In Lorton, a slab leak is a pipe leaking in or beneath a concrete floor, usually a townhouse ground level, a basement slab or a garage. Fairfax Water supplies the area, and the plumbing on the house side is the owner's to repair. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Lorton.

Lorton sits in southern Fairfax County between Fort Belvoir and the Occoquan River, and most of its housing is newer: in ZIP 22079, only about 17% of homes predate 1980, and the 2000s were the biggest building decade. That includes many townhouses on slabs and single-family homes with finished basements.
What to do right away
- Watch the meter. With everything off, a moving leak indicator confirms water is escaping past the meter.
- Eliminate fixtures. A silent toilet leak or an irrigation valve stuck open can fool the test.
- Trace the symptom. Feel for warm spots and look for damp carpet or swollen baseboards on the lowest level.
- Shut the main if needed. In most Lorton homes it is in the basement or utility closet near where the line enters.
- Check warranties. Homes from the 2000s and later may still have builder or home warranty coverage.
- Get it located. A plumber marks the leak before any slab is cut.
Symptom guide
| Symptom | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Meter creeping with no use | Supply leak on the house side |
| Warmth along the floor from the water heater toward a bath | Hot water line leaking under the slab |
| Wet carpet pad in a finished basement during dry weather | Pressurized pipe, not groundwater |
| Dampness only after a basement shower drains | Drain line separated or cracked under the floor |
| Hissing near where the service line enters | Leak on the owner's service line |
What moves the cost
- Detection time and equipment
- A direct repair through concrete versus rerouting through walls and ceilings
- Flooring over the leak, from bare concrete to tile
- Drying and repairing finished basement materials
- Fairfax County Land Development Services permits, applied for through PLUS, when the method calls for one
Fairfax Water's Griffith treatment plant, which treats Occoquan Reservoir water, is near Lorton, and the county's Noman M. Cole, Jr. Water Recycling Facility is here too. The supply is moderately hard and switches from chloramines to free chlorine each spring, so a slight chlorine smell then is normal. For breaks on the utility side, Fairfax Water's after-hours line is 703-698-5613. On the drain side, Fairfax County makes the owner responsible for the private sewer lateral.
Slab Leak Repair questions in Lorton
My home is fairly new. Can it still have a slab leak?
Why does one spot on my floor feel warm?
How does a plumber find a leak under concrete?
Water is seeping up through my basement floor. Is it groundwater or a pipe?
More plumbing services in Lorton
Slab Leak Repair nearby
Helpful guides
Sources
- Fairfax Water annual water quality report
- Fairfax Water: water quality
- Fairfax Water: Corbalis plant finished water analyses
- Fairfax County Wastewater Management
- Fairfax County Land Development Services
- Prince William Water: water treatment facilities
- Lorton ZIP 22079 housing data (city-data.com)
- Lorton, Virginia (Wikipedia)
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