With 48.1 percent of occupied homes rented, and many units sharing walls and floors, an appliance leak is rarely contained to one kitchen or laundry nook. Water runs under cabinets, along the subfloor and into the wall cavity behind the machine, and it can reach a neighbor before anyone sees a stain.
Where the water hides
Cabinet toe kicks, dishwasher pans and the floor under a washer all trap water. Moisture meters find what the surface hides, and small holes drilled in the toe kick let drying air reach the cavity beneath the cabinets without tearing them out.
What the crew does
- Extract water from floors, toe kicks and the machine's alcove
- Lift flooring that has cupped or swollen
- Dry cabinet bases and subfloors with injection drying
- Check the ceiling below and the walls next door
Rented and shared buildings
In a rented unit or an apartment building, the tenant, the owner and sometimes the neighbor all need to know what happened. The crew keeps readings and photos for each space that got wet, which keeps records straight for landlords and insurers.
Water heater failures are covered separately in water heater leak cleanup, and leaks that reach the next unit in townhome and condo water damage.