I'd say it's a mark of marginal workmanship. They didn't install a clamp to secure the pipe to the stud just before it came through the drywall. Functionaly, it's not a big deal, as long as they didn't miss enough other clamping so that you get pipes rattling inside the walls.

I called DH right away and he drove the 1.5 hour drive home. He is the son and grandson of a plumber so does all the plumbing in our house. Sure save a lot of money that way! LOL It turn out it was the plastic housing that holds the drinking water filter. It cracked from top to bottom and is always under pressure so that is why it flooded so fast. I am so happy I was home to stop it. I can imagine what would have happened if I had been at the store or running errands or happened in the middle of the night. What a nightmare that would have been! Don't know why it cracked, but it is about 20 years old. So we will get a whole new water filter set up. At least it wasn't one of the pipes or the dishwasher. Clare

It depends on what you are worried about and concerned about what is in your water. Also, about what you know is there. After the research I had done, I recently got a reverse osmosis system, and yes, as stated above, takes up a lot of space under the sink, and does waste water, but the water wasted is contaminated, while regular water filters such as the ones suggested above allow most chemicals through. Reverse osmosis is the best available technology for purifying your water. I got my RO system from Aquasafe Systems, and read some reviews where people have had their systems for over 10 years before replacing. That's the unit itself, not the filters as they need to be replaced every 6 months, but the water quality is unsurpassed. Click here to check out their site. They also have some interesting blogs about what is in your water. And to mononoke1, you should never rush into buying a water filter without researching first. A lot of companies out there use a play on words, such as "effective against" or "reduces" but don't post stats or facts, when both terms could potentially mean very little protection. Here is a link that might be useful: Aquasafe Systems

In my mind the water is probably coming down from the window, collecting at the bottom plate and wicking back up on the inside wall.