Sometimes it’s not just about the sink dropping, but also mold or rot sneaking in.
That’s spot on. Water damage is sneaky—by the time you notice a musty smell or soft spot, it’s already a bigger problem. I’ve seen “temporary” shims or propped-up sinks lead to warped cabinets and even ruined subflooring. People often underestimate how fast moisture can spread, especially in older bathrooms where ventilation isn’t great. Convenience now can mean a lot more hassle (and expense) later.
Yeah, I’ve pulled out vanities where the whole back side was just black with mold—sometimes you don’t even see it until you start demo. I’m curious, do most folks here have shutoff valves that actually work under their sinks, or are they all seized up? I run into that a lot, especially in older places.
- Honestly, I’d say it’s about 60/40—most of the shutoffs I see under sinks in older homes are frozen solid or leak when you try to use ‘em.
- Sometimes you get lucky and they’ll turn, but then you realize the packing nut’s crusted over and it starts dripping anyway.
- Newer construction is a bit better, but even then, folks don’t exercise those valves, so they seize up too.
- If I’m doing a bathroom reno and the sink ends up off-center (which happens more than people think), sometimes I have to reroute supply lines anyway, so I’ll just swap out the old valves for quarter-turns. Way less headache down the road.
Anyone else ever run into those weird angle stops that look fine until you touch them and they snap right off? Makes me wonder how many leaks are just waiting behind old vanities... What’s everyone’s go-to when you find a seized valve—WD-40 and patience, or straight to replacement?
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve tried to shut off an old angle stop, only for the thing to crumble in my hand or start leaking from somewhere new. WD-40’s fine if you’re desperate, but honestly, I just swap ‘em out now. Not worth the risk, especially if you’re not living there and a slow leak goes unnoticed. Had one tenant “fix” a stuck valve with pliers once… ended up replacing half the cabinet. Quarter-turns all day for me—less drama when something actually needs fixing down the line.
Yeah, I’ve seen those old angle stops basically disintegrate with a little twist. WD-40 helps sometimes, but like you said, it’s a gamble. I’m with you—just swap ‘em out and save yourself the headache.
Quarter-turns are way less trouble, especially when you’re dealing with tenants who might not know their own strength. Had a call last month—tenant tried to “unstick” a valve with a wrench, snapped the stem, and water everywhere. Whole vanity was toast.
Curious though, when you’re replacing those stops, do you ever run into issues with the supply lines not lining up right? I’ve had a few where the new valve’s just a hair off, and suddenly the sink’s off-center or the lines are under tension. You just redo the lines, or is there a trick for getting everything to sit right without moving the whole sink?
