Why an appliance leak stays hidden
The volume is small and the time is long, and the cabinet hides the rest.
A hose that drips at a few drops a minute releases several gallons a day, and that water never reaches the floor in one place. It runs down the back of the cabinet, soaks the base and spreads along the subfloor. By the time a stain shows on the floor covering, the material beneath has been wet for a long time.
For that reason the first look at the room should include the cabinet and the wall behind the appliance, not only the floor in front of it.
A checklist for the first hour
A short checklist keeps the room safe and the evidence intact.
- Turn off the water supply at the appliance valve or at the main, and unplug the appliance.
- Photograph the hose, the valve and the wet area before anything is moved.
- Set aside the failed hose or clamp, and keep it in a bag. The crew and the appliance technician will want to see it.
- Move rugs, cardboard and shelving away from the wet floor and out of the cabinet space.
- Note the make and model of the appliance and the date of the last hose change, if it is known.
- Do not run the appliance or the sink while the cabinet is still wet.
Cabinets: what is kept and what is replaced
A cabinet is read at its back, its toe-kick and its shelves, and each part decides the outcome.
Particleboard and some engineered wood swell and crumble when they stay wet, and a cabinet of that kind is usually replaced at its base. Solid wood and plywood often dry to usable shape if the water was removed promptly. Hardware, hinges and drawer slides are kept where they still work after drying, and the countertop is lifted only where it is needed to reach the base.
The decision is made with readings in hand, and the homeowner is shown the readings and the reasons for keeping or replacing each part. Matching a cabinet later can be difficult, so the door style and the finish are recorded before anything is removed.
Floors laid over a subfloor
Vinyl, laminate and tile react differently to water that reaches the subfloor beneath them.
Vinyl sheet and tile resist the surface water but not the moisture under them, and the seam is where the water comes through. Floating laminate swells at its edges when the water reaches the joints, and the swollen board does not return to flat. Ceramic tile can be kept if the grout and the mortar bed are dry, and the subfloor under it is read from the room below or through a small test opening.
Where the subfloor is plywood, the readings check its edges at the seams and its center. A subfloor that dries to the readings of the room beside it is kept, and the floor covering is refastened or replaced in the affected rows.
Preventing the next leak
The cheapest repair is the one done before the next hose fails.
Supply hoses that are rubber or plastic age and crack at their crimps, and braided stainless hoses are a common replacement for them. The appliance manual lists the supply pressure and the hose type, and it is worth checking both when the hose is changed. A drain standpipe that is too low or too high can let water back out of the drain, so its height is checked during the repair.
A simple habit helps as well: a homeowner who runs the laundry while away, or who starts the dishwasher and goes out, should check the room afterwards and look at the cabinet base once a month.
