Commercial Slab & Under-Floor Leak Detection

A commercial building with a wet hallway, a utility room that never dries, a musty lower level or a floor that's warm in one patch has a pressurized line leaking under the slab. The signs are easy to dismiss as humidity or a roof problem for a long time, and every month that passes is water softening the subgrade under a floor people walk on. When someone finally opens the floor, it has to be in the right place, because every exploratory hole in a commercial slab is a saw cut, a jackhammer and a day of disruption.

We locate slab leaks acoustically. The ground microphone works through concrete; with the line pressurized, the leak noise transmits well through the slab and the technician can find the peak signal clearly. We confirm the loss at the meter first, trace the line's route under the floor where it can be traced, and mark the spot. On a commercial site that means cones, lights, dust control and after-hours scheduling so the rest of the floor stays in use.

With the leak pinpointed, we open the slab at that spot only, expose and repair the line, backfill and patch. Where a slab line has failed before, or is old copper or galvanized, we lay out a re-route above the slab or through a new buried line outside the building so the next leak isn't under the floor. The written report with photos goes to the owner, the tenant and the insurer.

When a property needs this

• A persistently wet hallway, utility room or lower level with no fixture nearby
• A warm or damp patch on a commercial floor
• A water bill that climbs with no exterior wet spot
• A musty smell in a basement or parking level
• A slab line that has failed before

How the job runs

1. Confirm. Meter test with the building's fixtures closed to prove the line is losing water.
2. Trace. The line's route under the slab traced where possible; otherwise worked from the known supply and fixture locations.
3. Listen through the slab. The ground microphone on the floor along the route until the signal is consistent and peaked.
4. Open one spot. Saw cut and demolition hammer at the mark, with cones, lights and dust control.
5. Repair or re-route. The exposed section repaired, or a re-route laid out if the line is at the end of its life.
6. Patch and reopen. Compacted backfill, concrete patch, the area cleaned and returned to use.

What the owner or board receives

• Confirmed loss and located position
• One opening in the slab, not several
• Repair or re-route proposal
• Written report with photos
• Floor patched and area reopened

What shapes the scope

• Whether the route under the slab is known
• Slab thickness and reinforcement
• Working hours and tenant access
• Whether a re-route makes more sense than a repair