If you are looking into building a house, you will have to decide if you want it on a slab or crawlspace foundation. If you choose a slab, you will have to account for the plumbing features before pouring the concrete. It is commonly asked, “How deep are plumbing pipes under a slab house?”
Basically, how deep the plumbing pipes are placed underneath the slab border on 3 major factors. The climate, the city or state codes or guidelines, and the structure of the soil. However, you will mostly find the depth to be between 12 – 100 inches (30.48 – 254 cm).
To help you understand better, this article will discuss plumbing pipes under slabs, the factors that determine how deep they go, why they are important, and the drawbacks or limitations of plumbing pipes placed under a slab house.
How deep are plumbing pipes under a slab house?
As I mentioned earlier, how deep the plumbing pipe goes depends on the climate, soil structure, and city regulations. Warm area or regions will usually have their plumbing pipes placed between 12 – 24 inches (which is 3.48 – 60.96 cm).
In cold regions or regions, the plumbing pipes are placed deeper underneath the slab house. Traditionally, the plumbing pipes are buried between 80 – 100 inches (that is, between 203.2 – 254 cm) deep.
Factors that determine plumbing depth
As you might have probably noticed, the range between the depth of the plumbing pipe in a slab house is pretty wide. This is because the depth is dependent on 3 major factors. These factors are;
1. Plumbing regulations
Different states and cities have codes and regulations concerning how deep your plumbing pipes should go. This is something you can discuss with your contractor because building against the code could cause you to redo your plumbing. In the worst-case scenario, you have to tear down the entire structure.
2. Soil structure in your area
When building a slab or running plumbing underneath the house, you must take into account the soil structure. The soil has to be sturdy enough to support the slab and the plumbing lines. If the soil is not sturdy enough, too loose, contains too much moisture, is too abrasive, or is unstable, it will be unable to support the slab.
3. Climate conditions in the area
The climate condition of the region can also affect how deep plumbing pipes will go. If you stay in a warmer region (e.g., California), you may only need to run the pipe around 12 – 24 inches (3.48 – 60.96 cm) underground. Since there is no intense cold, there is no risk of freeze damage.
If you stay in a colder region (e.g., Alaska), you will need to go deeper. You may see that most slab houses in that region will have plumbing pipes running as deep as 80 – 100 inches (203.2 – 254 cm).
The reason for this is that if the pipe is placed too close to the surface, you may experience difficulties getting hot water during the winter. Also, during the summer, you may find it difficult to get cold water.
Why are the plumbing pipes placed under a house slab?
Plumbing pipes are placed under a house with a slab not only for aesthetic reasons but also for functional reasons. This is mainly because;
- The slab protects the plumbing pipe from damage
- The slab protects the pipes from weather and temperature changes that may cause the pipe to freeze or burst
- The slab keeps a foul smell away from the house (remember that these pipes take fresh water into the house and wastewater out)
- It serves as a long-lasting solution. Plumbing pipes placed under houses are expected to last a lifetime, although this may not be the case all the time
- In terms of aesthetics, placing the plumbing pipes under the slab allows you to hide the pipes. Plumbing pipes don’t look good in a house when all the pipes are visible to the eyes
What are the drawbacks of placing plumbing pipes under a slab?
Just like all the other methods of installing plumbing pipes, installing them under a slab house has its issues. Some of these include;
1. Difficulty to repair
Plumbing pipes under a slab house are designed to last a lifetime; however, this isn’t always the case. A mistake might have been made during the installation, and repairs will be needed. When this happens, it becomes a case to reach these pipes for repair. These repairs might end up incurring costs that may be surmounted to tens or thousands of dollars.
2. Difficulty detecting leaks
In cases where there is a leak in the slab, it is very difficult to detect such a leak. Most plumbers use a number of tools such as pressure sensors, ground microphones, video pipe cameras, etc. All these tools and workloads will also incur more costs along with fixing the leak.
FAQs
Are plumbing pipes always placed under a slab?
Not all the time. Although it is best to run plumbing pipes under a slab, there are instances in which it is done above the slab.
Can you install plumbing pipes under a slab yourself?
Installing plumbing pipes under a slab house is not a simple DIY project. It is best to have a professional handle it, as any mistake may prove costly in the future.
How do you know the plumbing pipes under a slab house are damaged?
Some of the symptoms of a faulty plumbing pipe in a slab house include pale water spots appearing on the floor, a bad smell emanating from the floor, sudden low water pressure throughout the house, and random cracks on the wall of your house.
The bottom line
If you are thinking of starting a building project, you need to be aware of how deep the plumbing pipe under the slab has to go. Unfortunately, the answer isn’t just a single number but rather borders on the soil structure, climate conditions, and area codes or regulations.
If you already have the property and simply want to know where the pipe is located, you can look into the building plans. But remember not to attempt to install or fix plumbing pipes under the slab yourself. Rather, you should seek the service of a professional.
I hope you enjoyed reading this article. If you did, you should also visit Samkins Construction today for more interesting content.
Thanks for reading.