Water damage from a leaking appliance can require a messy cleanup or, in the worst cases, costly flooring replacements. How can you prevent water damage from appliances? Flood Buzz leak alarms sense the smallest leaks, alerting you with a loud alarm that can prevent extensive damage. Learn more about the Flood Buzz water leak detector and how it saves kitchen and laundry room flooring.
Flood Buzz Leak Alarms:
The Easy Way to Prevent Water Damage from Appliances
Appliances that utilize water are prone to leaking from a variety of sources. Oftentimes, these leaks go undetected, only becoming evident after extensive floor damage. We’ll detail how this damage affects different flooring and how Flood Buzz leak alarms can prevent water damage from appliances. But, first, here are some common sources of leaks in the appliances we use every day.
Image from Flood Buzz
What Appliances Can Leak Water?
While some appliance leaks are immediately evident with large outputs of water, others involve slow drips that aren’t discovered right away. The type of appliance and the source of the leak can both play a role in their cause and the extent of their damage.
Here’s how these common appliances can develop leaks:
- Refrigerators/freezers: A frozen or clogged defrost drain or damaged door gasket are common reasons for a refrigerator leaking water. Both situations lead to a buildup of condensation that creates leaks underneath the unit.
- Ice machines: Ice machine leaks commonly occur if the hose or water line isn’t properly connected. These leaks can occur inside the machine, as well as behind the unit, near the water supply connection.
- Dishwashers: A dishwasher leaking water is often due to a damaged or improperly connected hose or valve. Common leak sites include the drain hose and valve at the sink drain or disposal, behind a kitchen cabinet. Others are found where the hose connects to the drain pump, leading to flooring damage underneath the dishwasher.
- Washing Machines: The drain and water inlet hoses on most washing machines aren’t meant to last forever. Many develop cracks and holes after about 5 years of consistent use. When this happens, you’ll often find the washing machine leaking water from underneath or behind the unit. The valves that connect the hoses to the washer, standpipe or sink can also be a source of leaks if they crack or rust.
Water Damage to Kitchen & Laundry Room Floors
If leaks aren’t caught right away, they can cause extensive damage to your floors, specifically if the subflooring underneath the surface is also affected. Even after drying the floor’s surface, subsurface damage or changes to the flooring material can result in costly repair or replacements.
The following flooring surfaces can be permanently affected by water damage:
- Vinyl: While waterproof, extensive or prolonged exposure to moisture can discolor vinyl flooring, create mold or cause bulging and buckling.
- Tile: Constant moisture can damage the grout in between tiles, causing them to loosen and crack. Once cracks occur, moisture can seep into subflooring and cause additional leaks and mold.
- Laminate: Warping, cupping and cracking can all occur from laminate flooring’s continued exposure to water.
- Hardwood: Cupping is the most common form of water damage to hardwood floors. A classic sign of cupping is when the edges of the floorboards curl up, leaving the middle with a slight dip.
Benefits of Flood Buzz Leak Detector
So how can you prevent water damage from appliances? A water leak alarm like the Flood Buzz Leak Detector alerts you to leaks as soon as they start, halting extensive water damage. Simply place the Flood Buzz in common leak spots near washing machines, refrigerators or dishwashers. As soon as it detects even the smallest leak, Flood Buzz sounds a loud alarm for 24 hours. The internal battery on each Flood Buzz lasts up to 3 years, preventing costly damage to any flooring surface.
Kisumu appliance repair service not only provides professional repairs, but can help prevent water damage from appliances with Flood Buzz. We’re happy to provide a free installation after any appliance repair!