On impulse, John decided to rip off a piece of the loose vinyl flooring. And the next layer of flooring. And the next. Eventually, as he dug through the layers in this small section of floor, he found a hatch, leading to the subfloor. Upon opening the hatch, he discovered the kitchen pipes.
A two-and-a-half-inch copper pipe had been used for the main kitchen drain, and had separated at a joint at some point in the distant past.
(Broken joint in sill. Might be difficult to see. But it’s there.)
This meant that for some time, perhaps many years, perhaps many, many years, the water from the kitchen faucet had been draining directly into the kitchen subfloor. If someone washed some dishes, a few gallons into the floor. Gallons and gallons into the floor, perhaps every day, over many years.
But that’s not all.
