The Most Common Kitchen Sink Leaks

The kitchen sink is the most frequently used in the house. You use it from everything to filling up the coffee carafe with water to brew a pot of joe to cooking dinner, to washing dishes and even just getting a cup of water to slake your thirst. Generally, you shouldn’t have any problems with the sink, but if you’re experiencing leaks, it can be frustrating. That’s because there are just so many places that a sink might leak, and you need to check them all if the source of the water isn’t obvious.

Leaking Faucet

Many faucet leaks are easy to spot. The water will puddle on top of the sink around the faucet when you turn it on. However, it’s possible that a faucet leak will actually run under the sink, and the only way to spot this is to check under the counter. In most cases, faucet leaks are nothing more than worn gaskets or failed washers, but sometimes it will require that you replace the entire faucet (which isn’t that involved a process, actually).

Water Lines

Your kitchen sink has at least two water connections, but possibly three if you have a separate sprayer. Each of these can spring a leak and cause problems. What’s more, because the connections are out of sight, you might not notice until the leak has soaked your cabinet and everything in your under-sink storage. Water line leaks can be due to corrosion, or more commonly, to failed gaskets in the connectors. Replacing the gaskets is usually enough to stop the leak. In some instances, the connection just needs to be tightened.

Leaking P Trap

The P trap is the curved section of pipe under your sink. The curve is there to prevent foul odors from coming out of your drains, but sometimes it can be a problem. Gunk, debris and small pieces of food can collect here and either block water from draining properly, or even cause a leak. Other possible causes include corrosion in the case of metal parts, or even something as simple as a loose connection. Again, this one is out of sight so you might not notice it immediately.

Drain Leaks

The drain itself might be the problem. It’s usually sealed with plumber’s putty to prevent this problem, but the putty might have dried out or been too thin to begin with. This is a pretty simple thing to fix, and it just requires removing the drain, repacking it with plumber’s putting, and then reattaching it. However, if the drain is old and worn, it might be well worth your time to replace it completely (and still repack it with fresh plumber’s putty).

These are a few of the most common types of sink leaks. With a little patience and some time (and probably a flashlight), you should be able to determine the source of your trouble.