How To Find A Leak Under The Sink

Find and Repair Subconscious Plumbing Leaks

Updated: Jun. 11, 2021

Find and gear up pocket-size drips before they cause major damage

Family Handyman

We show unproblematic ways to find and cease common water leaks earlier they cause rot and other expensive damage. You'll find most of them around bathtubs and showers, drains, sinks and toilets.

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Time

An hr or less

Complication

Beginner

Cost

Less than $20

Tub and Shower: Splash Leaks

Exam a shower door

Splash h2o all effectually a shower door. If water seeps out from backside the frame, caulk the frame on the inside. Run a new dewdrop along the flooring/tub articulation.

Splash leaks are just h2o escaping past a shower curtain or a shower door. Plumbers tell us it's the nigh common type of bathroom leak. Although it may sound minor, this leak causes major impairment when h2o seeps into the subfloor where flooring meets the tub or shower. Earlier long the vinyl flooring or tiles begin to loosen. Even worse, the plywood subfloor delaminates and rots, requiring a huge, expensive tearout and replacement projection.

Signs of trouble:

• Curling vinyl floor or loose tiles side by side to the tub.
• Peeling pigment or flaking, chalky-looking wood finish near the shower.
• Water stains on the ceiling or joists beneath.
• Mold spots on the wall or floor near the tub or shower.
• If you use a curtain, look for standing water on the flooring after you lot shower.

How to notice the source of a bathtub drain leaking:

• If yous have a shower door, splash water all around the door and frame. Leaks around the frame may take 5 minutes or longer to prove up.
• If the door has safety gaskets or a rubber door sweep, check them for gaps.
• As well check for any gaps in the caulk where the shower or tub meets the flooring.

How to prepare a leaking tub drain:

• Exist certain to overlap sliding doors correctly when y'all close them. The inner door should be closest to the faucet.
• If you lot have a shower mantle rather than a door, brand certain you close it completely when you shower, or add a splash guard.
• Seal a leaking frame past running a pocket-sized bead of tub and caulk effectually the inside of the frame. Forcefulness the caulk into whatever gaps between the frame and the shower environment. Speedily wipe away all the excess caulk. When the caulk dries, test for leaks again.
• Replace any worn gaskets or door sweeps. Bring the old 1 to a home center or plumbing supply store and look for a matching replacement (exist sure to get the correct size to fit).
• If the sometime caulk along the floor shows gaps, scrape it out and run a new bead.

Homeowner story:
"I noticed the floor tile along the tub was coming loose. I pushed on it and information technology crunched downwards into the underlayment, which was totally rotten. We ended upward replacing all of the tile and office of the subfloor."

Figure A: Tub and Shower Leaks

The nearly dissentious tub and shower leaks occur when water splashes out of the enclosure. Tile and drain leaks tin can also cause major damage.

Tub and shower: Bleed leaks

Photo i: Test a drain

Plug the drain with a test plug and add together water. Subsequently an hour, check to see if the water level has dropped.

Photo 1A: Close-up of test plug

Measure out the drain diameter and buy a test plug to fit.

Drain leaks allow h2o to sneak effectually the exterior of the drain where it's connected to the tub or shower. This is especially common with plastic or fiberglass tubs and shower pans, since these materials flex slightly when you stand on them, oftentimes breaking the seal around the bleed. These leaks tin can stain or destroy the ceiling below or rot floor joists. In the example of a tub assail a concrete slab, the leak volition ruin flooring in the bath or adjoining rooms.

Signs of problem bathtub drain leaking:

• Water stains on the ceiling or joists below.
• Loose flooring about the tub or damp floors in bordering rooms (if the tub is on a concrete slab).

How to find the source of a leaking tub bleed:

• If you can see the underside of the drain through an access panel or open ceiling, partially make full the tub and and then release the water. In a shower, plug the bleed with a rag and then release the h2o. Bank check the drains and traps for leaks from below through the admission panel.
• If y'all don't have access to the underside of the bleed, plug the drain and add enough water to form a small puddle effectually the drain (photograph). Marking the border of the pool by setting a bottle of shampoo adjacent to it. And so wait an 60 minutes. If the pool shrinks, the drain is leaking. Don't rely on your tub stopper for this test; it may leak. Remove the stopper and insert a ane-1/2-in. test plug (find them at home centers). Remove the grate and use a 2-in. plug for a shower.

