🛠They Said It Was Fixed—Then I Saw the Huge Glob of Caulking!

The Inspection Insider

The Inside Scoop for Buyers, Sellers, and Realtors

This Week's Inspection Spotlight: What do you get when you mix a leaky dishwasher hose and a mountain of silicone? A plumbing fail you have to see to believe—plus the real cost of a bad DIY fix.

🧼 This Week’s Eye-Opener:

You’d think a dishwasher leak would be easy to fix—tighten a clamp, swap a hose, done in 10 minutes, right?
Well… not if you ask the homeowner who thought a fistful of silicone was the solution.

This was supposed to be a smooth re-inspection.
During my initial visit, I’d flagged a few minor issues—nothing serious. But one thing stood out: a slow drip from the dishwasher drain hose under the kitchen sink. It wasn’t urgent, but definitely something that needed fixing.

There were some other issues with the kitchen drain line but the buyers were willing to overlook as long as it drained and didn’t leak. They planned on upgrading the sink and countertop later in the year.

The seller told the buyers it had been “taken care of.” All I had to do was confirm that during a quick follow-up. Easy day, right?

I opened the cabinet under the sink, turned on the dishwasher, and crouched down to have a look.

What I saw nearly made me laugh out loud—except for the fact that it was kind of tragic.

The entire hose connection had been slathered in white silicone caulking, like someone tried to seal a submarine hatch. And the worst part, it was still leaking!

Watch my YouTube Short 👇🏼

It looked less like a repair and more like someone had tried to stop a plumbing issue with like frosting a cake.

I called the buyers and their realtor over to take a look.

The realtor raised an eyebrow.
The buyer just muttered, “You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

They weren’t mad—it was more of a disappointed dad energy. And I get it.

This wasn’t just a lazy fix. It was a textbook example of doing the wrong thing with confidence. Silicone has a lot of great uses—but patching over a leaking hose connection like you're decorating a cake is not one of them.

What should’ve been a simple $10 fix turned into a headache, a negotiation, and a second inspection report that now mentioned potential cabinet water damage.

The deal still went through—but not before the buyers laid down a firm condition: the leak had to be repaired by a licensed plumber and a receipt provided before closing. No more DIY guesswork, no more silicone Band-Aids.

Here’s the key takeaway:
If you're buying a home and the seller agrees to make repairs, those repairs should always be done by a licensed professional—and you should get documentation to prove it.

Anything less, and you’re opening the door to half-fixes, hidden problems, or even safety risks.

A professional repair protects your investment—and your sanity.

🧰 Pro Tip of the Week

Silicone is not a substitute for plumbing knowledge.
If a hose is leaking, don’t reach for caulking—replace the hose, tighten the clamp, or call a plumber. A $10+ fix done right is better than $5 worth of silicone that still leaks.

What’s Coming Next Week?

Next week: Newer Furnace” or Nearly Dead?
Real estate listings love to use words like “newer” or “recent,” but what does that really mean? Next week, we’ll dive into how vague descriptions can hide end-of-life systems—and leave buyers facing expensive surprises.

Ron Henderson, CMI
Certified Master Inspector

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