Slab leak · Tasha Greene
High water bill, hot line leaking under the slab
ER nurse who works nights, and you may be catching her before she sleeps. Direct and to the point.
What you know walking in
Leak detection call. Water bill jumped from about $90 to $260 in one billing cycle, and the customer hears water running when everything is off. Single-story home on a slab, built in 1977. Not a member.
- Soft copper water lines under the slab, 49 yrs
- 40-gallon gas water heater in the garage, 5 yrs
- Porcelain tile in the hallway, 6 yrs
What you found
- With every fixture off, the meter's leak indicator keeps turning. Water is leaving the pipes somewhere.
- Closing the cold inlet at the water heater stops the meter. The leak is on the hot water side.
- Listening equipment and a thermal camera put the leak under the hallway tile, about 6 feet from the hall bathroom door. The tile is warm there.
- The cold side held pressure for 30 minutes with no drop. It is not leaking.
- The lines under the slab are the original 1977 soft copper. Hot lines under a slab fail most often, and this one can develop more pinholes over time.
Your price book for this job
Spot repair under the hallway
Open about a 2-by-2-foot section of hallway tile and slab · Repair the leak in the hot line · Pressure test before closing · Concrete patch · Tile replacement not included
$2,950
or $74/mo
Reroute the hot line through the attic Fits this home
New PEX hot line from the water heater through the attic to each fixture · Old hot line under the slab capped and abandoned · Small drywall openings patched and primed, texture and paint not included · Permit and inspection · Pressure test and meter check
$3,900
or $98/mo
Reroute hot and cold lines through the attic
Everything in the hot line reroute · New PEX cold line through the attic to each fixture · All water lines out of the slab
$5,800
or $145/mo
The honest fit is marked. Recommend what the home needs, and only that.
Your goal
Show her the proof step by step (meter, isolation, pressure test, listening and thermal readings) and explain spot repair versus reroute in plain words. Recommend the reroute without pushing, ask for a decision, and respect a no.
Difficulty: Tough
Plan you can offer
- Summit Care Club$19.95 a month
Speak naturally. Tasha hears you, reacts to how you say things, and remembers. Headphones make it feel real.