How to fix a bathtub drain leaking:

• To repair a tub drain, unscrew the bleed flange from higher up. And then clean the flange and apply silicone caulk. Likewise remove the rubber gasket that'due south under the tub's drain hole and take it to a abode center to notice a matching gasket (exist certain to get the correct size to fit). Skid the new gasket into place and spiral in the bleed flange.
• If you have access to a shower drain from below, tighten the band nut that locks the drain to the shower pan. If that doesn't work, replace the drain assembly. If you lot don't have admission beneath the drain, cutting a hole in the ceiling below or replace the drain assembly with a WingTite drain.

Tub and shower: Tile leaks

Tile leaks occur when h2o seeps through deteriorating grout or caulk and gets into the wall behind the tile (Figure A). Depending on the materials used to ready the tile, this can lead to tile falling off the wall, severe rotting of the wall framing, and impairment to the subfloor, joists or ceiling below.

Signs of trouble:

• Loose tiles.
• Persistent mold.
• If the shower is confronting an exterior wall, you may find an expanse of peeling paint exterior.
• Stains on the ceiling nether the shower.

How to notice the source:

• Examine the grout and caulk joints for gaps. You almost always notice mold hither.
• If you lot have loose tile backside the tub spout or faucet, open the access panel behind the faucet and look for dampness or stains.

How to gear up it:

• Remove the old grout, caulk and loose tiles.
• If the surface behind the tile is still solid, you tin can reattach tiles, regrout and recaulk using tub and tile caulk.
• If more than a few tiles are loose or if the wall is spongy, y'all'll have to install new capitalist board and tile, or a fiberglass surround.

Toilet flange leaks

Photo 1: Locate the source

Have measurements from stacked walls to find the source of a ceiling stain. In nearly cases, the stain occurs close to the source.

Photo ii: Cheque for flange leaks

Unscrew the toilet bolt nuts and remove the toilet. Scrape away the wax and expect for leaks. Also bank check for cracks around the toilet's horn.

These leaks occur where the toilet meets the waste matter piping beneath. They allow water to seep out at every flush, which will wreck flooring, rot the subfloor and joists, and damage the ceiling beneath (Photograph 1).

Signs of trouble:

• Water seeping out around the base of the toilet.
• Loose or damaged flooring.
• Stains on the ceiling below.
• A toilet that rocks slightly when you push button confronting it. This movement will eventually intermission the wax seal betwixt the toilet and the closet flange.

How to find the source:
If you have ceiling stains, measure from stacked walls (correct photo) earlier y'all get through the hassle of removing the toilet. If the stain is near the toilet, a leaking flange is the about likely source. Remove the toilet (Photo ii) and wait for these leak sources:

• The flange is level with or below the surrounding flooring surface.
• Cracks in the flange.
• Bolts or the slots they fit into are broken.
• The flange is loose, not screwed solidly to the subfloor.

How to ready it:

• If you don't notice whatsoever of the issues listed above, reinstall the toilet with a new wax band.
• If the flange is too depression, install a plastic flange riser over the existing flange.
• If the flange or bolt slots are broken, install a metallic repair flange.
• If the toilet rocks because the flooring is uneven, slip toilet shims under the toilet when y'all reinstall it.

Homeowner story:
"I had noticed the toilet rocking slightly for a few years, but I kept putting off the repair. Then i day the ceiling under the toilet brutal in. It turned out that the wax band had been leaking for years. The subfloor around the toilet was rotted, and the more than it rotted, the more than the toilet rocked and the more water leaked out with every flush."

Figure B: Toilet Leaks

Toilet leaks can come from the water supply or tank, but the most damaging leaks occur at the flange and wax ring.

Sinks: Sink rim leaks

Examination for rim leaks

Dribble h2o around the sink rim and faucet base with a sponge. And so look for leaks below using a flashlight.

Sink rim leaks allow h2o to seep under the rim or the base of operations of the faucet. They will gradually destroy your cabinets and countertops in kitchens and bathrooms.

Signs of problem:

• Puddles, dampness or water stains inside the cabinet.
• Loose plastic laminate near sink.
• A loose faucet base.
• Deteriorating caulk around sink.

How to notice the source:

• If you accept a plastic laminate countertop, examine the underside of the countertop using a flashlight. Expect for swollen particleboard or other signs of water damage.
• Dribble water around the sink rim and look for leaks (photo).

