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You hear a loud, liquid sound emanating from your home. You check the weather outside to see that it’s a bright, sunny day. Realizing the source of the noise is your washing machine, you sprint over to inspect it. Your washing machine has sprung a leak. If you have a lot of clothes in there, these leaks can be dangerous; but even if your clothing is safe, that wet floor is an annoyance.
Stumbling on this may be quite inconvenient, but there are easy ways to avoid having your washing machine leak. United Water Restoration Group of Jacksonville has some washing machine leak prevention strategies to share with you that can help stop the problem before it begins.
Too much laundry detergent may not always make your clothes cleaner. Too much soap in the wash will result in increased suds. If too much soap is placed in the washing machine, then the excess suds can leak into the overflow tube. This soap residue can build up and cause a clog in the overflowing canal. Water-softeners, on the other hand, can increase the amount of suds produced, which can contribute to this soap residue buildup.
If there is continual residue buildup in this line, the overflow tube has a chance of leaking as a result of this accumulation. Save money by utilizing less detergent and avoiding leaks while washing your overflow tube.
Tip: You don’t have to use as much detergent as the directions on your container recommend. It’s optimal for your wash if you use less than the amount specified. This can also save you some money with extra loads!
The most common cause of leaks is when you put too many garments into the wash. When wet, clothes become heavier as a result of the clothes being saturated by the water. This means the machine’s hoses/connections might come loose and leak onto the floor as a result of it “jumping” about while washing.
While a “jumping” washer is clearly terrible and prone to leak, it may also harm the flooring underneath it. We recommend consulting your washing machine’s user guide for information on permissible loads. This is yet another simple method to avoid a washing machine leak if you check it regularly.
Tip: Run the washer on a short cycle with no clothes or detergent to see if it stops. If the leak stops during this process, it indicates that an overflow of laundry is causing the problem.
Lint, the byproduct of washing clothes, can be the cause of your hoses being backed up. Lint comes off of everything when it goes through the wash and dryer. Lint can flow down the drain, occasionally causing a backup. Consider how hair builds up in your bathtub. The tub will eventually back up and drain slower than usual. This is comparable to how lint accumulation causes a washer to drain either slower or not at all.
Some machines are unable to properly control the outflow, resulting in a leak from this clogged hose. A lint trap may be installed into the hose and used to collect debris as it flows out. This should be cleaned monthly, saving you time and money in the event of a huge water shortage.
Some washers include lint traps. Lint traps may be found in top-loading washing machines, where you add the softener. The trap is exposed by pulling up the top middle section. This should also be cleaned regularly.
Tip: Investing in a floating lint collector for your washing machine may capture the majority of the lint generated.
Vinegar can be used to clean the door gaskets on a front-load washer. Vinegar isn’t abrasive like most cleaners, so it’s good for cleaning tough stains and marks out of rubber door seals. Mold and mildew can grow in these rubber gasket seals over time, causing them to crack. When the seals break, this will cause the water in the washing machine to slowly drip onto the floor.
The first step is to ensure that there are no cracks in the washing machine outlet. A fissure here will allow water to seep out of the hose, leaking into the wall or onto the floor below. Examine your water-filling connections – those that go from the washer to the wall. Water leaking into this area will flow down to the floor, causing harm to the area. Finally, if you haven’t changed your hoses in a long time, a stainless steel or copper braided hose might be an option for you. These are stronger, with leak-resistant designs.
If a connection or hose fails, all of the machine’s water will be released onto the floor. This is why it’s critical to maintain your washing machine regularly. A leak like this can result in serious damage to the area and must be professionally extracted.
Tip: Washing machines generally last between 8-10 years, making the connections and hoses last around this time.
It’s critical to keep your washer in good working order to avoid causing a washing machine leak. If a leak occurs, the pool of water might cause water damage to your home. Remember to only use your washing machine while home to help prevent this. This way you can monitor the washer if anything begins to leak. There is no way to stop water from pouring out if a leak forms while you’re away from home.
There are washing machine leak detectors with automatic shut-off features. If something goes wrong, these might be beneficial in controlling the in/outflow of water. Washing machines have an average lifespan of 8 to 10 years. We recommend closely monitoring your machine for possible failure as it gets older.
Leaks can happen, which might result in water damage to your property. If this happens, we are here to come to your aid and assist you in mitigating the spillage – restoring the home to new condition. Water damage is difficult to predict, but there are methods to avoid it from happening. Call (904) 469-1606 if your washing machine leaks, causing water damage for us to come and remediate the incident.
Also, read our blog on the fire hazards of dryer lint accumulation!
