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Plumbing Problems
Water in the cabinet, a damp floor, or a bucket that fills up overnight. You can usually find the source in ten minutes. Here is how.
Short answer: A leak under the sink comes from one of five places: the drain trap, a supply line, the faucet base, the garbage disposal or the dishwasher hose. Dry everything, then watch which spot gets wet first.
Take everything out of the cabinet. Water and cardboard boxes, sponges and cleaners make a mess and hide the source.
Look for two small valves on the pipes going up into the faucet. One is hot, one is cold. Turn each one clockwise until it stops. If the dripping stops, you are safe to work. If the valves will not turn, or they leak when you try, the main water valve for the house is next. How to shut off your water main shows where it usually is.
Put a bowl or bucket under the drip so you can see how fast it is coming. Then dry every pipe with a towel. A dry pipe tells you the truth about where the water starts.
Run water and look at each part in order. Put a dry paper towel under each joint. The first one that gets wet is your answer.
A cracked sink basin or a bad seal at the drain flange can leak too, but that is rarer.
Cannot find where it starts?
Text Ryan a photo of the pipes under your sink. A picture often shows which part is leaking. He is a licensed Master Plumber and answers his own phone.
Stop if a valve will not turn, if the metal is corroded through, if the pipes are coming out of the wall and not just under the sink, or if you see a crack in the disposal. A fix that fights back usually means the part is worn out and needs to be replaced, not tightened.
In a home on a well, a leak under the sink wastes water the pump has to replace. If you hear the well pump kicking on when nobody is using water, a hidden leak may be running. It is worth shutting the water off to that sink and listening again.
If you are on a septic system, a sink that leaks into the cabinet is a plumbing problem, not a septic problem. But a drain that runs slowly and leaks at the trap can mean a clog further down. See slow draining sink before you assume it is only a loose nut.
Do not pour chemical drain cleaners down a leaking trap. They sit in the pipe, eat at the fittings, and can splash on your hands when you take it apart.
"I had 3 different companies in the area come out to fix the same issue. I'm so glad I found The Village Plumber who ACTUALLY fixed my issue. My only regret is that I didn't call them first. They came and fixed everything fast and affordable."
A drip under the sink is easy to ignore. The damage builds quietly. Particle board cabinet bottoms swell and fall apart, mold grows in the damp, and the water can find its way into the floor below. If there is a bathroom or a room underneath, the leak can show up later as a stain on the ceiling. See water stain on the ceiling.
Fixing a leak early is a small job. Fixing a rotted cabinet and a damaged floor is not.
Ryan Chastain is a licensed Master Plumber, Georgia license MPR108473. He finds the leak, tells you what failed and what it will cost, and then does the work. The estimate is free, with no trip fee and no diagnostic fee. Work is backed by a warranty, and the terms are written at the estimate.
If you need a faucet repaired or a new sink installed, he does that too. You can buy the fixture, or Ryan can source it. He answers his own phone, and text works best in the mountains.
The leak may only happen when water is running or draining. Dry everything, then run the faucet, fill the basin and drain it, and run the dishwasher one at a time. Watch which step makes it wet.
Not usually, if you shut off the two valves and keep a bucket under it. But do not leave it for weeks. Even a slow drip rots the cabinet floor and can feed mold.
The dishwasher drain hose, its clamp, or the connection at the disposal or drain is the likely spot. Check the clamp first.
Tape and putty are for threaded metal joints. A slip-nut trap seals with a washer, so tape rarely helps. Try reseating the washer and tightening the nut by hand first.
If the cabinet is wet only while the faucet is on, and the drain pipes are dry, the faucet or its hoses are the source. Look at the base of the faucet and at the hose connections.
Not usually. The two small valves under the sink stop the supply to that faucet. If they will not turn or they are leaking, close the main valve for the house and call.
Call or text. Free estimate, no trip fee, no diagnostic fee.