Water Damage under the Sink
Kitchen Cabinets Can Conceal Many Problems
Modern kitchens are designed to provide you with easy access to water and the appliances, but concealed behind doors and under cabinets. Due to all the water lines and drain pipes, your kitchen is one of the most common rooms for water damage. A leak from any one of those water sources can cause significant damage to your cabinets and your home.
If you have some type of water event in your kitchen, it’s extremely likely that your cabinets will get wet. Particle board cabinets are especially prone to water damage, but solid wood cabinets can also be damaged by water. Fixing water damage to cabinets begins with removing as much water as possible and drying out wet cabinets quickly.
Be On the Lookout For
Although you’re cabinet doors may be closed all the time, keep your eyes open for any moisture in, under or around them. Your kitchen has many danger zones for water damage:
Kitchen sinks get used many times every day; they are vulnerable to cracks and leaks. Over time, water may seep through some of the areas where your disposal connects to the rest of your plumbing system. These leaks may leave puddles under your sink, pool on the floor by your cabinet, or drip from under the garbage disposal itself. It’s easy to mistake a dishwasher or sink leak for a disposal leak so have a water damage team like Rainbow International find the cause of any leak that seems like it could be coming from your disposal.
Under sink cabinets also house the garbage disposals. Their vibration adds to the stress on pipes and water line. Units typically last seven years or less before mechanical failure can lead to home water damage.
In today’s homes, a dishwasher is a valuable tool, whether you use it every day or only weekly. However, if your dishwasher fails, it can send 20 gallons of water onto your kitchen floor. A dishwasher water line may slowly and silently degrade, leaking into the enclosed space underneath the appliance before rupturing entirely.
Under Sink Filter Systems – The system installed in the cabinet beneath the kitchen sink may include water quality accessories such as canister filters or a reverse-osmosis filtration unit. However, these canister filters can leak around the seal or fail entirely, releasing water under pressure. A cracked plastic supply line could also pose a risk of flooding. Keep an eye out for any moisture under the system.
Fast Action Is the Key to Avoiding Mold
The reasons you and your family LOVE your comfortable kitchen are the same reasons that mold thrives there— water and food. Mold needs 1) a moderate temperature, 2) enough moisture and 3) sufficient nutrients. Since mold spores are airborne, there is no way to eliminate mold. In addition, leaks in kitchen cabinets can create conditions that are conducive to mold growth: no light, limited airflow, damp wood or particleboard.
If You See Water Damage under Your Sink
Call Rainbow International of West Hartford. They will rush a team of experts to your home and begin the immediate cleanup. While you are waiting for help to arrive, open all windows, closets and interior doors. Maximize flow by encouraging cross ventilation; focus on moving the air by opening windows on opposite sides of the room to create a draft. Next, open up the kitchen cabinets and the pantry door; remove drawers and stack them ‘crisscrossed’ for maximum ventilation.
Water Damage Restoration in Windham County
To keep your family home safe, call in the professionals in Windham County to clean up water damage using the proper equipment, the latest technology and years of experience. Instead of spreading mold and indoor pollution, Rainbow International will seal off undamaged rooms, wear protective clothing to protect your carpets, and work diligently to protect the indoor air quality. Contact us at the first sign of water damage for more information.
