Plumbing leaks are easily one of the most frustrating and annoying home comfort problems to deal with, particularly when it seems like something that should be an easy fix that you can handle on your own. Leaks waste water and create messes, and they can happen for a multitude of different reasons.
With the right Lutz, FL professional plumbing services, you’ll have a team who is not only able to discover the exact location of the leak, but determine the cause and reduce the chance of it happening again.
Is It Your Bathroom Sink or Kitchen Sink?
Before we can help you determine possible causes—and solutions—for your under-sink plumbing leak, we have to ask: is it your bathroom sink, or kitchen sink? There are differences in how each of these work, and therefore our answer will be different.
For example, you bathroom sink has what’s called a “tail piece.” This is a straight pipe that extends from the bottom of the sink, and typically has a rod protruding on the back that is connected to the faucet with another pipe. This grouping is known as the sink stopper assembly, and that tail piece also connects to an “S” shaped pipe known as the P trap.
In a bathroom sink, leaks can occur from any number of those above-mentioned components. A kitchen sink, however, does not include a sink stopper assembly—although it may have an attached hose above the dishwasher trap. You’ll likely also notice that a double kitchen sink will have a pair of connected lines above the trap that comes in from both sides.
Locating the Leak
In most cases, leaks are located on a joint related to the waste water pipe. Your sinks’ drains are responsible for moving a lot of water, on a daily basis. There are a variety of changes that could cause a leak.
The under-sink plumbing components in most modern homes include white or black plastic pipes, while in older homes they might be chrome style pipes. When it comes to locating a leak, the type of pipes you have isn’t important. But when it comes to repairing a leak, it is. You must have the replacement parts match the ones that are currently installed to avoid being stuck with the same problem.
Finding the Leak Source on Your Own
Usually, the source of a leak is fairly easy to find, since there’s typically a pool of water under it. If you’re in doubt, however, turn the faucet on to see where the water is coming from. It’s most likely going to be leaking from a joint, rather than a section of pipe. It may even be as simple as a pipe that was bumped or jarred out of alignment, and many times with plastic fittings you can simply push the pipe back into position.
However, this is rarely a permanent fix, and you may need to have a failed washer replaced, a joint sealed, or a piece of pipe replaced. If it is a misaligned pipe, though, the best thing you can do to avoid problems in the future is try not to hit or bump any piping when you put things like cleaning supplies under your sink.
IERNA’s Heating & Cooling provides comprehensive plumbing, water treatment, HVAC and indoor air quality products and services. Contact us today to learn more about what we can do for you.