Leak repair advice

I noticed I have a small leak at the joint under my kitchen sink. This is likely due to me over tightening the slip nut at the P trap as it was one of my first ventures into plumbing. Or it could be caused by something else - not sure.

Anyway, I want to minimize downtime as this is the kitchen sink. Should I remove the slip joint and replace everything connected or do you think I may have to cut the pipe out of the wall?

The mess in the pic is greasy. It seems like this was a slow leak as its been almost 8 years since I did it:



Thanks

 

I would probably cut it close to the elbow, leaving as long of a piece as you can coming out of the back of the cabinet. Then glue on a 1 1/2" slip adapter. Looks like this:

1-1/2 in. PVC DWV Hub x SJ Trap Adapter-C48017HD112 - The Home Depot

Then add a new 1 1/2" p trap... looks like this... Everbilt 1-1/2 in. Plastic P-Trap-C9704B - The Home Depot

And you might need a new short tailpiece to extend your existing tail piece. Looks like this: Everbilt 1-1/2 in. x 6 in. Polypropylene Slip-Joint Extension Tube-C9792 - The Home Depot

So you would remove everything below your existing tailpiece... all the way to the last elbow.

You might also want to fix that dishwasher drain pipe so that it is looped up as high as possible on the back wall of your cabinet.

 

Those nuts often crack from overtighening..

If the nut is not cracked your best bet is to teflon paste the heck out of the two mating surfaces and the nut threads.

Then only snug the nut tight till it stops leaking..

If the nut is cracked then full replacement is in order..

I would not buy a LA trap as you show and would convert it to a regular p trap...

 

The proper fix is what Xsleeper posted. But if you want to cheat the system you can try Rescue Tape.

 

Thanks guys. I'm a fan of fixing it right so I would rather replace.

My issue is the ptrap linked - those tend to be cheap flimsy plastic do dads. I prefer to have the schedule 40 (?) elbow.

What is an LA trap? Is that what I'm referencing.

 

Yes the trap you have under your sink is an LA trap as I call it.

 

I'm surprised about that. The traps I've seen in the store are flimsy. Why are they better?

 

It is only your perception that the lighter weight traps are flimsy, they work just fine for decades.

 

The traps linked ar 1 1/2". I've got 2" there now.

Do they make 2" ptraps? Should I only have 1 1/2".

 

1-1/2 inch traps are standard for kitchen sinks although code now requires the piping in the wall to be 2-inch. I would start at the wall by cutting the 2-inch and gluing on a 1-1/2 inch trap adapter. Run the rest with standard 1-1/2 inch PVC drain tubing with slip nuts.

 

The wall pipe is 2" so I'm good there. As far as cutting, what's the best way to get a strait cut in a confined space? When I work with PVC I'll typically put the piece on my electric miter saw.

And it seems people here prefer the ptrap rather than the setup I have. I'm curious as to why - is it better in some way?

Should I be concerned about drainage going 1/2" smaller? At the time I was told 2" was required for the kitchen and 1.5 for bathrooms. Was I misinformed?

My main concern is it can get banged up down there from getting cleaners and what not and a thicker larger pipe would handle it better.

 

That's not much of a leak after 8 years. I see the stain on the cabinet floor and I see the same stains at the top of the trap.
Are you sure the leak isn't coming from above? Maybe the basket strainer is leaking?

 

I'm going to agree with Brian, stains on TOP of the trap indicate that the leak is from above. Looks like your dishwasher drain line has fallen and the corrugate hose may have lost its seal. Dishwasher drain lines should be raised to above the connection to the tail piece.

 

It could be. I'll take a closer look over the weekend

 

It doesn't need to be perfectly straight. I normally use a hacksaw or if no room for a complete hacksaw then just the blade. A larger tubing cutter will make a straight cut if you have the room to swing it.


Being able to completely disassemble the trap and piping from the basket strainer to the wall connection makes cleaning and retrieval of small items dropped into the trap much easier.


No.


Not misinformed but you did misunderstand. The piping in the wall to the main drain must be the sizes you mention, the traps are smaller. 1-1/2 inch trap for kitchens and bathtubs, 1-1/4 inch traps for bathroom washbasins. Showers, however, require a 2 inch trap. Nothing absolutely wrong in going to a larger trap but it will cause the water through the trap to move slower. Faster travel makes a swirling motion, called "scouring" that will tend to keep the trap cleaner.

I personally have stored all sorts of things under my sinks and washbasins and never had a problem with hitting a drain pipe or trap so hard as to cause any damage. I have never heard of this happening to anyone else either.