Water Damage & Flooded Basement Restoration Services

Preventing Clothes Washer Leaks

By the RestorationSOS Educational Staff

Of all the appliances in your home, the clothes washer probably gets the most mileage during any given week, rivaled only by the dishwasher. Clothes washer components, connections, and hoses get a lot of use and, as a result, tend to wear out over time. When hoses, connections or seals fail, there is almost always going to be some form of a leak in progress, a leak that if not caught in time may cause water damage to your flooring and walls.

How Washing Machine Leaks Happen

Water pressure may build up in the inlet hoses if the water is left on, causing the hoses to leak or burst. Since most of us do not wish to go through the hassle of shutting off the water supply after every laundry load, there are some more effective prevention methods designed to head off water damage as a result of a malfunctioning clothes washer.

Ways to Stop Washers from Leaking

For starters, make sure you have a good washer floor tray, the big piece that the unit sits in. This is designed to catch drips and leaks and is an inexpensive method for keeping your flooring dry and safe from a leaky machine. A good floor tray can be had for around $20.

Replace any worn out water supply hoses. These hoses become brittle over time and may burst at the worst possible moment. If your hoses are looking frayed, replace them either with flexible plastic tubing or better yet, steel braided tubing which costs a little more, but is virtually indestructible. Auto shutoff connector hoses are the newest innovation and are designed to shut off the water flow if excess water is detected.

Install single lever shutoff valves that control both hot and cold water at the same time. This is a low cost solution that is available at any hardware store. Other devices include an automatic water leak detection device that prevents flooding by shutting off the water flow if any leak is detected, much like the auto shutoff hoses listed earlier. Some come with an alarm system designed to alert the homeowner who may not be aware of a leak.

There is also the option of the Intelligent Valve which allows water to flow freely when it senses that the unit is in operation and stops the flow of water when the machine is turned off. It also stops water from flowing if irregular flow or a leak is detected. These are easy to hook up and are available for under $200.

Of course, making sure the washer is not overly full can always help prevent water damage problems stemming from the clothes washer.

Recommended Reading:
Prevent Water Damage in the Laundry Room

Learn More about Preventing Washing Machine Leaks in this Video: