Of all the leaks that a home can spring, the ones under a sink are usually the ones that escape the notice of homeowners the longest.

The reason? From what the experts at Experts in Your Home hear, it's most likely because we're not in the habit of getting down on all fours and rummaging through a cabinet under a sink, whether it's in the kitchen, bathroom or laundry room. We open the door, grab the item we need and close the door. And we move fast.

But we soon make a startling discovery: the item we grabbed happens to be wet – maybe even soaked. This discovery triggers an uncomfortable but reliable gut feeling: something is wrong.

Call the Experts for Chico Plumbing Help

Follow through on this instinct and call Experts in Your Home. You shouldn't ignore a leak under a sink, and here's why:

• A leak never gets better on its own. The flow may fluctuate, but once it starts, it won't stop without a repair. Leaks are a sure sign that something is wrong, just as your gut instinct led you to believe.
• A leak is usually caused by a mechanical malfunction. Your sink may need plumbing help in the form of a new part, such as a washer or rubber seal.
• A leak could be a sign of a corroding pipe – another problem that must be addressed and inspected for ancillary damage. Weakened pipes almost always must be replaced.
• A leak can can cause drywall damage, depending on where it's located. It's easy to forget that water travels, seeking the path of least resistance. Wet drywall often must be replaced, too.
• A leak can cause mold damage. And the longer a leak has gone undetected, the more extensive the mold damage is likely to be. Fortunately, mold that is contained to a small area – that hasn't “traveled” along the route of the water – is fairly simple to remedy.
• A leak can damage floors, furniture and other items that the water has penetrated. If your home has ever incurred even 1 inch of water, you know how invasive water can be, often ruining everything in its path.

Check Your Suspicions

If you're registering that “uh-oh” feeling – suspecting that you may have a leak under a sink but uncertain if you need plumbing help – conduct a simple check. Clear out the area under the sink and put a towel on the floor or base of the vanity. Check back in a few hours and then a day later. Even the slowest leak is likely to “show itself” within 24 hours.

Check for Other Potential Leaks

If you plan to schedule an appointment with a Chico plumber from Experts in Your Home, you may want to check other areas in your home for potential leaks first. A plumbing help video on our website guides you through four areas in your home, including:

• The kitchen, where in addition to a leak under the sink, you should check for old valves. You should have a quarter-turn valve.
• The bathrooms, where you also should inspect the valve near the toilet.
• The laundry room, where you should look for old twist valves and rubber hoses, which could pierce and rupture. Braided hoses are sturdier.
• The outdoor pipe, where a valve with gathering moss is a sign of trouble.

Rely on your gut instinct to guide you. Or simply wait for our plumbing experts to inspect your home for you. Either way, rest assured in knowing that plumbing is a very methodical discipline, and it doesn't take our plumbers long to identify the source of a problem and fix it. After all, they don't call us the Experts for nothing.