Upstairs Washing Machine Floods

Standard rubber supply hoses sit under constant water pressure, even when the washer is off. Heat, age and kinks weaken them. Over a few years the rubber cracks or the hose bulges near the fittings, and one day it bursts. A burst hose can release several gallons a minute until someone shuts the water off.

On a ground floor, water spreads across tile and into nearby rooms. Upstairs, it soaks the carpet or flooring, runs through the subfloor, soaks the insulation and ceiling drywall below and comes through lights and seams. One burst hose can mean drying two floors and replacing a ceiling.

Replace rubber hoses with braided stainless steel hoses. They resist bursting much better. Even so, replace them every five years or so and check the fittings when you do.

A washer drain pan under the machine with a drain line to a floor drain or the outside catches leaks from hoses, the machine itself and drain overflows. Many upstairs laundry rooms were built with a pan; if yours was not, a plumber can add one.

A single-lever shut-off valve at the wall makes turning off both hot and cold quick. Battery leak sensors on the floor sound an alarm when water appears. Automatic shut-off valves can close the supply when a sensor detects water.

The washer's drain hose can pop out of the standpipe or the standpipe can back up if the drain is partly clogged. Secure the hose and have slow drains cleared.

Turn off the washer supply valves when you leave for vacation. Do not run the washer when nobody is home. Leave a little space behind the machine so hoses are not kinked.

Turn off the washer supply valves or the main valve. Put buckets under drips downstairs and poke a small hole in a bulging ceiling over a bucket. Turn off wet light fixtures at the breaker. Photograph both floors and call for drying; see upstairs leak and ceiling damage.

A sudden hose burst is usually covered as sudden water damage. Keep the failed hose for the adjuster and photos of the damage on both floors.

Front-loading washers have door seals and drain pumps that can leak, and their drain filters can clog. Check the door seal for cracks and clean the filter as the manual suggests. A slow leak under a front-loader upstairs can soak the subfloor for weeks before a stain shows below.

Upstairs bathrooms, wet bars and refrigerators with ice makers in lofts all put water above living space. Braided supply lines and leak sensors help everywhere water runs upstairs.

A ceiling soaked by a burst hose usually needs the wet drywall and insulation removed, then two to four days of drying in the cavity before new drywall goes up.

Washer flooded the ceiling below? Shut off the valves and call (602) 878-5475.

Some two-story homes have water heaters in upstairs closets or attics. A failed tank there floods the floor and ceiling below. A drain pan with a line and a leak sensor are especially important in that setup.

Make sure everyone in the house knows where the washer valves and the main valve are. In an emergency, seconds count.

Renters with an upstairs washer should report hose bulges, drips or a slow drain to the landlord right away.

Bulges near the fittings, cracks in the rubber, drips at the valve and a hose that feels soft or swollen are all signs. Replace it right away. While you are behind the washer, check that the drain hose is secure in the standpipe and that the valves turn easily.

An upstairs washer is convenient, and with the right hoses, pan and sensor it is safe too.

This weekend, look behind the washer. If the hoses are rubber, buy braided steel replacements and install them, or ask a handyman. Check whether a drain pan is under the machine and add a leak sensor beside it.

These upgrades cost little and take less than an hour, and they protect the ceiling below. Do it before the next load of laundry.

Braided steel hoses, a drain pan, a quick shut-off and a leak sensor turn an upstairs laundry from a ceiling risk into a minor puddle.

Questions about upstairs washing machine floods? Call (602) 878-5475 to reach a local North Phoenix provider, 24 hours a day.