Is Your Kitchen Sink Leaking Slowly?

There’s a lot of things that can go wrong if you have a slow leak from your kitchen sink. Let’s run down what can happen and then discuss some things you can do to try and prevent this from happening to you.

Slow leaks are not covered by insurance
Let’s get the bad news out of the way first. Slow leaks are not usually covered by insurance. This is unfortunate news for homeowners when they discover it. In most cases, If you read the fine print of your insurance policy, you’ll discover a clause that explicitly states your policy only covers sudden water damage losses, not gradual leaks. While you can’t foresee certain accidents happening and protecting against them, your insurer’s position is that you should be able to prevent certain things from happening with regular maintenance. So to them, the fact you never noticed you had a problem is evidence that you were negligent, and any claim would most likely be denied on that basis.

They can cause hidden water damage
​When you have an ongoing leak under your kitchen sink, you can see some discoloration or spotting at the base of the cabinet, what you can’t see is where the water has traveled beyond there until it becomes an even bigger problem. Water can travel through your cabinets and into the flooring below your cabinet. It can then travel up walls that are hidden by the cabinets, saturating both drywall as well as insulation. These can be quite expensive repairs because not only do the cabinets usually need to be replaced, but so does any other areas that got wet. They usually have been wet for too long by the time it’s noticed to be salvaged.

They can cause a lot of mold damage
Mold can make you and your family members very sick. Mold is also very expensive to safely remove. Some homeowners insurance policies do not cover mold removal.

Here's how you can prevent a kitchen sink leak
You can’t totally prevent one. Despite the best preventative measures, sometimes accidents happen. But there are things you can do to both mitigate the risks of it ever happening, and lessen the damage that might occur should a slow leak develop. Here’s some helpful tips:

• Check under your sink every few weeks. Just a quick glance to see if you notice any staining or moisture. You’re probably reaching down there every day to grab soaps or sponges or whatever else you need in your daily life. Every once in a while pull a few things out and just make sure everything is dry.
• Once a year, check the supply lines to your sink to make sure the hoses themselves are in good shape and that the connections are still secure.
• If you’re really concerned about a problem, consider installing a water sensor under your sink. This will alert you to any moisture intrusion so that you can head off any problems at the pass!

If you do have water damage or mold in your home, call us today at (760) 844-2326​ to receive a free estimate. You can Trust in the King!
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