The situation

Illustrative example. Not a real job or customer.

In a hypothetical two-story townhome built on a slab in Aurora, the owner notices that a plank in front of the dishwasher clicks underfoot and the kitchen smells faintly musty. There has never been visible water. When the dishwasher's kick plate is removed, the floor underneath is wet and the drain hose connection is loose.

  1. The owner shuts off the water supply valve under the sink and stops using the dishwasher.
  2. Photos are taken of the loose connection, the wet area and the clicking plank.
  3. A contractor maps moisture across the kitchen floor and finds water under planks extending toward the island and into the base of an adjacent wall.
  4. Baseboards and planks in the wet zone are removed and stacked; underlayment is discarded.
  5. The slab and lower drywall are dried, and the base of the wall is checked for microbial growth.
  6. Cabinet bases next to the dishwasher are checked for swelling.

The floating planks are reused because the owner kept a spare box from the original install, and the cabinet next to the dishwasher needs a new base panel. A leak sensor is placed under the dishwasher and sink.

Why slow leaks are harder than sudden ones

Time wet
Weeks rather than hours, raising the risk of odor and growth
Visibility
Water stayed under the planks and behind the kick plate
Spread
Followed the slab to areas well away from the source
Insurance
Many policies limit coverage for long-term seepage; read the exclusions

Decision points in this example

  • IfPlanks were click-lock and came up cleanlyThey were stacked and reused after the slab dried.
  • IfGrowth had been found on drywallThe affected drywall would have been removed under containment, not just dried.
  • IfThe HOA had responsibility for the slab or wallsThe owner would have notified the HOA before work began; here the declaration placed interiors with the owner.

What made the difference

Paying attention to small signs, a clicking plank and a faint odor, kept this from becoming a much larger loss. Many slow leaks are found only when flooring buckles or a cabinet base crumbles. Checking under appliances once or twice a year takes minutes: pull the kick plate, look with a flashlight and run a hand along the floor.

The spare box of planks was the other turning point. Without it, the owner would likely have faced replacing flooring across the entire open main floor to get a match.

Kitchen leak checks for townhome owners

General information for Aurora, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.