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msnoose
Lv 6
msnoose asked in Home & GardenMaintenance & Repairs · 9 years ago

PLUMBING MYSTERY? - CAN YOU SOLVE?

I have an old 2 family home w/ the 2nd floor kitchen needing a complete remodel. I cook on newer 1st floor, etc. But I use the sinks on 2nd floor too & sleep & use other rooms there. I sprung a leak under kitchen sink a while ago & thankfully had a large plastic pan underneath that caught dripping water. I put drain in sink & when I went to clean the stainless drain I was shocked to see water up to the level of the sink. Since the pipe underneath has a pinhole on the side of that pipe, how is it that this water did not empty out of the pipe? When it first happened, that drain was empty because I wiped it out with a cleaner. I have used the faucet to fill up bottles, a basin to soak clothes & to fill kettle. Faucet does not leak but sometimes I don’t shut it off as fast as I move the container away & have seen a few drops fall; but figured a few drops wouldn’t hurt the pipe underneath. My MYSTERY is why the water in drain is not emptying into the bucket underneath? Could it be because of gravity? The pinhole is on the side of a vertical pipe so does it need “force” of some kind to empty? This is driving me crazy trying to figure out why the water is still there. I know I will have to pump it out with a wet/dry vac because I don’t want to use a plunger & make things worse. Any plumbers, handymen or engineers out there that could explain why gravity hasn’t emptied this sink completely after 6 months ?

Update:

I wasn't asking how to fix it - just how could standing water be above a leak? Why didn't the water run out of the hole in the pipe? etc. etc. "Sunday Crone" understood my question perfectly.

Reply to Sunday: it's not just the matter of calling a plumber in to fix an old pipe; it's the matter of a complete kitchen remodel which means walls, insulation, new layout, flooring, electricity, all plumbing, etc. I have a newer,fully functional kitchen on 1st floor. I have the Home Equity Line of Credit ready --problem is I'm not ready. Need motivation, energy and some help to clear out many, many, many yrs of living here & move downstairs. It's not easy for me; had some devastating tragedies in past few yrs so I'm not the old me. But I was very curious why the water was still there. It just is an inconvenience for me but not an emergency.

2 Answers

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  • Sunday Crone
    Lv 7
    9 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    You have to have a clog or lack of gravity/air pressure which would equalize the force and the water would drain. I watch this old house a lot and I remember a show that dealt with this issue in old houses. I would have called a plumber before now and stopped fighting it.

    Source(s): Use to do a lot of stuff around the house.
  • Anonymous
    9 years ago

    the pinhole got filled with debris. get a plumber to repair this, it's no "mystery".

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