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Appliance leaks in Bowie, Maryland
Appliance leaks are quiet until the floor gives them away. A washer hose can fail in the middle of a cycle, and an ice maker line can drip for weeks.
Give your ZIP code and say what happened. Calling soon after you find the water helps.
Shut it off at the source
Appliances have their own supply valves, usually on the wall behind or beside them. Close the valve, unplug the appliance if the floor around the plug is dry, and mop up what you can reach. If water has reached outlets or a panel, stay out of it and switch the power off at the breaker only if you can do so without standing in water.
Sudden or slow
Insurers draw a line between the two, so the history of the leak matters.
Sudden
A hose bursts, a tank cracks or a supply line pops off. Water arrives all at once. Policies often cover the water damage from a sudden failure but not repair of the failed part.
Slow
A drip behind a dishwasher or under a sink. Policies often treat slow leaks differently and may exclude them.
Hidden
A leak inside a wall or under flooring may go unnoticed until a smell or stain appears. Photographs and dates of what you saw help whichever category it falls in.
Where leaks tend to start
EPA's Fix a Leak Week page points to toilets, faucets and showerheads as common leak sites. Appliance connections deserve the same look: the hose ends, the valve and the drain connection. A stain on the cabinet floor or a soft spot in the flooring near the appliance is a sign to check them.
Maryland's home improvement law lists connecting or replacing a dishwasher, disposal or refrigerator with an icemaker to existing exposed plumbing lines as home improvement work. A licensed plumber working within that trade is exempt from the Commission's license, so ask which license covers the job.
Water still running or standing?
Call and say where the water is and what caused it. You will be connected with an independent restoration contractor taking calls for your ZIP code.