Garbage Disposal Leaking Under the Sink
Likely causes
- ✓Worn sink flange seal at the top of the unit
- ✓Loose mounting bolts on the sink flange
- ✓Cracked disposal housing
- ✓Loose dishwasher inlet connection, if the dishwasher drains through the disposal
- ✓Worn drain pipe gasket or loose discharge tube
Where the leak starts tells us the most. A leak from the top, around the sink itself, is almost always a worn sink flange seal or loose mounting bolts — a repair that doesn’t require replacing the disposal at all. This is the most common cause we see.
A leak from the bottom or side of the unit points to a cracked housing, which does mean the disposal needs to be replaced, or a loose connection at the dishwasher inlet or discharge tube, which doesn’t. We run water and check each connection point directly rather than guessing from where the puddle ends up, since gravity can make a leak look like it’s coming from somewhere it isn’t.
This is one of the issues covered under our Garbage Disposal Repair service.