Leaking faucets can waste up to one trillion gallons of water nationwide each year. If you discover a leak with your kitchen sink, you need to address it, or you will find yourself wasting water and racking up an expensive water bill.  

A leak isn’t the only problem your sink can have. This list of the five most common problems can help you with your kitchen sink repairs.

1. Clogged Drains

Look under your sink, and you will see a P-shaped drain. It’s there to stop sewer smells and odors coming into your home. Unfortunately, it also happens to be a place where grease and food particles can get built up and trapped. 

This is one of those plumbing problems you can easily fix yourself. Place a large bucket under the pipe and use pliers to loosen the nut. Take the trap out and let the trapped water and whatever is clogging the pipe fall into the bucket below. 

2. Leaking Faucet

The majority of leaking faucets require professional plumbing services for repair or replacement. Before you call in the experts, you can do a little troubleshooting yourself. Leaking from the base of the spout is a sign of a worn-out O-ring. 

You could fix this yourself by removing the faucet and replacing the old O-ring with a new one. Be sure to turn the water off before removing the faucet. 

3. No Hot or Cold Water

This plumbing problem typically happens right after you’ve installed a new water-using appliance in your home. When you add more appliances that pull hot water, your water heater fails to keep up with demand. You may need to replace or upgrade your water heater. 

Less commonly, the lines that feed the hot water get damaged. This requires a plumber to follow the lines and find the issue. 

4. Low Water Pressure

You turn on the faucet, and a weak stream of water flows. This is a sign of low water pressure and usually means you have a clogged aerator. As water flows through your faucet, the minerals in it can get deposited on the aerator. 

Over time, enough minerals build-up, and now your aerator is clogged, and you have low water pressure. Start by taking it out and using vinegar to clean off the minerals. If this doesn’t work, you can easily replace it. 

5. Garbage Disposal

Garbage disposals are convenient, but people tend to put things they can’t handle down the drain. Grease and bones can cause your garbage disposal to stop working. Start by pushing the reset button, as this fixes the majority of issues. 

Plan Your Kitchen Sink Repairs

If you find yourself facing any of these problems with your kitchen sink, then you may need a plumber. Start by assessing the issue and figuring out where the problem lies. Then you can plan your kitchen sink repairs and decide whether you can make the repair yourself or need to hire a plumber. 

Browse our other home articles for more helpful guidance on common home repairs and maintenance.