How to Diagnose and Treat a Leaky Sink: A Plumbing Expert’s Advice

Leaky sinks are one of the most common plumbing issues that a person can face in their home. Fortunately, not every leaky sink requires the expertise of a professional plumber to get back into complete working order. If you know how to identify the cause of the leak, there’s a very good chance that you could repair the issue yourself – with minimal tools and minimal experience.

This brief guide will help you learn how to identify the location of the leak and address potential causes.

Diagnosing the Leak

There are several spots in the average sink’s infrastructure that could become damaged or loose and cause a leak. The issue could be with the pipes or the pipe joints, or even with the supply lines of your plumbing system, but it can be hard to see with a bare eye where the leak has originated. Here are some steps to help you figure out the location of the leak itself, so that you know what part of your sink needs your attention.

Steps for Locating the Source of the Leak:

  1. Wipe the pipes and pipe joints dry with a towel. Do not run the water yet.
  2. Apply a thin layer of dish soap to the pipes and joints.
  3. Turn the water on and observe the actions of the dish soap on the pipes. Where the bubbles emerge, that is where your leak is located. Run the water both cold and hot. If the sink is attached to your garbage disposal or dishwasher, run those items to determine if they are a contributing factor to the leak.

Other Signs and Symptoms of a Leaky Sink

There are other signs that you should look for when addressing a sink that leaks. Look for puddles of water that seem to be isolated to one spot. Keep an eye out for rust and corrosion. These visual cues could help you to determine where the problem is.

Fixing the Leak

Oftentimes, the source of a leak is simply a loose connection, something that the average homeowner can spruce up on their own. Using a wrench, make sure that each connection is fitted tightly to the adjoining pipe. If the fittings are made of plastic, you might even be able to tighten them with your hand if you lack the right tools to do this.

When to Call a Plumbing Expert

Unfortunately, plumbing is not a DIY-friendly area of expertise, so if the actions above haven’t helped you to find and fix your leaky sink you should give a call to an experienced plumber that you can trust. Ridgeway Mechanical’s fleet of professional plumbers are equipped with the tools and education to tackle even the trickiest and most subtle of plumbing problems – including whatever is going on with your sink.

Don’t try to tackle this issue by yourself if the above methods haven’t worked to fix the leak. When you recruit the help of a real plumbing professional, you can rest assured that you are fixing the problem at its source.

 

 

Ridgeway Mechanical offers speedy professional plumbing and water heater installation service metro Atlanta 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

When you invite one of our licensed and insured Atlanta plumbers into your house, you will find they will always be on-time and will give your home the respect it deserves.

Quick, 24-hour plumber repair service

When you call on Ridgeway Mechanical, our plumbing repair service will take care of you. With our professional Atlanta plumbers you can expect:

  • Plumbing products and service warranties
  • Drop cloths used on every job
  • Shoe covers worn in your home and business
  • Quality workmanship at a fair price
  • State licensed, Trusted, and Certified plumbers
  • We guarantee 100% satisfaction
  • We’ll make sure your place is cleaned up when finished

Ridgeway Mechanical takes care in all types of plumbing services. We also focus in water line repair. Contact us today so we can help of you.

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