The Mystery of the Ticking Sink

A mystery was solved this weekend.  Almost since moving in I have occasionally heard a muffled ticking or dripping sound near the kitchen sink.  The sound has been measured, like the ever present ticking of our LaniMoo clock prompting me to use my elementary skills of the scientific method to discover the source of the sound.

Since the location was close to the sink, my first thought was a slow drain.  I tried running hot tap water down both drains, running the garbage disposal and for good measure dumped half a bottle of Liquid Plumber down the drain.  The dripping sound continued.

I checked under the sink for leaks with my little mag-lite in hand, feeling much like CSI Monica looking for clues or leaks in my plumbing.  The cabinet was dry and quiet, no ticking there.

Remembering that the dripping from a clogged downspout at our old house sometimes made a similar “drip/tick” sound, I went outside to investigate.  There were no downspouts outside the window by the sink. No ticking out there either.

Weeks went by and I became aware that I only seemed to hear the tick/drip in the late afternoon when I went into the kitchen to begin dinner preparations.  There seemed to be no reason for the afternoon specific noise.  Having found no compelling disaster related cause, I did what any sane homeowner would do; I ignored it.

This past Saturday afternoon, when I went out to the kitchen to make some tea, the tick/drip again caught my attention.  I decided to give investigation one more shot.  Putting my good ear in the direction of the sound, I attempted to isolate its exact location.  The rhythm was so very precise, like a clock or metronome.  Again, the sink seemed to be the source, but when I bent down to check underneath, the sound grew fainter.  No, it was the sink.  I listened more intently.  The sound was from the sink but not the drain.  What could it be?  Then I looked up and saw her smiling at me.

It was Queen Elizabeth II, regally perched on my window sill, purse on her elbow, her right hand in a perpetual royal wave.  She was a gift from my friend Carol to commemorate our trip to the UK in 2010.  Not only does she appear to wave, but a tiny solar panel on the top of her purse  powers an internal clockwork causing her to wave when the sun hits it just right. Further investigation revealed that her hand had become detached from the clockwork so when the sun hit her purse, her movements sprang into precise motion, but her hand remained still. The mystery of the tick/drip sound by the sink has been solved. The Queen’s dislocated hand has been reset and now instead of dreading sunny afternoons and the annoying ticking, we can look forward to her regal wave.

Isn’t it amazing how something so frustrating can turn into a funny little story and a chuckle?  We are so amused!