The nest of plastic piping under our kitchen sink has developed an as yet small leak. It's a combination of the main sink drain, half sink drain and dishwasher drain.
What's the best way I can tell which of the many joints is leaking? There's only dampness around the fittings at the moment so I can't actually see anything dripping from anywhere.
Just dry everything off thoroughly with kitchen paper and monitor all joints thoroughly and regularly until you find which one gets damp first.
David
In message , Gary wrote
Colour the water with a food dye
Wrap a bit of kitchen roll around the joints then run water through the various fittings and see which bits of paper get wet first.
Now that idea I like. Might make the subsequent fixing a bit messy though unless it's all flushed through!
Redo every joint again.
Dry everything with kitchen paper & use a very bright LED torch - the light makes water droplets sparkle & they are easy to spot.
Once the pipes have been dried off as above, tie strips of kitchen paper near each joint and see which ones get wet. This will locate the slowest of leaks even if is so slow that the paper dries but telltale stains will show.
Bob
Find some self coloured absorbent paper and use that. I use blue, as it shows up quite well when it gets wetted. Kim wipe is one form of it and can usually be found outside a supermarket for drying the trolley handles.
Dave
Tying little bows of loo paper round the pipes helps. See which one gets wet first.
The look to see if something ABOVE it is making it wet which you had not spotted earlier.
I would agree. We came back from a walk on Boxing day to find our kitchen flooded. One of the pipes had fallen out and the dishwasher had emptied itself over the cupboard and the floor. I would also advise people to check these pipes occasionaly as they can clearly work loose.....you only need to look at a pub urinal or sink to see how unreliable they are!
If somone can recommend a particular brand that is more reliable or foolproof I would be interested to hear about it.
Tim
You'll probably have to dismantle the lot even if you do find which one is leaking so just bite the bullet and do that anyway. A good time to neaten it all up if it was a peacemeal development. ;-)
The best way is to use Terrain where possible - this uses solvent weld connections and won't leak ever if properly done. And just use push fit or compression etc where essential. Obviously Terrain requires more care and skill to fit - it has to be properly lined up when cementing together as you don't get a second chance.
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