Prevent Household Appliance Water Damage

5/15/2020 (Permalink)

Prevent an appliance flood or stop one in its tracks with some regular maintenance in your kitchen, bathroom, basement and laundry area.

We rely on our household appliances to do so many tasks: washing our clothes and our dishes, providing hot water, keeping our food cold, flushing away waste. But a sudden plumbing problem can be a disaster, with water leaking (sometimes undetected) and causing severe damage to your home and possessions: basement water damage, a washing machine leak or a flood from your toilet or sink.

That’s why it’s a good idea to regularly check up on your appliances and plumbing fixtures, to identify and repair problems before they become costly water emergencies. You’ll want to focus your attention on the three major types of appliances and fixtures: the bathroom, the kitchen and the basement/laundry area.  

Start by understanding how long an average household appliance lasts:

    Washing machine            5–7 years
    Dishwasher                         7 years
    Refrigerator                         7 years
    Water heater                     15 years

First: In Case of a Leak

A sudden leak from a toilet, washing machine or other appliance can announce itself with a flood of water. But you may notice a more subtle sign of a looming water disaster: puddles around the bases of tubs, toilets and showers or beneath the water heater, dishwasher and washing machine.

Either way, your first step is to stop the water from leaking by shutting off the water supply to either the appliance, or if necessary, the whole house. Depending on where the leak is and how big it is, shut off the electricity to your home to prevent shocks.

Whole House Valves

• If you have a well, look for the shutoff valve on the house side of the pressure tank (you should also cut power to the tank).
• If you have metered water, look for the shutoff valve on either side of the water meter (located in the basement, on an exterior wall or even out by the street). This valve will normally be a gate-type valve, with a round knurled handle, requiring several full clockwise rotations to turn off. In newer homes, it could be a ball valve.
• Whole house hot water shutoff: There should be a valve on the hot-water outlet of your water heater, which controls all the hot water to your house. (If there isn't a valve on your hot water heater, you or your plumber should install one.)

Appliance Valves

These supply stops usually have a small round or oval handle that you turn clockwise two to four full turns to shut off the flow of water.

• Toilet: The shutoff valve, which typically has a ribbed oval handle, should be under the toilet tank.
• Sink: These shutoffs usually sit just beneath the sink, within the cabinet or vanity if you have one. The hot water valve is usually on the left and the cold water valve on the right.
• Dishwasher: Look first under the kitchen sink to locate a reducer coupling and shutoff valve on the 1/2-inch hot-water sink-supply line. If it’s not there, check your basement for it between the ceiling joists just below the dishwasher.
• Washing machine: You’ll find the hot and cold shutoff valves where the house-supply lines meet the washer hoses. Make it a practice to always close the valves when leaving home for an extended period.

Repair Water Damage … For Good

Once you’ve stopped the flow of water, clean up any standing water in your kitchen, bathroom, basement or laundry room. This will help prevent slips and falls, reduce the chances of water damage to home and furnishings, and minimize the odds of mold growth.

After you’ve done basic cleanup, you need to dry your home and repair any damage. It’s essential that your home be dried out within about 48 hours, because after that mold may grow on damp wood, paper and particle board.

An experienced disaster remediation company like SERVPRO of Glastonbury/Wethersfield has the resources and expertise to get to your home fast, stop the leak and completely clean up the damage, restoring your home to its before-disaster condition.

Preventing Leaks with Monitoring

The best way to deal with a leak or flood is to prevent one in the first place. And one way you can do that is to use a detector or alarm to monitor for and catch leaks as they start. Some devices even shut off water to your appliance if they detect a leak.

Electronic leak detectors use wireless water sensors to detect water leaking from an appliance onto your floor. They either sound an alarm (battery-operated models) or can be wired to an automatic shutoff valve (on your main water line or at individual shutoffs). Some versions can be wired into a centrally monitored alarm system or automatically call you by phone when the alarm sounds.

With a battery-powered water leak alarm, you place the sensor on the floor next to plumbing fixtures and appliances, like washing machines and water heaters. You can also set a sensor on your basement floor to detect and warn you if water is seeping in from outside or if your sump pump has stopped working. Water leak detectors are effective only if you hear the alarm and turn off the water.

Another option is a single-point leak detection and automatic shutoff system. Plug this type of water leak detector into an electrical outlet and place its sensor on the floor. An electric shutoff valve turns off the water to your appliance or entire home when leaks are detected.

Finally, a water flow sensor can be installed on a home's main water line and programmed to allow normal water flow. If water flow exceeds a specified amount, a valve will close to stop the flow of water.

Preventing Leaks in the Kitchen

Garbage Disposal

Check the drain connections where the dishwasher discharge connects to the disposal, or where the disposal discharge runs to the sink drain. Inspect and tighten the connections or replace the gaskets if they show signs of leaking. A garbage disposer that has a foul smell should be cleaned.

Dishwasher

Watch and listen to the dishwasher in action. A dishwasher that fills slowly may have a problem with the water supply hose or the shutoff valve that controls it. If the dishwasher is slow to drain, or if water remains in the bottom of the dishwasher after the cycle is over, inspect the water discharge hose for clogs or pinching.

