Tips for Repairing a Leak Under Your Sink

What you can’t see can’t hurt you. The problem is, once you do see the problem, it’s usually a problem that needs to be fixed right away. This is certainly true for plumbing problems. Pipes aren’t traditionally exposed in your home, so you can’t see the small leaks, the corrosion of the pipes, or a clogged pipe. When water does appear, the problem becomes immediate. One of the most common places there are plumbing issues is at your sink; whether it be your kitchen, bathroom, or utility room sink. Luckily, leaky sinks aren’t complicated to fix.

Tips for Repairing the Leak

When you see water on your floor coming out of your pipes you know that there is an issue with your plumbing, but here are some signs that you have a water leak when you don’t see water: water bills are higher than normal; water meter moves when water is turned off at each faucet; running toilets; spongy, soft, discolored walls; musty smell around floor and/or walls; or mildew present on walls, floor, and/or ceiling. Knowing what causes a leak under your sink can help you know how to fix it. Three of the most common reasons for a leaky sink are dirty parts, worn parts, and/or damaged parts.

Root Cause and Treatment Action

If you can’t visibly see where water is leaking from you will need to determine where the sink is leaking before being able to fix it. Identify the leak by checking the following areas of your sink and water flow:

• Drain Seal: A leaky drain seal is easy to identify when the sink cannot hold water without it dripping. Run water into your sink and then allow it to drain. If the water leaks while the sink is draining, your drain seal needs to be repaired. To repair a drain seal you have to purchase a new one and install it remembering to apply new adhesive around the bare drain.
• Sink Faucet: Leaks at the faucet level won’t be a cause for concern in the area of damage, but it is one of the main sources of water being wasted. If you notice water leaking from the top of the sink when the faucet is turned on, your faucet is leaking. To fix a leaky faucet, tighten or replace the washer in the faucet.
• Water Supply: A water supply leak usually isn’t discovered until there is water gushing out from under the sink potentially causing serious water damage. To know if your water supply is leaking, plug the drain of the sink. If a leak appears under the sink while the water is running out your water supply is leaking. To fix a water supply leak find the joint that water is emerging from and tighten the joint. If this doesn’t stop the leak, call a local plumber.
• Sink Drain: Detecting a leak coming from your sink drain is not always easy to find because the leak usually occurs directly below the drain opening. A leaking sink drain is detected when there is a presence of discoloration due to rust and mineral build-up.
• Shut-Off Valves: The shut-off valve does what its name describes: shutting off or allowing water through the line. A leak is detected at the shut-off valve when the water cannot be closed off through the pipe. If the shut-off valve is screwed on it can easily be replaced, but you will need to call a plumber if a compression fitting is used.
• Water Hose: A leak from a water hose is detected when water comes out of the connection between the hose and the faucet. Tighten the connection between the hose and the faucet to fix the leak. If that doesn’t work, replace the gasket on the faucet and/or the hose.
• P-Trap: The P-trap begins to leak when debris and food is trapped in the P-trap and water backs up and is forced out the P-trap. To fix a leak in your P-trap, remove the P-trap, clean it out, and ensure there is no clog. Your P-trap may also leak because there is a hole in the actual pipe. If this occurs, you will need to replace the entire P-trap.
• O-Ring, Washers, and Valve Seat: Your sink has several connecting points where O-rings, washers, and valve seats keep water flowing in the correct direction and from leaking out of the pipes. To find if each of these are the cause for the leak, each joint will need to be opened and visually inspect the O-ring, washer, or valve seat.

If you need further assistance with your sink repair, or any other plumbing issues, and you live in the Jacksonville, FL area, contact Eagerton Plumbing Co. at 904.638.7979 or online. We have been in business since 1954 and are a trusted plumbing business in the Jacksonville area.

Things to Consider Before Hiring a Plumbing Contractor

Why do you need a plumbing contractor?

When you have water where there isn’t supposed to be water, it is time to contact a plumbing contractor. Googling “local plumber” leads to numerous results, so how do you pair down your list to the plumber that you need to contact? We’ll explore some of the factors that you will need to consider before calling a plumber.
plumber at work in a bathroom, plumbing repair service, assemble and install concept.

Six Factors to Consider

One of the biggest mistakes that customers make is to only ask about the price the plumber will charge. There are several other factors to consider and questions to ask of your plumber before hiring them. Here are the factors that will help you find the best plumber for your plumbing situation.

Experience:

You can’t gain experience without doing something the first time, but you don’t want your plumbing problem to be the first time your plumber has faced this issue. Ask your plumber how long they have been in business, how many times have they encountered the problem you are facing, and what is usually the result when they encounter your problem. The more often they have encountered your problem the more comfortable and confident they will be while fixing your problem. They will also do a better job, complete the task quicker, and not have to come back out and fix anything that they “fixed”.

Price:

Just because we said you shouldn’t ask first about price doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ask about price at all. Always ask for a price quote before agreeing to hire the plumber. Also, ask what the quote entails: priced by the job or by the hour and does it include all parts or just the parts they suspect they will need. When you consider the different prices you have been quoted, make sure they are equal quotes when you compare them. Just because one plumber has a lower quote doesn’t mean the final cost of repair will be the lowest. This also means that the highest quote means they will do the best work with the best quality products.

Licensing:

Ask your potential plumber if they are licensed in your state, what license they hold, what certificates they hold, and if they are part of a union of plumbers. These licenses and certificates do not mean they will be flawless, but it does mean that they are held accountable to a third party agency and that their work is endorsed by them. When you ask for their license, verify their license number. Check to see if your state requires plumbers to be licensed because not all states require a license to perform plumbing tasks. Even if your state does not require a license you can enquire to see if complaints have been filed against your potential plumber.

Insurance and Bonding:

When a plumber carries insurance it protects them and you. Accidents happen while on the job, and your property and their person should be protected. Your plumber should also be bonded to cover the cost of the job in the event the terms of the contract are not met. The potential plumber should be bonded for a minimum of $500 but should be bonded for the entire cost of the job or for the job to be redone.

References:

You will come across some groups that do not recommend asking for references from your potential hire because they will only provide references of people who will speak positively of them. If you do ask for references and they aren’t able to provide any, or are hesitant to provide references, you should be hesitant to hire the individual. You can also do your own search of the individual plumber online to see what comes back and what kind of reviews people have given them.

Warranty:

Your top plumbers will offer you a warranty without you even asking because they stand by their work, and if the work is substandard, they want to correct their mistakes and make it right. If your potential plumber doesn’t offer a warranty, you should ask them if they provide a warranty to back up their work. The warranty is not an indication or an expectation that they will perform substandard work, but a guarantee that the work that you pay for will be completed correctly, whether it be the first or second time.

If you live in the Jacksonville, FL area and need a plumber, contact us at 904.638.7979 or online to discover our experience, prices, licenses we hold, insurance we carry, warranties that we offer, and reviews that our customers have left for us over the past 70 years.