Crawlspace and slab mold

Why floors hide leaks

If your home sits on a concrete slab, supply lines may run under or through it. A leak there can soak the pad under carpet or the underlayment under wood or vinyl for a long time before any stain shows. Older raised floor homes with a crawlspace hide leaks in a different way, in a dark space nobody visits.

The ground under the valley

NWS describes caliche as a hard soil layer that water does not soak through⁴. UNLV research says a foundation sitting partly on caliche and partly on soft soil can settle unevenly⁵, and a UNLV study says expansive soils have been documented in the valley for many years¹. Water from a leak that cannot drain away can stay right under the floor.

Signs that point down

• The meter flow triangle moves with every tap off⁶.
• A water district alert about very low flow².
• A warm patch of floor, a damp carpet edge, or swollen baseboard.
• A musty smell near the floor with no visible source⁷.

Fix order

Find and repair the leak first. SNWA's program gives single family homeowners a voucher worth up to $250 toward leak diagnosis³, and in the City of Las Vegas repairing leaking concealed piping needs a permit⁸. Then pull wet carpet pad and moldy tack strip. Carpet and pad are porous, and EPA says they may have to be thrown away if moldy⁹. The slab dries next, then the floor goes back.

What you get when you call

Call or text (702) 728-4493 after you check the meter. If the triangle moves, you get a plan for leak location and for the flooring that has to come up. If it does not, we look for a source above the floor.