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Which Appliances Are Most Likely to Cause Water Damage?

There are numerous reasons a water damage restoration services company in Richmond might be called in to help with flood cleanup – and appliances are often the culprit.  A lot of the major appliances in our homes utilize, or store, large amounts of water.  If they break down, you could have a major flood on your hands in a very short amount of time.

Likewise, if you want to avoid home flooding, one good step is to make sure that you keep all of the following appliances in good condition.  Don’t ignore maintenance issues; a breakdown could end up costing you far more than just buying a new appliance.

The Four Appliances Most Likely to Cause Water Damage

  1. Tank-based hot water heaters

This one is a no brainer, but still worth remembering.  If your water heater uses a tank, then it’s storing many gallons of water at once.  If it ever develops a hole, it will quickly flood your basement or whichever room it’s stored in.  Be sure to have it serviced at least once a year!

Or consider a tankless water heater, which will cause far less damage if broken.

  1. Clothes washing machines

After hot water heaters, clothes washers generally utilize the most water among common household appliances.  They often have large dedicated water lines coming from the mainline, so any crack or leak will quickly cause a lot of water damage.  Plus, if the washing drum itself breaks, water could go everywhere.

  1. Refrigerators

Your refrigerator uses quite a bit of water, plus it naturally contains plenty of water in the icebox and other frozen areas.  Refrigerators rarely cause catastrophic water damage all at once, though.  The bigger threat is that it develops a leak on the underside, or in the rear, which could potentially go weeks or months without being detected.

Look behind your fridge from time to time, just to be safe (you’ll probably find that fork you’re missing).

  1. Dishwashers

Like clothes washers, dishwashers also go through a lot of water, although not quite as much.  The same basic issues apply, though.  Any sort of leak in either the intake or drainage hoses can cause some significant flooding or other damage.  Keep an eye out!

Malkin Cleaners is one of the most trusted water damage restoration services in Richmond and has been since 1923!  If your home becomes flooded, call us to see it properly cleaned!