Very Slight leak under kitchen sink

Absolutely you have to repair even the smallest leak immediately. It is far more efficient than fixing the significant damag that even the smallest leak can cause. Epoxy or caulk is no way to fix any kind of leak.

Can you post a pic of this thing?

Long term, that type of fix never works. Fix it the right way.

You should be able to buy just the nut at any good hardware store. It may be a rubber seal at the top flange that is leaking also. Chances are, the nut cracked from over tightening to stop a small leak and this made it worse. You may have to partially disassemble the trap to get the pieces apart and pull out the top section of pipe to put a new nut one. this type of job is best done an a day you know the hardware store is going to be open should be break something else in the process.

Any plumbing book will have a diagram of how the parts typically fit together. Start here

I bought a whole new connection pipe and installed it. I went with PVC. (The cracked nut on the old connection pipe was permanently attached. )

The new connection pipe is working. HOWEVER, I've been checking for TINY leaks by sticking edges of paper towels around the edges of the nut at the connection. KEY QUESTION: Should I have ZERO tolerance for the paper towel showing any sign of wetness when I do this or is a slight bit of wetness considered acceptable. I've already gone beyond hand tightening, and I don't want to wind up cracking the nut and having the same problem as before.

(by the way I did use a new plastic washer that is the same type used as before. It's the kind that has a flat edge that touches the sink's-end of the sink's connection)

Thanks,

J.

You don't say whether it actually leaks or not. In my opinion you absolutely must have zero tolerance for any type of water leak. It should not and must not leak. Pipes sometimes sweat though and this must not be confused with a leak. You should use pipe tape or dope on the thread to prevent leaks, that's the ticket.

It's not dripping. It's just that when sticking the edges of a paper towel under the crevice of the PVC connection nut, the edges of the towel are getting slightly wet. Presumably this means it is leaking slightly, or do I only need need to worry if I see a drip or see water running down the pipe?

It's a 49 cent repair.

Please do it!

jaynews wrote: