An Erie slab leak is a supply pipe leaking under a concrete floor, which in this fast-growing town is often a basement slab in a newer house. The Town of Erie supplies the water, and the plumbing in and under your home is your responsibility to repair. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Erie.
Erie homes and water
Erie began as a coal-mining town, settled in 1867, and its historic Old Town sits along Briggs Street. Since then it has become a fast-growing suburban community straddling the Boulder-Weld county line, so most homes are newer, with older houses near Old Town. In a newer house, the line under the slab is often plastic, which does not corrode but can fail at a fitting or where it was damaged during construction. Older homes are more likely to have copper, which wears where it rubs against gravel.
The Town of Erie treats mostly Colorado-Big Thompson water from Carter Lake at the Lynn R. Morgan Water Treatment Facility and disinfects with chlorine. The town keeps a service line inventory, available from its water division. Nothing in its report links the water to slab leaks.
Comparing approaches
| Repair in place | Bypass the slab | |
|---|---|---|
| What happens | The floor is opened at the leak and the bad section replaced | New pipe runs through walls, ceilings or a basement soffit |
| Good for | One leak in newer pipe that tests sound elsewhere | Older lines or a second leak in the same run |
| Trade-off | Flooring must be patched; other buried sections stay in service | More wall work, but the old buried line is retired |
Warning signs
- The meter registers flow with no fixtures in use
- A warm area on a tile or basement floor
- Carpet or the bottom of drywall that stays damp
- A sudden jump in the town utility bill
- Running water sounds at night
Seasonal and permit notes
Summer irrigation can disguise a leak on the bill, so test with sprinklers off; winter makes a warm floor easier to notice. Erie's Building Division requires permits for plumbing modifications, and its plumbing permit types include water line repair, so expect a permit for most reroutes. Replacing a fixture in the same location does not need one. A confirmed leak should be fixed promptly rather than left to run, because water moving under concrete can wash out the base material and wick into walls and flooring. Ask the plumber to explain both repair routes and how the condition of the rest of the buried line affects the choice.
Slab Leak Repair questions in Erie
Does slab leak work need a permit here?
Can PEX or other plastic pipe under concrete still leak?
How can I tell whether my house sits on a concrete slab?
Will homeowners insurance pay for a slab leak?
More plumbing services in Erie
Slab Leak Repair nearby
Sources
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