Problem Statement

In every house, there are various types of plumbing pipes either in toilets,
kitchens or car porches, water storage, which carry fresh & clean water to various
plumbing fixtures, or carry the waste water away from houses. We use the clean water
everyday to wash hands, laundry (washing clothes by washing machines), fill up kettle to
boil water for drinking purpose, bathing, washing dish plates, flush toilets, and perform
more other basic tasks without much thought.
In this study, we would like to focus more on toilet sink and kitchen sink
problems. The toilet sink problems and kitchen sink problems are very common
nowadays. Usually the plumbing problems are under sink leaking problems. However,
any plumbing issue ( such as leaking, or choke) can result in serious furniture damage in
house because the wood based furniture or flooring might be damaged by the leaked
water dip or splashing water from the leaked pipes or joints.
The tools required for any under sink leak repair are penetrating oil ( such as WD-
40 or CRC), flat-headed & phillips screwdrivers, replacement O-rings & washers,
adjustable wrench (such as C wrench), pipe wrench, plunger, hand auger, propane torch.
The indication of under sink leaking problem can be easily identified when the
cabinet door is opened to observe the leak situation under the sink. Under sink leak can
occur at any plumbing joint, such as sink rim, shutoff valves, or supply connection .
There are two types of under sink leaks, namely: sink supply leaks or sink drain leaks.
Sink supply leaks happen on the water supply pipe under the sink. Water stain
mark shall be observed in the cabinet or ceiling below. Dry clothe or dry tissue can be
pressed against supply pipes and look for wet spot while the water tap is opened and run
the water. Usually water drip and water splashing can be observed from the defective
supply pipes or loosen joint connection. If shutoff valve drips, loosen valve fittings can
be tighten by holding the valve by using one wrench, then turn the valve fitting by using
another wrench. If the leak still happens, so it means that the shutoff valve fitting is
required to dismantle and coat the ferrule or gasket with Teflon joint compound tapes and
reassemble back the fitting.
 Drain sink leaks usually happen at the drain or slip joints in the drain pipe. The
same method can be used to identify the water leak, it means clothe or dry issue can be
used to press against the pipe to look for wet spot. If a slip joint leak happens, slip nut can
be tighten by using two wrenches. If the leak still happens, it means it requires to
dismantle the joint, and coat the joint with Teflon joint compound tapes and reassemble
back.
Therefore, drain sink fittings or supply sink fittings are required to tighten by
holding with one wrench and turn with another wrench. If the the worst situation
happens, the leak still happen, it mean the fittings are required to dismantle by using
these two wrenches, and coat with Teflon joint compound tapes and assemble back again.
Besides that, plumbers are required to crawl under sink for long period to identify
& repair the leak. According to online article written by John Meyer, he has identified 5
safety & health problems which will happen on any plumber (Meyer, 2015). First is the
chemical hazards. Plumbers require many types of chemical to repair the pipes, such as
pipe thread sealants, solder fluxes, PVC primer and so on. Therefore plumbers are
advised to use gloves, and wear eye protection when these chemical is used. Fire must be
stayed away from this chemical.
Besides that Meyer did highlight about musculoskeletal injuries caused by
awkward positions, because plumbers are required to bend their bodies and crawl under
the sink during the plumbing repair works. This will cause back pain in long term.

Therefore new solution is suggested to avoid this type of fitting tightening or

dismantling, Teflon
coating and
assembling.
References:
Jon Meyer. (05/12/15). 5 Sneaky Dangers of Plumbing. Retrieved from
http://porch.com/pro/blog/2015/05/5-sneaky-dangers-of-plumbing/