How Plumbing Affects Your Foundation (& Vice Versa!)
You may not think that plumbing issues can affect your foundation; or that your foundation can be the cause of plumbing issues. However, it most certainly can, and happens more than you might think as they are very intertwined.
Plumbing and Your Foundation’s Relationship
Especially in a slab foundation, your plumbing & foundation coexist. The plumbing is normally laid first, and if it’s a concrete foundation, then it is poured around those pipes. This can cause a few issues, one if your pipes need replacing you will need to have someone jackhammer them free. The second is that one of them is more likely to have problems if the other one is as well.
In a pier and beam foundation, the plumbing affects the foundation still, but not as much. The pier and beam style allows the plumbing to be accessed more easily (which should mean no jackhammering).
How Foundations Affect Plumbing
The foundation in your home can cause leaks in your pipes. An upheaval happens when water is continuously finding its way into the soil. This can make the soil “grow” which creates more pressure beneath the foundation.
An upheaval is just what it sounds like- it will move your foundation up, and it can do the whole slab or just a section. This can cause the plumbing to move, which will either break the pipes or cause leaks. A differential settlement is similar, it is when one section of the home starts to sink due to extra water in the soil.
Any sort of shifting, cracks, or sinking of your foundation may do, but it still creates a lot of pressure on the pipes running along it.
You may not notice this happening right away, it can take a lot of time for this to happen. As always it is important to make sure you have your plumbing and foundation inspected every year (at a minimum).
Leaks
Leaks are the biggest way that plumbing affects your foundation. Most of the time, water is the cause behind it, and the way the water gets there is through leaks in your pipes. Water will take the path of least resistance, meaning it uses gravity and travels down to the lowest point. Both concrete in a slab foundation and wood can be quite porous and hold water.
In slab foundations, water will eventually make its way to and then through the concrete and into the soil below. As mentioned above, this causes upheavals, shifts, and cracks in the foundation that affect your plumbing even more.
In pier and beam style foundations, water from leaks can leak into the foundation and cause wood rot. This plumbing affects the foundation structurally as well in both slab foundations and pier and beam.
Beyond any sort of foundation issue, leaks can cause other problems in the home. First is water damage, water damage can be an extremely expensive fix and lead to mold growth. Leaks can also make your water bill skyrocket. It may seem like a small leak, however, it wastes way more water than you might think.
It can also cause your drinking water to no longer be safe as it allows more contaminants into your drinking water. All of this is to say, if you have a leak or suspect one get it fixed as soon as possible!
Final Thoughts
While plumbing affects your foundation, and vice versa this problem can take time for someone to notice. Foundations don’t always shift, crack, or sink immediately. Leaks may be so small you don’t notice until the damage is done.
To prevent any of these issues it’s best to have regular inspections done, maintenance, and fix issues as they arise instead of waiting.
Call 1-Tom-Plumber
Don’t hesitate to contact us here or call us at 1-Tom-Plumber (1-866-758-6237) if you need any plumbing, drain cleaning, or excavation service. 1-Tom-Plumber’s certified team of plumbers and drain technicians respond immediately to any emergency plumbing, drain cleaning, or water damage problem.
We also handle the excavation of underground water lines and sewer main lines. Our immediate-response team is available every day and night of the year, even on holidays.
