Our kitchen faucet had a tiny, barely noticeable drip right at the base of the handle. It didn’t seem urgent; a quick wipe with a dish towel every evening kept the countertop dry. I figured I would get around to changing the internal O-ring over the weekend.
I didn’t realize the water was finding a path of least resistance downward.
While the countertop looked dry, water had been slowly seeping underneath the decorative chrome plate, running down the supply lines, and dripping directly into the dark cabinet below. Because the space was packed with cleaning supplies and paper towels, the moisture was absorbed before it could puddle out onto the kitchen floor.
By the time I finally crawled under the sink with a wrench, the bottom of the vanity cabinet was completely black with rot and collapsed under the pressure of my hand. The water had even soaked through the subfloor below, ruining the plaster on the basement ceiling directly underneath the kitchen.
What should have been a $5 O-ring replacement turned into a full-scale demolition of the sink base, replacing a section of the kitchen subfloor, and patching drywall downstairs. If you see water anywhere it shouldn’t be, don’t wait find out exactly where it’s traveling before it finds a way to ruin your house.
