DIY: Kitchen Sink Leak Repair
Imagine one day, you go for your cleaning tools underneath the kitchen sink—only to find a funky mess of black mold colonizing the space. Now where did that come from? There’s a strong possibility it’s the nasty consequence of a water leak.
Even a very small leak can eventually escalate into a costly under-sink crisis. The U.S. EPA wisely points out, mold is an environmental toxin. It’s bad for human health, and often a sign of water damage–the kind of thing that results from letting a water leak persist for too long. If you’re lucky, you’ve caught the leak early and saved yourself the scourge of an infestation.
Wondering how to fix a leaky kitchen sink? If the leak is fairly minor—and most of them are—you probably don’t have to call in a professional plumber. With a do-it-yourself mindset, you shouldn’t have any issues troubleshooting a basic malfunction. Here are the first steps involved in conducting leak repair by yourself.
First, you need to shut off each of the valves, for both hot and cold water. Both of them are located underneath the sink towards the wall. Just as the video demonstrates, turn each one in a clockwise direction until you feel resistance.
Some setups won’t have easily accessible valves. Some do, but are so old, they won’t budge an inch. In either case, you’ll have to shut off the main valve for the whole house.
Make sure you have actually cut off the water supply to the sink. Try turning on the faucet, holding it briefly in the center position. If the water is not flowing or it doesn’t quickly run dry, you are ready to move onto the next step. If it is still flowing, you might need to shut off the whole building supply. For more tips on leak repair and other home maintenance, check out Homestructions.com.
