Because almost every Orlando home is built slab-on-grade with no basement, a chunk of the plumbing runs inside or beneath the concrete foundation. When a line under there starts leaking, it can hide for months, and quietly do real damage.
It's simply a leak in a water or drain line that runs under the slab. Old copper can corrode in our soil; shifting and settling can stress a joint. Because it's under concrete, the water has nowhere obvious to go, so it shows up indirectly before you ever see it.
Watch for a spike in your water bill with no change in use, the sound of running water when everything's off, warm spots on the floor (a hot-water line leak), unexplained damp or buckling flooring, or a water heater and fixtures losing pressure. A foundation that suddenly grows mold or musty smells is another flag.
Sandy, shifting soil and a high water table put movement and moisture against those buried lines year-round. Add the mineral-heavy water scaling things from the inside, and older slab plumbing has a hard life in Central Florida.
Don't ignore the early signs, a slab leak only gets more expensive. A plumber can locate it without jackhammering the whole floor and lay out your options, which sometimes means rerouting a line rather than opening the slab. If your bill jumped or you hear water with the taps off, call us and we'll help you find it. While you're at it, ruling out a water heater or drain-line issue is part of the same diagnosis.
Modern slab leak detection uses three non-invasive techniques. Acoustic listening: a sensitive ground microphone amplifies the sound of water moving through pipes. The plumber walks the slab, listens at multiple points, and triangulates the loudest spot to within a few inches.
Thermal imaging: an infrared camera detects warm spots from hot-water-side slab leaks. The camera shows a clear thermal signature directly above the leak point. Works only for hot-side leaks but is highly accurate when applicable.
Pressure testing: isolating sections of the supply system to identify which line is losing pressure. Combined with acoustic detection, pressure testing confirms which line and roughly where.
A typical Orlando slab leak detection visit costs $250 to $450 and takes 45 to 90 minutes. The diagnostic is usually credited toward the repair if you book the work with the same company.
Three repair paths exist for a confirmed slab leak. Each makes sense in different situations.
Spot repair: break the slab at the leak location, expose the failed section, replace it, patch the slab. Cost: $1,500 to $3,500. Best when the rest of the system is sound and the leak is at a single accessible spot.
Attic reroute: abandon the underslab pipe, run new PEX through the attic to the same fixture, no slab work. Cost: $1,800 to $4,200. Best when slab access is difficult (tile floors, walls in the way, kitchen islands) or when the homeowner does not want any floor damage.
Whole-house repipe: replace all supply lines with new PEX, abandoning every underslab run. Cost: $5,500 to $14,000. Best when the home has had multiple slab leaks or when the copper supply is at end of life across the whole system.
Many Orlando homeowners with their first slab leak choose spot repair or attic reroute. Those facing a second or third slab leak within a few years usually conclude that the repipe is the better long-term investment.
A small slab leak found within days or weeks usually causes minimal damage. Repair is straightforward, no significant structural concerns. A slab leak that runs for months can saturate the soil under the slab, contribute to foundation movement, support mold growth, and damage flooring from below. The damage cost difference between early and late detection can be $10,000 or more.
Coverage varies dramatically by policy. Most Florida HO-3 policies cover the resulting water damage but not the plumbing repair itself. Some policies have specific 'tear-out and access' endorsements that cover the cost of accessing the leak through the slab. Read your policy or talk to your agent before assuming either coverage.
Most do, but some do not. Hot-side slab leaks usually warm the floor above them, making detection easier. Cold-side slab leaks can be silent for weeks or months, especially under a tile floor that hides moisture. The water bill jump is usually the most reliable detection signal regardless of leak type.
Not entirely, but you can reduce risk. Maintain proper water pressure (50 to 60 PSI, not higher than 80). Install a softener if your water is hard. Avoid grounding electrical to the copper supply system in pre-1995 homes. For homes 35+ years old with original copper, a preemptive PEX repipe avoids the leak entirely.
Detection: 45 to 90 minutes. Spot repair: 4 to 8 hours from arrival to finished slab patch. Attic reroute: 3 to 6 hours. Whole-house repipe: 2 to 5 days. The repair itself is usually fast; the bigger time variable is scheduling the detection visit and the repair as separate appointments.
The Orlando plumbing issues that matter most are usually the ones that get worse over time. Catching them early saves money and avoids the worst-case outcomes. If anything in this post matches what you are dealing with, a phone call with a licensed local plumber is the fastest path from question to answer. The phone quote is free.
We work all of Greater Orlando across Orange, Seminole, Volusia, Lake, Osceola, and Polk counties. Same-day response for most calls. Around-the-clock dispatch for emergencies. Florida-licensed plumbers, permit-pulled work, firm prices before any work starts. Call (407) 964-8940 to talk to someone now.
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