If the drain hose cracks or tears or connections become loose, the dishwasher may lose water onto the floor before it exits through the end of the line. Remove the kickplate below the dishwasher door, run the dishwasher and look under the machine for water leaks at the hose clamps or along the hose. Tighten any loose fittings or install a replacement hose.

Refrigerator

Check the water supply hose for signs of wear and replace it if you see any damage.

Replace the filter on a refrigerator that has a water dispenser and ice maker twice each year. A clogged filter can block water flow and lead to a leak.

Sink Drains

A kitchen sink strainer is a common place for leaks to start. Observe the strainer area and the P-trap as water in the sink drains out. You may see that you need to tighten the P-trap fittings, or replace the strainer basket if it begins to leak or is corroded. A sink that drains too slowly may have a clog building in the P-trap or branch drain, in which case you should disassemble and clean these fittings.

Periodically, you should clean the kitchen sink drain by running a mild homemade drain cleaner through it to break up the usual buildup in the drain and keep the water flowing.

Faucets

A leaky kitchen faucet is the single most common plumbing repair. It may seem minor and just an annoyance, but a dripping faucet can quietly cost you hundreds of gallons of water each year. Watch your faucet carefully as you operate the lever, and repair the faucet if it requires it.

Preventing Leaks in the Bathroom

Bathroom Faucets

Check your sink, tub and shower faucets regularly for leaks, and if you spot any drips, replace worn washers or cartridges.

If you turn on the faucet and spot a drop in water pressure or an uneven pattern of spray, that may be a sign that calcium is building up on the aerator. Remove the aerator and soak it in vinegar or clean it manually.

Act fast and call a plumbing expert if you notice signs of water damage in the room below the tub and shower supply lines. Hidden behind walls, a leak here can cause major damage without you knowing it.

Bathroom Drains

Periodically, you should disassemble traps in the tub, shower and sink drains and remove hair and debris clogs rather than waiting for these to become full blockages. At the same time, you can also snake out the branch drains to remove clogs.

Toilets

Start by removing the tank lid on the toilet and watch what happens as you flush it. A toilet that continues to run rather than shutting off at the end of the flush cycle is wasting a lot of water. Fixing a running toilet is often easy—it may be as simple as replacing an old, brittle flapper.

If your toilet rocks slightly when you sit on it, or if you notice water seeping around its base, the wax ring that seals the toilet base to the drain opening may need to be replaced before it leaks.

Caulking Around Bathroom Fixtures

The caulk around tubs and showers can allow water to get behind walls and under floors when it dries and cracks. Check the caulk beads along floors and walls and seal any gaps with fresh caulk. It’s a good idea to remove the old caulk every few years and apply a new bead of high-quality silicone tub-and-shower caulk.

Preventing Leaks in the Basement and Laundry Area

Water Heater

Look for leaks around the base of the water heater, which may be caused by a faulty temperature and pressure (T and P) relief valve, or a bad drain valve. Check for signs of water leaking in the cold water inlet pipe and hot water exit pipe above the water heater.

Every few years, the water heater tank should be flushed to remove sediment from the bottom of the tank, which can lead to clogs and potential leaking. You can do this yourself or hire a professional.

Washing Machine

Periodically, turn off the water supply and pull the washing machine away from the wall to do an inspection.

Check the fill hoses for signs of wear. If you see any rubber hoses that are beginning to bulge, replace them immediately—a burst hose (especially if you are away from home) can cause an expensive washing machine flood. Replace worn or even slightly damaged hoses as soon as possible.

Check for loose connections between the hoses and the valves that control them. If loose, tighten the connection of the drain hose, the water hose to the washer valves and the connections of the water hoses to the inlets. Also, test the valves themselves and replace them if they do not completely stop the flow of water when shut off.

An unbalanced machine can make the entire appliance shake while it spins and agitates, causing water to spill out onto your laundry room floor. Adjust your washing machine pedestal, level the floor or re-level the machine itself to restore balance.

If you see water escaping during the spin cycle, but the machine is level, inspect the hoses for other signs of clogs, loose connectors or other damage. A clogged drain hose will send water overflowing onto your laundry room floor. Clear the clog by softening it with hot water and fishing it out with a straightened wire hanger.

Sump Pump

If your home has a basement with a sump pit and pump, check periodically to make sure it is operating properly. Do this by filling the sump pit with water manually and making sure the pump activates and pumps out the water.

Consider investing in an emergency backup battery system for your sump pump so that it will still operate during power failures, and will sound an alarm when maintenance is needed or a battery problem is detected.

We’re Here to Help

If you do suffer damage from a toilet leak, sink overflow, washing machine flood or water heater leak, you’ll need to act fast. Step one is to call an experienced water damage remediation company, such as SERVPRO of Glastonbury/Wethersfield. We’re here to help when you have property and structure damage from a water disaster—and we’ll get the job done quickly and completely!

When you have suffered a water or other disaster at your home or business, call SERVPRO of Glastonbury/Wethersfield today at 860.633.8791

SERVPRO of Glastonbury/Wethersfield
1408 Neipsic Road, Glastonbury, CT 06033

IICRC Certified
Noemi Garcia
Certified SERVPRO technicians
Call 860.633.8791 
24-hour emergency service

When you have suffered a water or other disaster at your home or business, call SERVPRO of Glastonbury/Wethersfield today at 860.633.8791