How to gear up it:

• Tighten the faucet base of operations by turning the mounting nuts underneath it.
• If the sink rim is caulked, scrape away the old caulk and recaulk.
• Tighten the clips nether the sink rim that clamp the sink to the countertop.

Homeowner story:
"The caulk around my cast fe sink was in bad shape for years, but I didn't worry about it until the plastic laminate in front of the sink began to loosen. I stuck my head under the sink and saw that the particleboard under the sink rim was black and swollen. When I poked at the rotten particleboard, information technology crumbled like charred woods. I had to supersede all my countertops at a cost of $800. Merely I'm glad the old countertop gave me a warning sign—with a few more months of rot, that 100-lb. sink could have fallen into the cabinet beneath."

Figure C: Sink Leaks

Sink leaks can occur at any plumbing joint. But the most common leaks happen at the sink rim, shutoff valves, supply line connections and slip joints in the waste material lines.

Under Sink Plumping: Supply leaks

Cheque for supply leaks

Don't rely on your sense of touch on to find tiny under sink plumbing leaks. Wipe each connection with a dry tissue. Then look for a wet spot on the tissue.

Supply leaks under the kitchen sink or bathroom vanity tin can go unnoticed for a long time since they're usually at the back of the cabinet. Water tin run down the pipes into the floor or subfloor, rotting the sink base of operations, the floor and the framing.

Signs of under sink plumbing problem:

• Puddles, dampness or water stains under sink plumbing and inside the chiffonier.
• Stains on the ceiling below.

How to discover the source:

• Dab shutoffs and connections with a dry tissue or newspaper towel and wait for wet spots (photo).
• Run the dishwasher and bank check for leaks under it.

How to fix it:

• If the valve stem on a shutoff valve drips, tighten the packing nut. If the leak doesn't terminate, supervene upon the valve.
• For other leaks at the shutoff valve or at the faucet, try tightening the compression nut first. If that doesn't stop the leak, disassemble the fitting, glaze the ferrule or gasket with Teflon joint chemical compound (available at home centers and hardware stores) and reassemble the connection.

Sinks: Bleed leaks

Drain leaks in kitchens and bathrooms ordinarily occur at the drain or at the slip joints in the drainpipe. Hidden behind boxes and bottles, these leaks tin impairment flooring, cabinets and even ceilings below earlier y'all notice them.

Signs of trouble:

• Puddles, h2o stains or a dank odor in the cabinet.
• Loose or damaged flooring in forepart of the sink.

How to notice the source:

• Fill the sink bowls, then as they drain check all joints from the sink to the wall with a dry out tissue (meet photograph above).
• Run and drain the dishwasher and check the waste material hose connectedness.

How to fix it:

• For a slip articulation leak, get-go tighten the skid nut. If that doesn't work, detach the joint, coat the washer with Teflon articulation compound and reassemble.
• For a leak from the basket strainer, tighten the band nut under the sink. If the leak continues, disconnect and remove the basket strainer. Reassemble information technology using plumber's putty every bit a sealant under the basket's rim.

Two Slow Leaks That Point Catastrophe

If you lot notice puddles nigh your water heater, check the pressure level relief valve and the bleed valve. If either is dripping, supplant the valve. If not, the tank is leaking and you demand a new h2o heater. Don't delay. Tank leaks frequently beginning slow and then suddenly burst days or weeks later, causing a major household flood. The same goes for washing machine supply hoses. If y'all notice a tiny leak in the hose itself or at the crimped metal fittings at the ends, replace the hose. Otherwise the hose may eventually flare-up, releasing a continuous flow of water.

Test for Hidden Leaks

The vast bulk of leaks occur at or virtually plumbing fixtures like tubs, sinks and toilets. But if you lot suspect a leak in the h2o supply system, there's a unproblematic way to check it— even if the pipes are hidden inside walls. First, turn off all your faucets. If you have drippy faucets or a toilet that runs between flushes, shut the shutoff valves. Then go to your h2o meter and check the position of the "one-cubic-foot" dial. Check the dial again ii hours later. If the dial has moved, you have a leak in the water supply.

Required Tools for this Project

Have the necessary tools for this DIY project lined up before you kickoff—yous'll save time and frustration.

Required Materials for this Project

Avoid terminal-minute shopping trips by having all your materials ready alee of time. Here's a listing.

Originally Published: November 25, 2019

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