till theres structure damage from the ground settling from the ground washing out or the flooring gets destroyed.

 

[Lois Lane]

Thanks all! I figured out that the water pipes go not only under the basement slab but then up half a story and under the walk out slab as well all the way to the back of the house before going up to the top level. Too big a job for me. For now I am just going to finish the bathroom. Luckily the house is built on sand and has excellent drainage, so I think I have time to eventually fix the problem.