Burst Pipe Advice?
Looking at buying a rehab house. The seller did not get the water cut off last fall and of course the pipes burst in a couple places over the winter.
We suspect there are at least two locations broken. One is under a very shallow crawl space area (the sub-floor is buckled), the other may be under a concrete slab area.
What are the options for inspecting to get a repair estimate? Do I just need to take up the floors and turn on the water?
Hey Dave,
I am not sure if I understand your question, but if you think the pipes under the house (in the crawlspace) have burst, all you would have to do is have the water turned on to be a 100% sure. If you can't turn the water on, then crawl under the house and look for evidence (like a big hole in the pipes!!, or water marks on the flooring, a depression on the ground from the standing water, etc.). You only need about a foot of space to be able to crawl under the house. Fixing those pipes isn't hard. BUT it would take a lot of water to buckle the floor. I have had HUGE leaks in houses and the floor rots, but doesn't buckle.
I have seen buckling in a flood damaged house or in a house were the new flooring (not the sub-flooring) was installed incorrectly.
For the slab, contractors could use an IR camera to detete hot/cold spots which would be water leakage, but I have only seen that done with the water on.
If the leak is in the slab, you may NOT need to replace the old pipe; you may be able to install a new pipe on the top and box in it. That could save you thousands, but the seller doesn't need to know that!!!
There are a lot of "ifs" and "buts" here, but hopefully this helps.
Whats the worst that could happen with a pipe. Duduct that from your offer and your coverd.