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How To Handle Water Damage From A Dishwasher
3/23/2021 (Permalink)
When your dishwasher leaks and causes water damage in your New Jersey home, SERVPRO of Morristown can help.
Most homeowners in New Jersey use their dishwashers every day without a problem. Unfortunately, when dishwashers leak, they can quickly flood your kitchen and cause water to soak into cabinets and underneath floors. The water damage from a dishwasher leak is serious and should be addressed as soon as it happens.
Here, we will go over what to do when your dishwasher leaks, why it’s leaking, and when insurance covers dishwasher water damage restoration.
What To Do When Your Dishwasher Causes Water Damage
1. Be Aware of Electrical Hazards
Any time an appliance leaks or there’s flooding in your home, there’s always the risk of electrical hazards. Before beginning the cleanup process, inspect your kitchen to be sure that water hasn’t affected electrical appliances or outlets. If you’re unsure if water has damaged any electrical components, turn off the power to your kitchen while you clean as a precaution.
2. Immediately Clean Up Water
This step should be completed as soon as possible to prevent water from the dishwasher from leaking under the floor, affecting the subflooring, and causing mold growth. Even though dishwashers only use an average of 6 gallons of water per load, it can still cause serious water damage, especially if you don’t take steps to immediately clean up.
To get up water, use towels, mops, and buckets. If you can, you should also pull out the dishwasher and other kitchen appliances to make sure you don’t miss water hidden underneath them.
3. Inspect Your Kitchen For Signs of Water Damage
Depending for how long and how much water leaked from your dishwasher, cleaning up afterwards isn’t as easy as just mopping up water. Water always looks for the lowest point in a structure, meaning that it will seep under floors and through ceilings until it reaches the lowest point possible in your home.
Closely inspect cabinets, molding, flooring, drywall, and underneath appliances for signs of water damage. Signs could include bubbling paint, discoloration, mold growth, or bending or bowing of flooring.
If you find signs of additional water damage, you must take steps to have it fully addressed. Depending on the extent of damages, this may include cutting into walls, pulling up flooring, removing lower cabinets, and the set up of fans and dehumidifiers to ensure everything dries out.
4. Call A Water Damage Company in New Jersey for A Damage Inspection
If you're not certain you've gotten rid of all hidden moisture after your dishwasher leaked, you should call a local water damage restoration company to perform a damage inspection.
Using advanced technology, these companies like SERVPRO of Morristown can detect and measure the levels of moisture in floors, walls, and behind cabinets. This allows them to create a drying plan to ensure all wet areas are completely restored in your Morris County home.
What Causes Dishwashers to Leak?
There are many possible causes of dishwasher water damage in NJ. With a little detective work, it’s likely that you can figure out the cause of your leak and whether or not you need to call a professional for repairs.
Faulty Dishwasher Door
If water is leaking at the front of the dishwasher, the door may be the culprit of your leak. Check the door latch of the dishwasher and make sure that it actually closes all the way. If the dishwasher opens too easily, it could be a sign of a faulty door latch that needs an easy replacement.
If the door latch isn't what’s causing the leak, it could be the door gasket. This essentially seals the dishwasher and keeps water inside of it when you close it. Open your dishwasher and inspect the seal around the door. If you notice any rips, holes, loose, or worn out sections, you should purchase a new gasket and replace it before using the dishwasher again.
Leaky Dishwasher Tub
Over time, soap and hard water can cause the bottom of your dishwasher tub to corrode and spring a leak. If this is the cause of your problem, you should call a repairman to see if the damage to your dishwasher can be fixed. If not, you'll need to purchase a new one.
Loose or Cracked Water Supply Lines and Valves
Hoses, water supply lines, or seals can become loose or deteriorate over time. If valves get stuck or break, they can also cause dishwasher flooding. You should check that all hoses, clamps, and valves are completely sealed and in the proper places. If they're damaged, these things can be easily replaced after taking a trip to the hardware store.
The Dishwasher Isn't Level
If your dishwasher wasn’t installed properly or has shifted over time, it can cause it to leak. Find a level and place it on the bottom of the machine and adjust it as needed.
Using the Wrong Detergent
Not all dishwasher soap is equal! You must use detergents or soaps designed specifically for use in dishwashers. Using regular dish soap can cause an excess amount of foam and overflow the dishwasher.
Will Homeowners Insurance Cover Water Damage From A Dishwasher?
In most cases, dishwasher leak water damage is covered by your insurance company.
So long as the damage from your dishwasher was sudden and unforeseen, meaning that it was a result of mechanical or plumbing issues, the damage should be covered. But, if your dishwasher shows signs of neglected maintenance that could've prevented the problem, your claim may end up being denied.
Filing a claim for water damage from a dishwasher is usually a good idea so that you can have a professional water damage repair company properly clean up water, prevent mold, and dry your kitchen floor, cabinets, and other areas as needed.
Need Help With Dishwasher Leak Water Damage in New Jersey? We Can Help.
As a professional water damage restoration service, SERVPRO of Morristown has the experience and resources needed to quickly restore your New Jersey home to pre-damage conditions.
Our team rapidly responds to inspect damages, create a specialized restoration plan, and get to work. Our goal is to make water damage from your dishwasher leak "Like it never even happened."
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