5 Steps to Preventing Your Washing Machine from Leaking

You hear a tremendous, pouring noise coming from your house. You look outside to discover it’s a lovely sunny day, and you begin to wonder what it could be. You race into the laundry room to investigate the strange sound, only to discover a pool of water seeping out of it. Your washing machine has sprung a leak. If you have a lot of clothes in your washer, these leaks might be troublesome; nevertheless, even if your clothing is unharmed, that wet floor is an inconvenience.

Stumbling across this may be quite inconvenient, but there are simple methods to avoid causing your washing machine to leak. United Water Restoration Group of Melbourne is here to offer some washing machine leak prevention techniques that you can try out.

 

1. Excess Laundry Detergent

Excess laundry detergent does not always make your garments cleaner. Too much soap in the wash will result in increased suds. These suds can seep into the overflow tubing, causing potential leaks if the residue continually builds. Additionally, water softeners contribute to residual buildup. If you have a water softener and use excess detergent, then this is a potential for a leak to occur.

If there is residue buildup in this line and the overflow tube is clogged, a leak may arise as a consequence of this overflow tube. In order to save money on detergent usage and avoid leaks, use less detergent.

Tip: You don’t have to use as much detergent as is recommended on the container. It’s better for your clothes and washer to use less rather than more. To prevent residue build-up, simply use a bit less than the amount directed.

 

2. Too Much Laundry at Once

The most typical reason washing machines leak is because there are too many items in them at once. When garments are soaked in water, they become heavier – as a result of this additional weight the clothes can knock around in the washer. This can cause hoses/connections to come loose and leak out onto the floor as a result of the machine “jumping” around due to excess weight.

While a “jumping” washer is undesirable, it may also harm the surface it rests on. Check your washer’s user guide for information on load restrictions; this is another simple preventative against a washing machine leak as long as you check it regularly.

Tip: Run the washer on a short cycle with no clothes or cleanser. If the leak stops when you do this, it’s an indication that the problem is due to an overflowing load of laundry.

3. Lint Backup

Lint is a type of fibrous debris frequently found in clothing. These debris can escape from garments in the wash and dryer. Lint will flow down the drain in the washing machine, potentially clogging the pipes. Consider how hair builds up in your bathtub. The tub will eventually back up, draining slower than usual. This is comparable to how lint build-up affects the washer’s drainage rate: it can drain slower or not at all.

Some machines are unable to keep a good regulation on the outflow, resulting in a possible drip at the hose connection. You may buy a lint trap that goes into the hose and captures debris as they flow out. This might be swapped every month, saving you from dealing with a huge water catastrophe.

Some washers include lint traps. They’re positioned in top-loading machines, where you pour the softener. The trap is revealed by lifting the upper middle section. This should be cleaned regularly to prevent cleaning it too frequently.

Tip: A floating lint catcher for your washing machine can also collect the majority of the lint generated.

 

4. Clean the Door

If you have a front-loading washer, clean the door seals with vinegar regularly. Vinegar is nonabrasive and acts as a cleaning substance rather than a disinfectant. Over time, mold and mildew can accumulate in these rubber gasket seal gaps. As the seals deteriorate over time, water may leak onto the ground outside the loading door.

 

5. Connections and Hoses

Make sure there are no cracks in the washing machine outlet. The water can seep out of the hose and leak into the wall or onto the floor if there is a fracture located near the outlet. Examine your water-filling connections, which go into both the wall and the machine. Leaks here will cause water to flow across the floor, damaging the surrounding environment. Finally, if you haven’t changed your hoses in a long time, get some braided nylon hoses, copper, or stainless steel variants.

If a connection or hose breaks, all of the water in the machine will spill out on the floor. This is why it’s critical to maintain your washing machine. A leak like this would result in a significant amount of water damage to the area that must be professionally removed.

Tip: Connection hoses last around the same lifespan as your washing machine, which is around 8-10 years.

 

If My Washing Machine Leaks, Where Do I Go?

It is critical to properly care for your washing machine to prevent it from leaking. If a leak occurs, the pool of water might cause water damage. Attempt to only use your washer when you’re at home. There’s no way to stop water from leaking out once you leave home if a leak happens.

Washing machine leak detectors with automatic shut-off systems are available. These can help you maintain a steady water flow if something goes wrong with it. So if anything goes awry then the system will cease the water flow. Washing machines have an average lifespan of eight to ten years. We recommend closely monitoring your machine for failure around the time it is expected to reach these time frames.

Leaks can happen, resulting in water damage to your house. If a leak forms, we are here to assist you with the cleanup, returning your home to normal. Water damage can be unpredictable; nevertheless, there are techniques to avoid it from happening. Give our water damage professionals a call at (321) 348-4639 if your washing machine leaks so that we may inspect the area for possible damage.

Check out our related blog on the fire hazards of dryer lint accumulation!