Water extraction and drying after a washer, dishwasher, refrigerator or other appliance leaks into the floor and walls.
Fastest: call (833) 490-5225. Or send this and we call you back.
Appliance leak damage is the wetting of flooring, subfloor and walls caused by a leaking washer, dishwasher, refrigerator or similar appliance. Cleanup maps the moisture under the floor before any demolition, dries the subfloor and cavity, and then reports the readings. Phones are answered 24/7, and a crew is sent as soon as one is free.
An appliance leak is easy to miss because it is quiet and it usually starts small. A hose on a washing machine splits at the crimp, a dishwasher door seal wears through, or a refrigerator's ice maker line drips behind the kitchen cabinets. The water spreads under the flooring before anyone sees a stain, and by the time the floor feels soft, the subfloor and the cabinet base have been wet for weeks.
Humid North Florida air slows the drying of those hidden materials. A floor that has taken water under a finished surface holds the moisture longer than a surface stain suggests, and the air in the house does not carry it away quickly. A plan built on the wet patch alone will leave the subfloor damp and the mold risk unaddressed.
The first step is a moisture map, not demolition. Meters and a thermal camera show where the water has travelled under the vinyl, tile, laminate or carpet, and what the readings say about the subfloor, the joists and the cabinet bases. Only then is the material opened, and only where it has to be.
Water from an appliance runs along the subfloor and under the flooring, often in the direction of the slope or the joists, and it can be far from the appliance by the time it shows. Vinyl and laminate seal the surface, so the water is held beneath them until a seam or an edge gives way.
Appliances tend to leak in small amounts over a long period. A few drops an hour can soak a subfloor over weeks without making a puddle, and the flooring stays attractive while the wood under it turns soft.
A floor that has been wet for a long time can also show a fading or a color change in the vinyl, a slight dip or a smell from the crawl space below. Any of those signs is a reason to call before the flooring fails completely.
Only the part that the readings show is wet and cannot dry in place. Some vinyl and tile can be lifted and relaid without damage, and some laminate has to be replaced once it has swollen. The moisture map decides, and the removal is kept to the wet area.
Vinyl and tile that are lifted carefully can often be reinstalled, but only if the subfloor underneath is dry and flat. Where the subfloor has swollen or the adhesive has failed, the flooring is replaced rather than patched.
Laminate swells at the edges and along the joints once it has been wet, and it rarely returns to its shape. The crew marks the laminate that has swelled, and the repair trade decides whether to replace the planks or the whole run.
Supply-line water from a washer or a refrigerator is usually clean when it starts. It can become contaminated once it sits under the floor, mixes with dirt or passes over a drain, so the category is checked on arrival. Water from a dishwasher drain may carry food residue and is handled as contaminated.
A washer that drains to a standpipe can send drain water backward when the drain is blocked. In that case the water is handled as contaminated from the start, because it is not clean supply water.
The crew's first note records the source and what it touched. That note sets the cleaning steps and the protective equipment, and it is the record that tells the repair trade what they are working with.
The size of the wet area, how long the leak ran, what the floor and cabinets are made of, and how much access is needed decide the scope. The price is explained and approved on site before any work starts, and changes are explained before they are made.
A leak caught on the first day can often be dried with a small area of flooring lifted. A leak that ran for weeks can reach the cabinet bases, the adjoining rooms and the joists, and the scope grows with it.
Kitchens and laundry rooms are often fitted with cabinets, appliance plinths and tile over a subfloor, and each layer takes time to open and dry. The crew explains those layers during the moisture map, so you know what the work covers before it begins.
No. Running a leaking appliance wets the floor again and undoes the drying. Keep the appliance off, and let the appliance technician confirm the fault before the machine is used.
Some households move a washer into the garage or onto a drain pan while the floor dries. That is a sensible step if the drain is secure and the water is shut off. The crew can advise where a temporary setup will not add water to the work area.
Once the repair is done, ask the technician to confirm the seal, the hose or the fitting, and run the appliance for a full cycle while you watch the floor. A leak that appears again in the same place usually means the fault was not found the first time.
