Slab Leak Repair in Marietta, GA

Conditions in Marietta

Marietta is the historic Cobb County seat and one of the metro's largest suburbs. Census survey figures via Point2Homes put the median home at 1987, with about a third built before 1980. The older streets around Marietta Square and the ranch and split-level neighborhoods from the 1960s and 1970s are where slab leaks from aging copper are most likely. Newer subdivisions tend to leak, when they do, at fittings or damaged spots rather than from corrosion.

Marietta Water, the city utility, buys treated water from the Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority, which draws from the Chattahoochee River and Lake Allatoona and disinfects with chlorine. A Marietta mailing address doesn't guarantee city water, so check the bill before calling a utility about a leak near the meter. Leaks under the house itself are a plumbing job in either case.

The City of Marietta's Building Inspections office issues plumbing permits for work inside city limits.

Spot repair, reroute or repipe

For a 1970s Marietta ranch, a reroute often makes more sense than a second or third trip through the same floor.

Signs of trouble

• The meter's leak indicator spins with everything off
• A warm spot on a tile or hardwood floor
• Damp carpet edges or baseboards
• Higher bills with no change in habits
• Hot water that runs out faster than it used to

Seasonal notes

Warm floors are easier to notice in the cooler months, when the rest of the floor is cold. In summer, watering can mask a leak on the bill, so do the meter test with irrigation off and the ice maker idle. Whatever the season, schedule a test soon after you notice signs, because water under a slab keeps soaking into flooring and wall bottoms. If a leak shows up in early spring after a cold snap, mention it; a pipe that froze in an exterior wall can look like a slab leak from inside the house.