Inaccessible pipe leaking into kitchen

[Soulive]

Looks like I'm late to the thread. If it's not too late, I strongly recommend you cut a small hole in the ceiling next to the cabinets nearest the apparent leak source. Make it just big enough to get your head and shoulders through, say from one joist to the next and 2 feet long. The point where the water comes through may not be as close as you think to where the problem is. You may need to remove different cabinets than you think, or you may also see what is going on and be able to fix it without removing any of them. Then there is always option C, where you say something regrettable in front of the kids and call a pro.
Seeing exactly what's going on is critical to your planning.

Thanks. I will be cutting through and checking things out. The only problem is I have one cabinet down already. No big deal though, if its coming from elsewhere I only have to put one cabinet back up...

 

[Ryan_PA]

Sounds like a lot of work. Burn the place to the ground, collct the insurance and buy a new place without a leaky pipe.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Yikes, sorry to hear that, Soulive. I'm a bit of a DIY'er, so feel free to PM me if you think that I can be of any help.

 

[Soulive]

Sounds like a lot of work. Burn the place to the ground, collct the insurance and buy a new place without a leaky pipe.

I wish man. After remodeling the entire kitchen, nothing seems like a lot of work anymore...

Yikes, sorry to hear that, Soulive. I'm a bit of a DIY'er, so feel free to PM me if you think that I can be of any help.

Thanks, I'll probably PM once I get to look inside the rafters...

 

[EvilTOJ]

Plus if you burn the place down, you'll have easy access to the pipes, allowing you to fix the leaking pipe.

 

[Bobby_M]

Unless the leaky pipe is PVC in which case the ENTIRE problem goes away.

Ben, what was the drain pipe type on your kitchen sink prior to the remodel? PVC, copper, or iron?

Also, if it's a shower stall that we're talking about, you should be able to take the cover plate off and look inside with a flashlight to see what kind of pipe it is. If it's a tub, not so much. If it's PVC, it's likely a gasket issue right at the shower like I mentioned.

 

[Soulive]

Unless the leaky pipe is PVC in which case the ENTIRE problem goes away.

Ben, what was the drain pipe type on your kitchen sink prior to the remodel? PVC, copper, or iron?

Also, if it's a shower stall that we're talking about, you should be able to take the cover plate off and look inside with a flashlight to see what kind of pipe it is. If it's a tub, not so much. If it's PVC, it's likely a gasket issue right at the shower like I mentioned.

The pipes in these old places are all galvanized steel. Its an actual tub, not shower stall that I have. I think when I was plunging it, something cracked/crumbled. I will probably have to replace the flange once I get in there...

 

[Soulive]

So the steel part under the tub drain basket was fractured. I am trying to DIY this as much as I can, but I may get to the point of needing the plumber. I siliconed the sh!t out of everything and now I'm waiting for it to cure. These old steel pipes don't like to budge. I did find a dead baby bird up in there though. That was pretty exciting...

 

[brauhaus]

i think i smell a bathroom make-over

 

[Soulive]

i think i smell a bathroom make-over

The worst part is I already remodeled the bathroom except for the tub!

 

[skinfiddler]

A bright side (if there is one) is that most of your drywall repair as it appears will be be hidden behind cabinets. You won't have to do your better (time-consuming) finish work there.

I have a similar thing going on in my dining room only that drywall finish is not concealed.

JW

 

[Soulive]

Looks like we're in the clear! Lots of silicone caulking and some new PVC parts make everything better. I'll keep my fingers crossed, but we've been dry for 2 days now. Next step is re-hanging the cabinets, hopefully for the last time. Thanks for everyone's help...