Why does the floor look fine when the damage is underneath?
Water from an appliance can run under the floor covering and into the subfloor, where it cannot be seen. Vinyl and laminate can look dry while the layer beneath them is still wet, so the crew reads the floor from underneath where it can.
Cabinets that sit on a damp floor can swell at the base, and the toe-kick is often the first sign. Water can also travel along the joists under a kitchen or laundry floor and show in a room that is not beside the appliance.
The readings are taken on the floor and in the framing and the crew decides where to open the floor or the cabinet base. A small opening is kept only where the readings require it.
Will the cabinets have to be replaced?
Not always. Cabinets that have taken up water at the base may be dried in place if the wet area is small and the readings allow it. Cabinets that have swelled, delaminated or stayed wet for a long time are often removed and replaced by the trade that installs them.
The crew checks the cabinet base and the box for swelling and for mold on the back panels. It records what it found and tells you whether the cabinet can be kept.
Replacing or refitting cabinets is carpentry and kitchen work. The crew will tell you what it saw so the trade can plan the work.
Should I run the appliance again to check it?
No. Do not run the appliance until a trade has checked the hose, the valve or the line that failed, because a second leak can start the same way. Keep the supply valve off until the repair is done.
Some appliance leaks are caused by a worn hose that has been replaced. The replacement hose should be inspected at the same time as the valve and the drain, so that the next leak does not come from the same route.
The crew records the failed part where it can see it and tells you what to ask the repair trade to check.
Who pays for the damage from an appliance leak?
That depends on the appliance's warranty, the policy and the cause of the leak, and the decision belongs to the warranty holder and to the insurer. This company does not decide who pays, and it provides the records an insurer will ask for.
Some appliances are covered by a manufacturer warranty for the part that failed, but the water damage to the building is a different matter. Check the warranty wording and your policy, and keep the appliance and its receipt.
Photograph the appliance, its hose and the water line before anything is moved, and keep the readings and the drying log for the insurer.
How is the price of an appliance leak job decided?
The scope follows the area of wet floor, the materials that must be removed and the amount of drying needed. No figure is given over the phone, and the price is explained and approved on site before any equipment runs.
A leak that reached only the floor in front of a washer is a smaller scope than one that ran under a row of cabinets and into the next room. The crew explains what it expects to remove and what the drying will cover.
The repair of the appliance or its hose is a separate cost, priced by the trade that does it. The drying scope is approved by you before the equipment is set up.
