Slab leak repair ?

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Yenracer

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Hi All,

I hope everyone can shed some light. I have a slab leak and was wonder if I can use copper to pex connectors under the slab since I can bend it or I have to use copper and bend and or make some elbows solders? The red x is where the leak is and the blue is the 3/4 inch hot water pipe coming from The water heater and the green is the 1/2 hot water going into the washer. I haven’t had water for a week now and trying to fix this. Also would it be wise to put a shutoff valve to the 1/2 inch hot water going to the washer incase in the near future it leaks and I can just turn that off and still have hot water? If i don’t put a shut off valve to the 1/2 behind the drywall then if it leaks then when I turn the hot water line off via water heater then I won’t have any hot water to the house if it leaks on the 1/2 inch water line.

The plumber is charging me $1000 to make the connections and be and my pop already dig through the slab and found the leak.

Thank you so much.
 

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John Gayewski

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Underground copper joints need to be brazed. To braze copper to brass you need special flux. Better let the plumber do it. Also the copper should be in insulation if you bring pex up through the floor it should be in a foam insulation through a plastic sleeve.
 

Breplum

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ProPress conncections underground are typically allowed by code. Otherwise, as J.G. states, brazed NOT soldered.
No PEX connectors nor adapters allowed undeslab that I know of.
 

Yenracer

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thank you all for your knowledge and input but if the pipes are original since the house was built in 1975 it looks like type M which is the thinnest and if i braze it would that copper melt before the rod does? A plumber at Home Depot said most likely your pipe is M and should be L since it is thicker otherwise you risk heating up your pipe and weakening it before the rod melts to braze. He said as long as you reinforce it when you poor concrete use white soldering should be ok. Also do they sell longer elbows for change in directions or just your standard length based on how big your inner diameter is 3/4 and 1/2 inch? I tried to practice the brazing on an extra pipe and it got cherry red but it still wouldn't melt the rod and it turn black so i just stop.

What are my options?
 

John Gayewski

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L copper will blow a hole just like M if one isn't careful. I would keep practicing. 840 degrees is the melt point of brazing rod. 1000 for the copper. Softening the copper doesn't hurt it.
 

Jeff H Young

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50 year old underslab copper , i just hate bare copper in the dirt . I'd be leaning toward repipe or at least re routing those 2 lines above slab
 

cyyngblood

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Just to share my experience. Slab leak under slab and water lines re-routed with PEX through attic in 2012. In 2022 I had roof replaced. One NAIL penetrated a PEX line resulting in leak above MBR vanity and ($8000-$10000) insurance claim. PEX installer left pipe in contact with roof deck in area where pipe was routed down between exterior wall and interior sheet rock. That location is where the roof deck is at its lowest point. Apparently no codes seem to apply and common sense of installer would be expecting too much.
 
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