Hi Bay Area folks who've done repiping before...

Right now I have a slab leak under the house (on a slab) as per the diagnosis of a leak detection company who I called at the recommendation of the first plumber i contacted.  The leak detection guy made a few markings on the wall and gave me options and I have decided to go with rerouting / repiping and i have already called a few company for estimates.   BTW, the leak detection guy had identified not only where the leak is but also where the pipes are running inside the house and my walls have been taped with notes on what goes where, which he said would be helpful if I opt to go for a repipe/reroute.    

One repiping company that i got in touch with said that they do their own leak detection and told me they do their own leak detection and may charge me again if the leak detection company I previously hired had a wrong diagnosis.  However, other companies I contacted said they're in the repiping business and they can go with the report of  the original leak detector.   Is 'another' leak detection necessary since i am opting for the repiping/rerouting and i am not going to drilling the concrete slab under the house?

a second opinion would hurt, and best case scenario, the first prognosis is correct and you don't get charged for the second, and also have extra comfort the prognosis is indeed correct. if i was such a company i would never do work off of someone elses prognosis without verifying it first.

Clarification - Is 'another' leak detection necessary since i am opting for the repiping/rerouting and it's not like I am hiring them to find and repair the leak - so I think "charging" me for another leak detection is totally unnecessary.  Also, shouldn't an experienced repiping business be able to figure that out with the notes that the leak detection guy prepared, right?

Why not just repair the leak?

Thank you Brian for your input, although  I am thinking that rerouting involves opening up the walls to access the pipes. and given that the first leak detection had marked where the pipes and where the manifolds are supposed to be I just hope that I didn't spend my $300 from the first leak detection for nothing.

Joe, old houses in Hayward are built on slabs and the copper pipes were all buried underneath it.  It is a pretty old house and I've been told that once a leak is sprung underneath, another leak would be very possible in the future.   So I decide to just go with rerouting instead of having to playing "whack-a-mole" and go through another under-the-concrete-leak  again in the future.

It depends on when your house was built, whether it was built to code, and the seismic activity.  Houses built in the last thirty years used soft copper with a plastic sleeve.  Fittings of any kind or joints in the pipe are strictly prohibited without with an access.  The copper is required to be below the foundation , be encased with fine aggregate and only run perpindicular through the concrete.  Therefore, if you have a leak, there is a good chance it is only going to be a one time deal unless you find that the work was not done to code.

lulz

I have no idea what you're talking about, however I have no doubt you do.

Brian N says: "A second opinion would hurt"
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lulz

just reroute. trust me im a plumber

^seems legit

If it were my house and I would (&I could afford) re-route pipes.  An open wall is open, it's an opertunity to add insulation and new outlets/wiring. questions: which wall for the re-route.

If it were me I would want the people doing the work to check for any other leeks. You want the "Big Picture". How high are your ceilings?

Why would you pay for leak detection if you are going to run new pipes anyway?  If you have water supply lines under the foundation going to places other than the water heater and possibly the kitchen sink I would replace it all.

Make sure they use 3/4 pipe and they insulate all the hot water supply lines.  I would even have them insulate the cold water supply and make sure they used insulators any where the pipes pass through the framing members to damper any noise.

Hi Joe - unfortunately that was what i thought too - i did this  because the original plumber asked me to do this so they would know where the pipes are for reroute.  But after doing the leak detection and contacting the actual repiping companies for quotes they said it was not necessary.   Since then i realized that the plumbing companies typically are not specialized in this.   This plumbing company charged me the most whereas the repiping companies charged me almost half the plumbing company's estimates.

I just got a call from the another prospective contractor that they "usually" do their own leak detection.  This contractor is also a plumbing company that was referred to me by my HOA (condo association) and since then i found that this contractor had done work for a neighbor, but it was outside pipe work so HOA absorbed all the costs.   I've told them I already did that and they said sure, but if the previous leak detection report isn't accurate they will have to do their own and charge me anyways.  What a bunch of vultures!

Pipe this m^m

Lulz! i didn't even see that, Jack.

if it were my house, no one would be laying pipe but me.

Brian and Lisette, I appreciate your 'lulz' and humor 'breaks' but please be considerate and stop commenting here anymore.  Let the Yelpers with helpful info share their information as I seriously need them.     Thank you for your kind consideration.

For the Yelpers who are homeowners in SF EAST BAY and had gone thru slab leaks/repiping experiences, please feel free to share any helpful information you could share.  Thank you.

yeah, Lisette, GOSH! you're so inconsiderate!!!

there was about to be an Eiffel Tower piping thread! No Punso intended.

i agree with Punso, you people are being extremely inconsiderate.  I would never make fun of a dude with leaky plumbing.

^ lulz

A house with a leaky plumbing and with a wife and kid-  I've sent them to the in-laws while trying to figure / fix this problem out and trying to get helpful inputs but with spammers  the other yelpers who might have some helpful info will just ignore this post when they see your spam messages, Lisette.   You've been spamming for days and i put up with it and only today tried to ask nicely.  But suit yourself.

we understand the importance of your issue so we're just keeping your thread alive until some people who have answers come along, Punso.