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Appliance Leak: What to Do First

Appliance leaks are among the most common causes of water damage in a home, and they are easy to miss because the appliance usually sits against a wall, out of sight. A washing machine supply hose, a dishwasher connection, or a refrigerator water line can leak slowly for weeks before anyone notices, and by then the floor underneath and the wall behind it may already be soaked. A sudden failure is different: a hose that lets go can release a large amount of water in minutes.

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This guide covers the first steps for the three appliances that leak most often: the washing machine, the dishwasher and the refrigerator. It covers shutting off the water if it is safe to do so, moving belongings away from the water, and when to call a professional. The steps are the same in outline for all three, and the differences are in where the water comes from and where it goes. None of this is a repair guide for the appliance itself, which is a job for a qualified person.

Washing machine leaks

A washing machine can leak from its supply hoses, its drain hose, or the machine itself. Supply hoses are the most common cause, because they sit under constant pressure and wear out over time, and a hose that fails can release water quickly while the machine is running. The first step is to shut off the water to the machine, usually with the valves behind it, if you can reach them from a dry place. If the machine is running, stop the cycle first from dry ground, then shut off the water.

Water from a washing machine spreads fast across a laundry room floor and into nearby rooms, and it can soak into flooring and baseboards before you notice it. Move laundry, rugs and anything sitting on the floor away from the water, and mop up only small amounts of clean water on dry ground. Do not touch the machine or its cord if there is standing water around it, and do not try to move a full washing machine yourself. The emergency water removal page covers what happens when the water is more than a mop can handle.

Dishwasher leaks

A dishwasher usually leaks from its water supply connection, its drain connection, or the door seal, and the water often appears on the kitchen floor in front of the machine before you realise where it came from. Because the dishwasher sits under a counter, the leak can also run backwards underneath the cabinets, soaking the floor and the base of the cabinets where you cannot see it. The first step is the same as for any appliance: shut off the water to the dishwasher if you can reach the valve from a dry place, and stop the cycle if it is running.

Do not open the dishwasher door to check inside while it is leaking, and do not pull the machine out from under the counter yourself. The water may have soaked the floor underneath, and the machine may be heavier and more awkward than it looks. Note where the water appears and whether it appears during the wash cycle, the drain cycle, or all the time, because that helps the professional who comes to look. Move rugs and anything on the floor away from the water, and keep children and pets out of the wet area.

Appliance Leak: What to Do First — Florida water damage guide

Refrigerator leaks

A refrigerator with a water dispenser or an ice maker has a small supply line running to it, and that line can leak where it connects to the fridge or to the water supply. The leak is often slow and easy to miss, because the line runs behind the fridge, and the water can pool under the appliance or run across the kitchen floor before anyone notices. A blocked defrost drain inside the fridge can also send water onto the floor, usually in a slow trickle that appears and disappears. The first step is to shut off the water to the fridge if you can reach the valve from a dry place.

Do not pull the refrigerator out to look behind it if the floor is wet, and do not touch the cord or the outlet if there is standing water nearby. Note whether the water appears near the front or the back of the fridge, and whether it is constant or intermittent, because that helps the professional narrow down the cause. Move anything on the floor away from the water, and wipe up only small amounts of clean water on dry ground. If the water has reached walls or flooring in nearby rooms, the water damage restoration page explains what a visit covers.

When to call a professional

Call a professional when the leak is more than a small puddle, when water has reached walls, flooring or nearby rooms, when you cannot find the shut-off valve, or when the same appliance has leaked before. Call sooner when the water has been leaking for a while, because a slow leak can do as much damage as a sudden one, and the damage is often hidden under the floor or behind the wall. A professional visit starts with an inspection, then water removal and drying, and the professional will explain what was found before starting work.

While you wait, take photographs of the water and the appliance from safe, dry positions, and note when you first saw the water and what the appliance was doing at the time. Do not run the appliance again to see if it leaks, and do not try to repair the supply line yourself beyond shutting off the water. In Naples and across Collier County, the water damage restoration in Naples page is the local starting point for the same statewide help described here.

Preventing the next appliance leak

Appliance leaks are often preventable, or at least foreseeable, and a few simple habits can reduce the chance of the next one. Look behind the washing machine every few months, and check the supply hoses for bulging, cracking or damp at the connections, because a hose that is wearing out usually shows it before it fails. Look under the kitchen sink and around the dishwasher for damp patches or discoloration, and look behind the refrigerator for water on the floor or damp on the wall. None of these checks requires technical knowledge, and none of them takes more than a few minutes, but together they give an early warning that a leak is coming.

It also helps to know where the shut-off valves for each appliance are before you need them, and to check that they turn. A valve that has not been touched in years can be stiff, and finding that out during a leak is the worst time to discover it. Supply hoses that are old or that show signs of wear should be looked at by a qualified person, and a hose that is bulging or cracked should not be left in place in the hope that it holds a little longer. The cost of a new hose is small compared with the repair that follows a hose that fails while no one is at home.

A regular look at the appliances themselves is worth building into the routine of the house, in the same way as checking the smoke alarm or cleaning the gutters. Run the washing machine and the dishwasher and watch for water where it should not be, and note any change in how the appliances sound or behave. A machine that vibrates more than it did, a dishwasher that leaves water on the floor, or a refrigerator that drips are all worth a look rather than a wait, because a small leak found early is a small job, and the same leak found late is a larger one.

Key Takeaways

A washing machine can leak from its supply hoses, its drain hose, or the machine itself.
A dishwasher usually leaks from its water supply connection, its drain connection, or the door seal, and the water often appears on the kitchen floor in front of the machine before you realise where it came from.
A refrigerator with a water dispenser or an ice maker has a small supply line running to it, and that line can leak where it connects to the fridge or to the water supply.
Call a professional when the leak is more than a small puddle, when water has reached walls, flooring or nearby rooms, when you cannot find the shut-off valve, or when the same appliance has leaked before.
Appliance leaks are often preventable, or at least foreseeable, and a few simple habits can reduce the chance of the next one.

Your Next Step

If this guide matches what you found at home, the next step is a visit — not a guess. Call and describe what you found, and the visit is arranged from what you describe. The Water Damage Restoration page explains what that service covers, and the water damage restoration page explains how the full job is put together when more than one room is affected.

Do not step into standing water where electrics may be involved, and if water is still coming in, turn off the main water supply for the home where you can reach it safely.

Keep the guides on this site bookmarked: the first guide, the signs guide, and the preparation guide cover the checks worth repeating — after moving in, and after a storm or heavy rain.

Water damage help is available across Florida. See water damage restoration in Broken Sound, FL for one local example, or find your town on the service areas page.