Kitchen sink leaks could be more problematic than they sound. Dripping water under the sink may convert your floor and cabinet to a hub of smell and debris. This leaking is not just damaging your stuff but is also a wastage of water all the time.
Would you be alright working on such a creepy sink that is constantly pinching you? I’m sure your answer is a big NO. So, don’t be sad about delaying calls of plumber and work with me to find potential leakage of the sink and have a smart leakage-free sink in just a few hours.
Ready? Let’s get started!
Tracing kitchen sink leakage
Dampen cabinet and standing pool of water there are first indications of a leaking sink. This leakage may come from the sink hose, the drainpipe, or the joint of sink attachment. You also have to access whether the faucet is behaving normal or could be the culprit.
To spot this sink leakage, you have to be a detective and step in the cabinet with a flashlight to trace. If you immediately see a spray there, your task is half done because pressurized water hose is the cause of all this nuisance. Moreover, if there is no such spray, let the water running from the sink and carefully observe the seal and drain lines. If it drips down from the assembly, chances are either the seal is loosening or the putty is gone out. In most of the cases, you must find trace leakage with this much effort, if you fail, don’t forget to have an eye on the faucet that may also prove troublesome for you.
After locating the leakage, let’s take our tool bag and be the home plumber.
How to fix – Leakage solutions
Drain leaks
If the root of your sink leakage is drain lines or P-trap, there could be two possible chances, first, the drain connections are not tightly screwed, secondly, it is the blockage that is ruining this whole. To make the connections secure, tighten the compression nuts, and check whether they can bear the pressure. If you find them quite weak, go change them. When you find the connections perfectly fine, it may be the blockage that you have to work on. Remove the drain line and give it a round of deep cleansing and clear the drain. Hopefully, when you make attachments of the pipe and turn on the water, there will be no more dripping water.
Water-supply leaks
When you have discovered that it is the water supply lines that are prime leakage offenders, you have to work on valves and tighten the connections. A common source of this type of leakage may come from the shut-off valves as they are not tightened enough to seal the water. To make it secure, hold the shut-off valve with one wrench, and tighten the nuts with the other.
Fixing sink drain
If you have fairly pointed out that the sink drain is your leakage headache, be relaxed as it would no longer be. To deal with this, you have to be in the state to unmount the whole assembly to reach the flange. Unscrew this packing and check whether it is the flange that is old worn or the plumber’s putty that is causing leakage. If you find it necessary to replace the flange or gasket, take it with you and bring a new one from the store. When you have a brand-new flange in hands, repeat the same process in reverse to mount the assembly and place putty in the flange and gasket sandwich. You can also directly place it on the sinkhole and then place the flange over there. After finishing this setup, clean the bulging putty with a cloth pad and check the sink. I’m sure there would be no more water.
Faulty faucet
The main sink component, the faucet is more likely to be problematic and cause leakage. As its sleek connections may get disrupt and start leaking. Most of the times, this leakage comes at the top of the sink, sometimes water flows underneath the sink and remains unnoticed.
If the same is the case with you, check the water lines connected to the faucet and monitor their tightness. If you find them loose, take pliers, and carefully make them tight. If the faucet is severely damaged, go for replacement as temporary fixing may give you one to two days with no leakage, but ultimately leakage will catch you again.
