Slab homes, also known as patio homes, are built upon large concrete slab foundations, rather than stilts and crawlspaces. This style of home foundation is gaining popularity in certain areas due to its unique advantages. For example, a concrete slab is easier to install, allowing construction projects to begin sooner than later. There is also considerable insulation benefits to have your home sit atop concrete, reducing heating costs in the winter. The question that doesn’t cross peoples’ minds often, even though it absolutely should, is how a concrete slab foundation will affect their plumbing situation.
Benefits & Troubles to Concrete Slab Plumbing
Setting a network of pipes in concrete is a complicated, risky business. Which is why it is not done that way. The plumbing of a slab home is actually largely completed underneath the concrete slab and housed in dirt trenches dug out before the home was ever built. To promote easier draining, the pipes and trenches are angled downhill, away from the home and towards the main sewer lines or septic system, depending on the home’s location. Only the very end of pipes will need to rise up through the concrete slab and to the final fixtures, such as sinks and toilets.
Concrete slab homes gain the benefit of less pipe damage caused by vermin and pests that sometimes gnaw at the end of systems; they cannot chew through concrete, no matter their determination. Concrete also doesn’t rot. If you go on vacation for a week and your toilet starts to leak while you are away, you have a serious problem but you don’t have a problem as dire as a rotting foundation that could crumble under its own weight.
However, if there ever is a leak that seeps into the slab, repairing it can be a larger hassle than if you had a home over a crawlspace. Rather than just going down into the dirt beneath your home to work on the busted pipes, your plumber may need to actually remove big chunks of the slab to complete the job. Due to this potential extra trouble, it is crucial that you work with a highly-experienced and knowledgeable team when taking on new construction plumbing jobs, such as installing a concrete slab foundation.
At Plumbing Solutions, LLC, our Columbia plumbers have become famous throughout South Carolina for providing excellent plumbing services that are fast, efficient, and often 20% or 30% less than most competitor prices. Schedule your consultation today or contact us now if you need emergency service, even if it is the middle of the night or the weekend!