Pipe located behind cabinet???

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moneypit04

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Hi - thanks in advance to anyone who offers input and suggestions. This is an awesome forum and l'm so glad I stumbled on it!
Husband and I noticed bubbling paint and damp carpet in our basement. We cut out a piece of drywall and sure enough there was a leak. And mold. :eek:
We called a plumber. He cut drywall out from floor to ceiling and then delivered the bad news. The leak is coming from a pipe connecting to the sink and dishwasher drain, but the broken part is behind our kitchen cabinet. To repair the pipe, the cabinet must be removed. If we had siding on the back of the house we could have gone in that way, but alas, we have brick.
Our plumber was very empathetic but said he was not equipped to pull out the cabinets and advised us to call a contractor. The trouble is the cabinets are old and not in good shape, and I don't think they can be removed without extensive damage.
We have yet to get a response from our homeowners insurance regarding how to proceed.
I guess my question is - is there any way we could have known or prevented this given how difficult it is to access the pipe? I'm worried it won't be covered bc we have no idea how long it was going on, though we did call as soon as we realized there was a problem.
What would you advise a homeowner to do in this situation, and have you ever seen something similar?
 

Cwhyu2

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If the leak was from a ruptured pipe due to freezing then insurance kicks in.Some pictures would help me help you.
 

Jadnashua

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Some cabinets were made in place. THen, to remove them, you not only need to remove the countertop, but may need to disassemble them as well! Most more modern cabinets are modular, but there's still a market for custom, built-in place ones.

But, it wouldn't be all that hard to cut out the back of the cabinet to expose things. Not all plumbers would be equipped or willing to do this. Something like a RotoZip or a Fein like oscillating saw would make quick work of it. AN oscillating saw would probably make the narrower kerf, and you could probably put some bracket on the back, then screw it back in place...you may never notice.
 

Reach4

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You know that a lot of people remodel a perfectly functioal kitchen and get new cabinets because it looks "dated" or ... well whatever. Maybe you could look at this as a good time to do the kitchen. If this does turn out to be the result of a frozen pipe, the walls should be insulated with XPS insulation on the brick side of the plumbing before the new drywall goes up.

It would have been pretty hard for you to have foreseen this I think.
 

hj

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Brick is easy to remove. Just cut the grout lines and pull the brick out. I would prefer to do that then tear a cabinet apart. Why did he cut the drywall from "floor to ceiling" BEFORE he knew where the leak was?
 

moneypit04

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Thanks so much for all the input. I don't know why he cut out so much drywall - I guess he was trying to figure out where the pipes led?The water mitigation company came out today and they detected moisture under the kitchen floor as well. So it's just one big disaster. Still waiting for direction from our insurance company.
 
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