A foundation crack can be a serious headache, costing you money and compromising your entire structure. One cause of foundation problems can be something called a slab leak, aka a foundation leak or a concrete slab leak. This is a plumbing industry term which refers to a leak in the waterline piping under the concrete floor of your home or the building where your business is housed. If a slab leak is properly detected you can stop damage to your foundation.
Some symptoms include: water on the floor, a hot spot on the floor, cracks in walls or floors, the sound of water running even if all water is turned off or a sudden high water bill. Causes include: ground shifting (can be caused by earthquakes or the ground settling under the weight of the house over time), improper wrapping of exposed piping, electrolysis (a chemical reaction between copper piping, soil composition and electrical current) and kinked or nicked lines.
Detection techniques include acoustic surveying, use of line tracing equipment, isolation measures and hydrostatic pressure testing. Once a cause is determined a repair can be determined. Repairs can be costly, but potentially less than repairing a foundation crack!