Many Alpharetta homes were built between 1980 and 1999, and copper water lines under their slabs and basement floors are now old enough to fail. Fulton County is responsible from the main to the meter; everything past the meter is the owner's. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Alpharetta.
Alpharetta doesn't run its own water system; Fulton County Public Works supplies water and sewer, with Chattahoochee River water treated at the Tom Lowe plant in Johns Creek. Census survey figures via Point2Homes put the median home at 1996, and about 57% were built from 1980 to 1999. Fewer than 8% predate 1980, so the typical slab leak here is in a thirty-year-old subdivision house, not a very old one.
What to do right now
- Shut down all water use. Turn off faucets, the dishwasher, washer, ice maker and every irrigation zone.
- Read the meter. Note the reading and the leak indicator, wait fifteen minutes and look again.
- Rule out toilets. Add food coloring to each tank; color in the bowl means a flapper leak, not a slab leak.
- Feel the floors. Walk ground-level rooms and the basement barefoot and note any warm patches.
- Close the main if water is visible. Standing water means stop the flow first, then call.
- Call a plumber. A pressure test confirms whether the hot or cold line is losing water.
Symptoms and likely causes
| What you notice | What it often means |
|---|---|
| Warm spot on tile or a basement floor | Hot water line leaking under the slab |
| Meter moving, floors dry | Cold line leak, or a leak on the service line outside |
| Water heater running constantly | Hot water escaping somewhere in the system |
| Damp carpet edge with no fixture nearby | Water wicking up from a leak beneath |
| Higher bill, no other symptoms | Irrigation leak, toilet, or an early slab leak |
What affects the cost
- Locating work, which can take longer in larger homes with long supply runs
- Spot repair through the slab or a reroute through walls or the attic
- Floor finishes, often tile or hardwood in Alpharetta homes
- Water damage in finished basements
- A trade permit through the city's online Building/Trade portal
Fulton County repairs the service line from the main to the meter; the owner covers the line from the meter to the house. If the leak turns out to be on the county side, its North Fulton emergency line handles it.
Slab Leak Repair questions in Alpharetta
Does the age of my home change the odds of a slab leak?
My house has a basement. Can it still have a slab leak?
Who is responsible for a leak between the meter and the house?
Is a permit needed for slab leak work here?
More plumbing services in Alpharetta
Slab Leak Repair nearby
Sources
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