Water leakage inside the wall.

[MidCoast]

Hi all,

I was wondering if anybody could help or point me to a recommended contractor that could help me with this.

 

My house is leaking a tiny amount of water down in the basement in the bedroom that is directly below the kitchen sink. Water is coming out of the wall and onto the floor  whenever water is turned on in the kitchen sink for 10 to 15 minutes non-stop it will start to leak a little water out, not much,  but enough to notice.  

 

Any ideas on how to diagnose this leakage inside the wall without having to damage the walls too much?  Do you also know of any contractors with experienced in this sort of stuff located in the Saint Paul and Maplewood area?

 

Thanks . 

[PurpleFloyd]

Do the water and drain lines for the sink come up through the floor of the cabinet or do they come out of the back wall? One way or the other I suspect it is a drain problem. 

 

I would start with the P trap first. Check all fittings and make sure they are tight and sealed. If it is chrome, I have seen them corrode and crack which causes leaks and eventually results in a rupture. Bad gaskets by the strainer basket can also be the cause. Also check the shutoff valves and supply line fittings from where they connect to the faucet to where they exit the cabinet to make sure it isn't coming from them through a bad seal or fitting.

 

If all that checks out then you need to go deeper. If the lines go through the floor of the cabinet you may need to open that up to find the cause of the leak. If they go through the back wall and nothing is leaking inside the cabinet then you will need to open the wall up in order to diagnose and correct the problem.

 

You will want to check the yellow pages and find a plumber that serves your area. They can find and fix the leak and then depending on what needs to be opened up to fix the probem, you will need a carpenter or handyman to button it back up. 

[Mike89]

I too would check the sink drain system first.

[delcecchi]

Like open the under sink cabinet and see if it is wet in there?   I agree, that since it only happens when the faucet is on it is most likely a drain issue.   If it was a source thing it shouldn't matter if the faucet is on or not....

[ozzie]

water restoration companies or plumbers would be who to contact.  Water restoration companies have gadgets that can detect amount of moisture in an area of the wall and with that you should be able to know precisely where the wall needs to be opened up.  Just know that if there is a leak and it has been going on for a bit there is more than likely mold that is growing behind that wall and then you are in a whole new ball game.  Faster you get someone on it the less expensive it will be