What to Do When Your Washing Machine Floods

7/15/2019 (Permalink)

Suppose you enter your laundry room one day to find that the floor is covered in water from your washing machine. As horrific as this hypothetical situation may be, it is important to recognize that washing machines can and most likely will flood at some point in time, so knowing how to manage the flooding is absolutely necessary. Hoses as well as seals located inside of the washing machine are usually to blame when a washing machine breaks and floods. When this occurs, flood water can spread to surrounding carpets and walls, which can easily be damaged by the water if it is not removed quickly.

Turn off the water and unplug the washer immediately after you discover that the washing machine is flooding in order to stifle the flow of water and prevent the water and electricity from reacting with one another while cleaning up. Before you begin cleaning, take any clothes that were inside of the washing machine when it began to flood out of the washer. Use towels, a mop, or a wet water vacuum depending on what you have available in order to eliminate any water. Dry the affected area using fans or dehumidifiers and if the weather is mild and dry. If carpets or drywall were destroyed by water damage during the flood, replace these items with fresh carpet and drywall. Disinfect the affected area before you return to regular use of the washing machine.

In order to ensure that you don’t discover a broken washing machine in your laundry room once more, avoid pouring too much detergent into the washing machine. Using an unnecessarily large amount of detergent for a load of laundry can result in the formation of an excessive amount of suds that can overflow and cause the washing machine to flood. If you notice any signs of corrosion on the washing machine’s hoses, be cautious when running loads of laundry until they can be replaced or repaired, as the machine can flood of the hoses break. Finally, monitor the state of the washing machine’s drain line because if the drain clogs, the risk of the machine to flood will be enhanced.