Washing Machines, Dishwashers and Refrigerators and the Water Damage they can Cause

4/11/2019 (Permalink)

Sometimes, water damage comes from an unlikely source such as an appliance in your home.

In the past month, the team at SERVPRO of Newtown and Southern Litchfield County has responded to water damage emergencies in homes that were caused by leaking washing machines, dishwashers and refrigerator lines. The appliances failed without warning, leaving the homeowners dealing with an unexpected mess.

The problem with appliance leaks is that they often happen when the homeowner is away from the house. How many of us turn on the dishwasher prior to leaving our homes for the day? We expect to return to clean dishes but rather, find our homes flooded. Similarly, many of us run the washing machine while we are sleeping or not at home.In the case of a washing machine, failures can happen due to a leaky door seal, a loose hose or a shot pump. 

It doesn’t take long for the water from an appliance leak to flood a house, leak through the floor and cause widespread damage. Appliance leaks cause damage to the wood flooring, carpets and the walls and ceiling of homes. The good news is that most insurance companies will cover water damage that is a result of a sudden malfunction of an appliance.

Nobody plans on an appliance leak in their home but they happen more often that you would imagine. We’ve seen this in the case of new and old appliances. Your immediate response when you discover an appliance leak at your home will be to stop the flow of water. Turning the water off at the main shut off valve (typically found in the basement of Newtown area homes) will stop any further flooding.

After the water has been shut off, call our office at (203) 743-5362. We are open 24-7 and the sooner the water damage restoration process begins, the easier the and quicker the work will be.