Oh the Damage a Dishwasher Can Do

THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2017

Dishwashers are great, but also encompass great water damage potential. Imagine a dishwasher breaking down while working, all full of water. The amount of water flowing would be overwhelming, especially since in most cases the water keeps flowing as the dishwasher doesn't stop the water flow.

While in most cases a dishwasher failing causes only a small water flood, in more complex cases the damage goes far beyond just blotting the water. In rare cases, that dishwasher breaking will set you back a few thousand dollars, even if your insurance covers everything and you just need to pay the deductible (and some extras, because the insurance won't pay for everything).

The Worst Case Scenario of Dishwasher Water Damage

You're getting ready for work. You put all the dishes in the dishwasher, hit the start button, pick up your keys from the counter, and you and the kids are out the door off to another regular day. Or at least the beginning of a regular day. With the workday behind you, you go home to get the house prepared for another afternoon of fun & kids. You open the door, walk to the kitchen, and see a big puddle of water next to the dishwasher. Uh oh. Bad sign #1.

You check the dishwasher, and see it's off now. The water isn't running anymore. But the water traveled around the kitchen. And all the way to the basement stairs. You walk over, only to see the water spilled down the stairs. How long has the water been standing there? And how are you going to handle the water now?

Steps of Water Damage Restoration

If you have water damage, either from a dishwasher or other water sources (leaky pipes, for example) the remediation process is quite similar - stop the water flow, call the experts, get the water out, dry the area and fix the damage.

The sooner you find out about the water leaks, the easier it is to restore your property and clean up the mess. If your dishwasher just broke, and you closed the water immediately, you may not have even suffered from minor water damage yet. But if your water heater broke sometime last night, and you only just found out - your water heater just caused a lot of water damage. Same goes for the case mentioned above - as one of our customers found out.

Dishwasher Breakage Taking Down the House. Almost.

The dishwasher leaked all the way to the basement. The basement ceiling got wet, the kitchen floor got soaked, and the basement's carpets got drenched as well. Getting the water out was not a simple task, but we got it done. We used professional water extraction machines to get all the excess water out of the kitchen and basement. After we got rid of the water, we started the drying process - removing all items that touched the water and drying them, placing air movers and dehumidifiers to dry the floors and ceiling and eventually fixing the parts of the drywall that got wet as well.

The drywall replacement was done to prevent mold growth within the drywall. Last, we did a full inspection of the property to make sure no mold growth was detected, and potential places for mold were handled properly.

It wasn't a simple job, but we had it done in 10 days. It was more than we thought it would take, but the water from that dishwasher went as far as it could and caused big damage. Never underestimate the power of water, especially when it comes to water damage and your home.

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