Turn off the appliance and its water supply before touching any wet part, and do not reach behind a machine that is standing in water while it is still plugged in. Keep electrical outlets and cords out of the water, and do not run a vacuum over wet flooring. If the appliance is a gas appliance, leave the gas off and call the gas company rather than attempting a repair.
Switch off the appliance, close its water valve if it has one, and unplug it if it is safe to reach. Move any loose items out of the wet area. Then call and describe what the floor and cabinets look like.
The crew reads the floor with meters and a thermal camera to find the wet extent, including the area under the appliance, the cabinet base and the neighboring rooms. The map sets where the flooring has to be lifted.
Vinyl, laminate or tile is lifted in the smallest area the readings require. The removed sections are photographed and labeled, so any replacement can match the original flooring.
The subfloor is dried from above and below where that is possible. Cabinet bases and kick panels are opened if the readings stay high, since a cabinet base that stays wet will swell and grow mold.
Each check is recorded with readings and photographs. The appliance repair is left to the appliance technician or the manufacturer's service, and the log is shared so the repair and the flooring trade start from what was found.
Washer hoses and drain standpipes leak behind the machine, often in a closet or a laundry corner that has no drain. Water can run under the washer and into the adjoining room, so the moisture map covers more floor than the machine occupies.
A dishwasher leak usually wets the subfloor below the door and the cabinet base on each side. The cabinet base is the hidden part, and it is opened to dry rather than replaced on sight.
Refrigerator water lines are often routed behind cabinets and along the floor. A slow leak there can wet the floor for a long time, and it may need the cabinet or the kick panel removed to reach the source.
If it's an emergency, call now. For non-urgent appliance leak damage, send the form and we'll call you back.
Humid North Florida air holds moisture in houses for longer than drier climates do, and appliance leaks in Jacksonville kitchens and laundry rooms can linger in the subfloor for a long time. A floor that feels only slightly damp is worth measuring, since the moisture often reaches further than it shows.
Many of the houses in the city's older neighborhoods, including Riverside and Avondale, have kitchens and laundry rooms added on to the original structure. Those additions can sit over a different subfloor or a crawl space, and the moisture map checks the join between the old and new parts of the floor.
Apartments and condominiums in the city's core often have laundry closets stacked above other units, so a washer leak can run down into the unit below. The crew checks the ceiling and the wall of the neighboring unit when the closet sits above another living space.
Extraction and drying after a supply line or pipe bursts, including the wall and floor behind the leak.
Extraction and drying after a water heater leaks into a garage, closet or utility room, including the slab edge and the wall behind it.
Lifting, drying and removal of hardwood floors and carpet that have taken water, so the floor does not cup or stay wet.
Moisture mapping and thermal imaging that locate water inside walls and under floors, so only the wet sections are opened.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
A Florida homeowner who has a water damage claim or a dispute with an insurer can take a consumer complaint to the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Consumer Services, at myfloridacfo.com.
No. The crew dries the floor and the cabinets, and it reports the source to you. The appliance is repaired by an appliance technician or the manufacturer's service, and the crew tells you what to ask for. This site does not repair appliances.
Not always. Some flooring can be lifted and reinstalled once the subfloor is dry, and some has to be replaced because it has swollen or the adhesive has failed. The moisture map shows which parts are affected, and the decision is made with you.
Often, if they are opened and dried in time. A cabinet base that is wet for a short period usually dries back to a usable state, but one that has swollen or started to grow mold is replaced. The crew photographs each cabinet before it is opened.
The crew checks the floor and the cabinets for signs of new wetting before it closes the job, and it notes the readings. If you see a new stain, a soft spot or a smell after the job is finished, call the line and the readings can be taken again.
That is your decision, and it depends on your policy. This site does not say what a policy covers. Keep the photographs, the readings and the list of damage, and ask your insurer what it needs. The Florida Department of Financial Services handles consumer complaints about claims.
Because it was small and hidden under the floor or behind the cabinets, and the surface looked fine. Appliance leaks are often found by a change in the floor, a smell or a water bill rather than by a puddle, which is why the moisture map looks past the visible damage.