Ways to Find Leaks and Make Drain Repairs

Drip drip drip. You knew you heard that, right? Not sure? Then just go back to bed and close your eyes because morning will come soon enough and then — wait. Drip drip drip. No, you were not imagining the sound of dripping water. It was real, and unless you can take care of it, resulting water damage could be serious, costly, and time consuming. If you hear water dripping in your house, regardless of the time of day, then you may need to call a plumber for drain repairs before the problem gets out of hand.

At New Canadian Drain & Plumbing, we are the Greater Toronto Area’s number one plumbing company and have hundreds of satisfied residential and business customers from Ajax to Vaughan to every community in between. Whether you need drain repairs or pipes cleaned, our friendly and licensed plumbers can offer a wide range of solutions to meet your needs and budget.

Over the years, we have talked to hundreds of frustrated customers who either could not fix a dripping water problem on their own, or who could not find it and decided it was “not serious enough to get repaired right away” — until they noticed water damage on the ceiling or walls in the room directly below the bathroom or kitchen where the leak originated. It is usually at this point in the conversation when the customer will say exasperated, “I told my (husband or wife or whomever) I should have called you for drain repairs sooner!” No matter. We are here to take care of your plumbing problems quickly and affordable whenever they occur.

Nefarious and hard to find, most drain leaks in kitchens and bathrooms usually happen at the drain or at the slip joints in the drain pipe. Because the plumbing is often hidden behind an assortment of boxes, bottles, stacks of toilet paper rolls, and other items, many of these leaks go undetected and can harm flooring, cabinets and even ceilings below long before anyone notices.

Look Out for These Signs of Trouble

If you had trouble hearing the dripping water sound, finding the leak in a dark, crammed kitchen or bath cabinet may seem impossible. Here are signs of trouble to look out for that may necessitate drain repairs.

• Puddles, water stains or a pungent odor in the cabinet.
• Loose or damaged flooring in front of the sink.
• Damage to the front or sides of the cabinetry.
• A perpetual sheen of water on the floor nearby.
• Signs of damage in the room below.

So now that you recognize signs of trouble, how do you find the source? This is not as difficult as it seems, either, if you follow these steps:

1. Clear out the cabinet beneath the sink bowl.
2. Place a white towel or paper towel on the bottom of the cabinet.
3. Fill the sink, let it drain, and watch below for signs of drip-page.
4. The same steps apply to kitchen sinks.
5. Watch connections on all pipes, as well as connections with dishwashers and garbage disposals.
6. If you suspect there is a leak with a tub or shower, you will need to get access if possible to the plumbing behind or below the faucet or drain.

Get Ready, Get Set — Fix It

Drain repairs can be fairly simple:

• To repair a slip joint leak, tighten the slip nut. If it still leaks, disassemble the joint, coat the washer with Teflon joint compound and reassemble. Fill the sink and let it drain to see what happens.
• For a leak from the basket strainer, tighten the ring nut under the sink. If the leak persists, disconnect the basket strainer and then remove it. It can be reassembled using plumber’s putty as a sealant.

For a professional plumber, simple drain repairs are boring and exciting at the same time. Boring in the sense we handle a lot of these sort of repairs, but exciting in the sense that finding the source of a small leak can nonetheless be challenging — even for highly trained and experienced professionals. It is the thrill of the hunt, so to speak. Visit us on Google+

Call New Canadian Drain & Plumbing today for reliable & affordable drain repairs in Toronto