Nearly every home in the Las Vegas Valley sits on a concrete slab, with water lines running in or under it. When one of those lines leaks, the water goes into the soil under your house, sometimes for weeks before anyone notices. We find the leak, explain your repair options in plain English, and do the work, with permits pulled when the job needs one.
Las Vegas Water Experts is a family owned and operated plumbing company based in Henderson. Our small family team does the work ourselves, led by owner Jason Miller, who has more than 24 years of plumbing experience. We’re licensed, bonded and insured, and we answer 24/7.
Do You Have a Slab Leak?
The usual clues are a warm spot on the floor, the sound of running water with everything off, a water bill that jumps for no reason, or a water heater that seems to run nonstop. For the full list, the causes behind slab leaks in desert soil, and a meter test you can do yourself, read slab leak signs in Las Vegas.
If water is coming up through the floor, shut off the main valve. If you suspect a hot line, you can also close the cold supply valve on top of the water heater. Then call us. We answer 24/7, and our emergency service page covers what to do while you wait.
Finding the Leak First
A slab leak repair is only as good as the detection behind it. We isolate which line is leaking, hot or cold and which branch, then locate the spot as closely as we can before any concrete is touched. Our leak detection page explains how that works.
Many valley homes are built on post-tension slabs, with steel cables under high tension inside the concrete. Cutting into one without knowing where those cables are can be dangerous and very costly to fix. It’s one more reason slab work should never be a DIY project, and one reason a reroute is often worth considering.
Your Repair Options
There are three main ways to fix a slab leak. Which one fits depends on the age and type of pipe, how many leaks the house has had, where the leak is and what’s above it. We can’t tell you which one is right until we’ve found the leak and looked at the pipe.
Spot repair under the slab
We open the slab at the leak, repair that section of pipe, and do a rough concrete patch. It can make sense for a first leak in otherwise healthy pipe. Finished concrete, flooring and tile work are usually done by a contractor you choose, and we tell you up front what the opening means for your floors.
Reroute through the walls or attic
Instead of breaking concrete, we take the leaking line out of service and run a new line overhead, through the attic and down the walls to the fixtures it served. In many slab homes this is the cleaner fix for a single bad line, and it takes that line out from under the slab for good.
Whole-house PEX repipe
If the home has had two or three slab leaks, the rest of the original pipe is often in similar shape. A PEX repipe replaces the water supply system, usually run overhead, and ends the cycle of leaks. We repipe in PEX only. In Kitec homes, we replace the fittings and all of the pipe together.
Why Slab Lines Fail Here
Valley water is hard, 17 to 25 grains per gallon, about 22 typical, and decades of it wear on older metal pipe from the inside, often on hot lines first. Parts of the valley also have soils that shift with irrigation and weather, and pipe that rubs against concrete or gravel can wear through. Our Las Vegas hard water guide explains the mineral side of the problem.
How a Slab Leak Job Works
- Locate. We confirm there’s a leak, isolate the line and pinpoint the spot.
- Explain. We lay out the options that fit your house, spot repair, reroute or repipe, and what each involves. You make the call.
- Permit. Concealed-pipe work generally needs a permit from your city or Clark County. As a licensed contractor, we pull the permits our work requires.
- Repair and test. We make the repair and check the line for leaks before it’s closed in, and we do a rough concrete patch where we opened the slab. Finish work is left to the contractor you choose.
- Follow-up. If water has soaked flooring or walls, see our water damage response page for drying and next steps.
We handle slab leaks across the valley, including Henderson, Anthem, Spring Valley and East Las Vegas. For other pipe problems, see pipe repairs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which repair option is best for my house?
It depends on your house. A spot repair opens the least pipe, a reroute avoids the slab, and a repipe deals with the whole system. Once we’ve found the leak and seen the pipe, we explain the trade-offs so you can decide.
Will you have to tear up my floors?
Not always. Accurate detection keeps any opening small, and a reroute through the walls or attic can avoid opening the slab altogether.
What is a post-tension slab, and does my house have one?
It’s a slab with steel cables tensioned inside the concrete, and many valley homes have one. Some homes have a stamp or notice in the garage saying so. Either way, we treat every slab with care before cutting.
Can I wait on a small slab leak?
It’s not a good idea. Water under the slab keeps running into the soil, raises your bill and can soften the ground under the house. Small leaks are also easier to fix than big ones.
Does homeowners insurance cover slab leaks?
It varies by policy. Some cover access and resulting water damage but not the pipe itself. Check with your agent, and keep photos and records.
Think you have a slab leak? Las Vegas Water Experts is a Henderson-based, family owned plumbing company. We’re licensed, bonded and insured, and we answer 24/7. Call 702-577-5505. NV LIC# 0095727. Prefer to write? Use our contact page.