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I've recently noticed a regular dripping sound coming from somewhere near the pipes the supply my washing machine.

enter image description here

In that picture, the sound seems to be coming from behind the faucet on the left. The sound is about once every 2 seconds, and is somewhat lower pitched, a little like knocking, but still seems to be some kind of dripping.

Above the faucet, there's a fixture that seems to be leaking, but much more slowly; e.g. a drip of water forms and falls maybe once every 20 minutes or so, and it results in part of the central drain hose below being wet:

enter image description here

Note that this leak is extremely small and slow (and seems separate from the dripping sound every two seconds which appears to be coming from inside the pipes), so beyond the slightly wet outer surface of the black hose (since the hose just happens to lie right below that extremely slowly leaking fixture, there's doesn't seem to be any other puddles on the ground. The fixture seems to be connected to the pipes behind the faucet: when I push the fixture gently; pipes seem to move a little.

I'm locating on the east coast, in New Jersey. The last time I used my washing machine was yesterday, but the sound has been around for at least 4-5 days.

Any suggestions on how I should proceed?

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  • By the "black pipe in the middle . . . wet to the touch" do you mean the flexible rubber drain hose? From what you say the water could be coming from the washing machine. To investigate this, turn off both faucets and let it sit for a while. Does the frequency of the drip change? Pull out the drain hose and pull the washer out into the room and look for leaks. Is the drain plugged and overflowing? Is the drain hose leaking where it is fastened to the washing machine or is it cracked or split?
    – Jim Stewart
    Commented Dec 9, 2017 at 10:33
  • yes, the black pipe is the flexible rubber drain hose. However, I discovered that the wetness was due to a very slowly leaking fixture right above (see second photo of answer, which I just edited). It seems that the washing machine itself and the drain hose do not seem to be leaking, it's just that fixture in the second picture. However, I'm not sure if that fixture leak which is very slow, maybe a single drop falls every 20 minutes, is related to the dripping sound, which is once every 2 seconds.
    – xdavidliu
    Commented Dec 9, 2017 at 16:38
  • Looks like a mini expansion tank or a water hammer arrester. Either can be replaced without going into the wall.
    – Jim Stewart
    Commented Dec 9, 2017 at 22:47
  • A drip every 20 minutes could be condensation.
    – Harper - Reinstate Monica
    Commented Dec 10, 2017 at 5:16

2 Answers 2

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You need to find the source of this problem and either fix it or have it repaired. This kind of a water leak could result is mold growth as well as other bad things for you home. You will probably have to open the wall to expose the source. Wall repair is simple and inexpensive when compared to the other problems that could result leaving this unattended.

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is there a washroom above this washer it could be the flapper in the toilet this could be the problem a kit tap dripping above there are a number of reasons why this sound exists washer might need to be serviced and componants inside tested

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  • directly above this washer is a loft room that is completely empty, nothing but floor.
    – xdavidliu
    Commented Dec 10, 2017 at 4:53

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