Appliance and Water Heater Leaks in Cartersville, GA

Four slips around a leaking machine

• Reaching behind a plugged-in machine on a wet floor. CDC says never to use electric tools or appliances while standing in water.

• Photographing after the cleanup. The Georgia insurance commissioner's office says to photograph or video damage before temporary repairs.

• Letting a slow weep go. A drip pan under the machine is what UGA Extension's checklist suggests where a leak could do damage.

• Judging a cabinet floor dry by eye. A damp cabinet base can look dry, and EPA's 24-to-48-hour drying window and 60 percent humidity line are measured, not eyeballed.

Around Cartersville

• UGA Extension's home checklist asks owners to look over washing machine supply lines and the water heater for leaks, and to put a drip pan where a leak could do damage.

• Inside the house the valve behind the machine, or the main cutoff, is the first move. Outside, Bartow County's water department takes water and sewer service problems at (770) 387-5170.

• FEMA's claim checklist asks for a description of the damage, photos or video, the damaged items written down, and receipts. The Georgia insurance commissioner's office says to photograph or video damage before temporary repairs.

On the visit itself

1. Call (678) 288-4775, say which machine leaked and whether the valve is shut, and the contractor can arrange a visit.

2. A check that the supply to the machine is off and the water has stopped.

3. A trace of where the water went: under flooring, into a wall, through to the room below.

4. Readings from the cabinet base, the floor and the wall at the machine's back.

5. A plan for drying, with a view on which flooring and cabinet bases can be kept.

6. A talk about the machine itself, and whether a plumber or an appliance repair comes first.

Which valve first

1. Is the machine's own shutoff within reach from dry ground?

   Turn it off. If the floor around it is wet, stay back and phone the utility on your bill.

2. Is it a water heater?

   Look at its age, its base and the drain pan, and mention them on the call. A gas smell is a stop-now item.

3. Did the water reach the room below?

   Photograph the ceiling there, with the date.

4. Is the hose or fitting still dripping?

   A plumber or an appliance repair owns that.

5. Is the cabinet base or floor swelling?

   Say so. Swollen material suggests the water has been there a while.

Parts near a leaking machine

• Vinyl, tile and laminateThe pages give no rule; the contractor reads the seams and the subfloor
• Cabinet basesThe pages give no rule for cabinets; the contractor judges how long they sat wet
• Drywall behind the machineCDC lists drywall with the throw-away items after floodwater; a clean-water appliance leak is a case the contractor judges
• The machine itselfAn appliance repair or a plumber decides

If the water went farther

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  Stained, dripping or bulging ceilingsWhen the stain shows in the room below

• 

  Split pipes and supply-line floodsWhen the failure was in the pipe and not the machine

• 

  Standing water and soaked carpetWhen the puddle reached carpet