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Discuss VERY strange leak - advice appreciated! in the Plumbing Jobs | The Job-board area at PlumbersForums.net

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SarahF

Hi everyone.

Today I noticed it was wet under my kitchen sink cupboard - after various trials trying to figure out where the water was coming from I found it was coming from the black drain part that connects to the sink and what the plughole drains down into (it will have a name I'm just not sure of it and don't want to quote inaccurately)

Now for the weird bit. Mine only leaks when I run hot/warm water down it. If I run the cold tap for over a minute there are no drips. If I fill a washing up bowl with just cold water and pour down with some pressure, there are no drips.

If I run the hot water tap however, even if it isn't hot (it takes a minute or so for the hot water to flow through) the drips start immediately.

I wondered if it was somehow the hot tap leaking so boiled the kettle. Soon as I started to pour the drips started.

Wiped everything dry, tried again with cold for a full minute. Ran my finger along; still dry.

Turned the hot water on (even though it was barely lukewarm); drips from turning the tap on.

I'm sorry if I sound ignorant but I thought if something was leaking it was leaking, and if it wasn't it wasn't. Does anyone know what may be the issue?
 
Is it a mixer tap you have ?
does it have one control , or two separate ones ?
( I'm thinking tap is to blame)
-- Fill up a washing up bowl, other vessel -wait/dry up -then do test
 
Hi
Thank you for replying - yes it is a mixer tap.

I did do the washing up bowl thing a few times earlier, in fact I've run so much hot water today my immersion has run out for the first time ever.

Washing up bowl full of cold water (cold water tap run only) - no drips
Dried everything
Washing up bowl full of hot (later only warm) water - drips (but no drips when bowl filling i.e. tap was running into bowl rather than straight down plughole)
Dried everything
Cold water running directly down plughole - no drips
Hot/warm water running directly down plughole - drips.

I then dried everything again and tested water heated by the kettle, no taps running at all - drips.

The leak only happens when something goes down the plughole at a warmish temperature; when I run the hot tap into the washing up bowl the area is still dry.

The only thing I can see dripping is the part that attaches under the plughole that the ubend then attaches to.
 
When you look down the plughole can you see a screw in the middle?
 
sinkdrip.jpg
 
Hi
Yes there is a screw.

I did think it may be my tap but like I say even kettle boiled water caused a drip, even though no taps were on at that time. Dried it off and cold water run seconds later caused no drip.

Just ran some leftover pop down the sink; no drip. Ran some cold after to clear it; no drip.

It's just warm/hot water for some reason.
 

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Hi
I turned the screw but no difference I'm afraid.

Drips when hot tap used but doesn't drip from the cold.

Also drips when hot water from the kettle is poured down with both taps off.

I have posted a picture of where the drips are coming from.
 
Look for cracks in grey pipe , getting things nice and clean can make leaks worst !

( Dismantling / cleaning / reassembling --will give an understanding -buts its MESSY )
May also need some spare parts if its all gone wrong !
 
Look for cracks in grey pipe , getting things nice and clean can make leaks worst !

( Dismantling / cleaning / reassembling --will give an understanding -buts its MESSY )
May also need some spare parts if its all gone wrong !

Hi,
I think the grey pipe is the dishwasher drain? The dishwasher has never been used since I moved in and the pipe is dry. The drips are coming from the black part to the left and above the pipe it seems
 
Simple expansion and contraction issue. Hot water caused the metal and plastic to expand at a different rate making a gap between them which is tighter when cold. Solution is to remove the waste from the basin unit, clean and reinstall using a new gasket and sealant. Better still fit a new waste.
 
had the same problem at home recently waste from sink would only leak now and then
my sink waste is white cleaned all around it and it looked like a hair on the pipe
in fact it was a small crack when hot water went down waste the crack expanded making the leak when cold water went down sink pipe was contracted no leak
I put some plumbers sealant on the crack had no problem since-good luck
 
had the same problem at home recently waste from sink would only leak now and then
my sink waste is white cleaned all around it and it looked like a hair on the pipe
in fact it was a small crack when hot water went down waste the crack expanded making the leak when cold water went down sink pipe was contracted no leak
I put some plumbers sealant on the crack had no problem since-good luck
 
You have a combined kitchen sink waste and overflow cheap to replace you can tell its leaking where it connects through the sink , you could try a repair clean it and add some silicone sealant but if you do then you may as well change it cheers kop
 
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