Plumbing test

Plumbing test on sanitary and domestic systems

Plumbing tests are the first step in determining whether or not you have a problem with your plumbing. Due to the expansion and contraction of the clay soils that we have in the DFW/North Texas area, an undetected leak or an un-repaired leak that is left under the slab foundation of a home can or will at some point cause a structural problem that can affect the entire home. To perform a plumbing test, the water must be on at the city meter, a cleanout must be present for testing slab foundation homes, and all plumbing systems and fixtures must be in place for pier and beam homes.

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When to test

The best way to keep on top of your plumbing and to be proactive in spotting un-repaired leaks is to have a plumbing test performed at the following times

• If you have higher than usual water bills

• Prior to any foundation work

• Prior to any mud jacking/pressure grouting

• If you have re-occurring sewer pipe stoppage issues

• Before buying a new home

• After any work on the structural integrity of your home

• An annual plumbing test for maintenance purposes – Highly Recommended*

The test that we perform to determine if you have any leaks is called a hydrostatic test to both the fresh water and sewer systems, or domestic and sanitary respectively.

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Domestic system test

In order to perform the test on a domestic system, a pressure gauge is installed on an outside water spigot. The spigot is then opened and the gauge is pressurized by the flow of water from the city. After the pressurization of the gauge, the water supply valve is turned off (Intermediate valve or city meter) and a check of the gauge is then recorded to see if there is any loss. If there is a loss, you have a leak(s); if there is no leak, the plumber will write on the report that there is no loss, water held at a certain psi for a the amount of time that the test was performed, which can vary between 10-30 minutes. If this test fails, the next step in the repair process is to perform a domestic system leak isolation. Many people ask why this test needs

to be performed, as they feel they would know they would have a leak based on the rate of water usage. While this

can be true, not always, however even a small leak under the foundation can have detrimental effects on the structure of the home and should be dealt with as soon as possible.

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Sanitary system test

In a typical home, all drain lines converge on one main line and that line runs all sewage to the city. A test on the sanitary system is performed by plugging the main line using the access provided by a cleanout with an inflatable air bladder commonly called a test ball. After this is accomplished, the sewer line is filled to slab level**. Once this has been accomplished, a process similar to the domestic test takes place and the report will read if the water level at the cleanouts drops. If the water level drops is a loss, you have a leak(s); if there is no drop in water level then the system is water tight and the plumber will write on the report that there is no loss. However, this test normally takes between 20 minutes and one hour. If this test fails, the next step in the repair process is a sanitary leak isolation. This test is important because sanitary sewage is not monitored or charged to home owners by the city and therefore if it is leaking under the slab there is no way to know unless this hydrostatic test is performed.

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**Note that depending on the height of some cleanouts, an extension may be needed.

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Pier and beam testing

When testing pier and beam homes, the domestic test is the same. However, the sanitary system can be different. Because the pipes are suspended by the beams they can be visually inspected in the crawl space, a plumber can observe the sanitary pipes while water is flowing through them to inspect for leaks. For the test to be effective, all water sources inside the home should be turned on during this visual inspection. If your sanitary system is buried, a hydrostatic test may need to be performed on the lines buried since they cannot be visually inspected. Please make sure a cleanout is present if your lines are buried.

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