That Sinking Feeling

I got that panicked call from one of the Nodlings during the football game. (Why always during the game?) Daddy, daddy, the kitchen sink is flooding! 

I went upstairs and sure enough we're wading through a couple of gallons of water on the floor. Warm water. Hm. Not the dishwasher. We rescued most of the under the sink supplies and mopped out the cabinet. I determined it wasn't one of those spraying geyser leaks which is a good thing. It only leaks when you turn on the water. Must be the hose or fitting.

I turned off the water and then took stuff apart. Due to the angle, this involved crawling into the cabinet and trying to swing a wrench with my elbow jammed against my nose while reaching around the garbage disposal. Not fun. I'm going to have bruises in strange places. Now I have sore ribs and a neck cramp.

I figured if it was a leaking hose, I could duct tape it until I could get a replacement. The hardware store was closed, but I did find (clear - not silver!) duct tape at the drug store. I ended up not being able to separate the last hose fitting so as to be able to do my triage. Fail!

I put everything back together again and ran some water through the lines -- and now it doesn't leak. This bothers me more than if I hadn't fixed it. I didn't conclusively find the source of the leak; I didn't "do" anything particular to fix it. I took it apart, yanked on a few parts, and put it back together again. I have a sinking feeling this isn't the last we'll see of this problem.

In the meantime, I put a drip pan under the sink and the paper towels and supplies somewhere else. Now I know why plumbers get paid a fortune: they are huge guys with strong hands and bad overalls doing a dirty job. How would a huge guy even fit under the sink?!