Laundry Pipe Burst in Lexington, Mass.

11/28/2018 (Permalink)

Small leaks become large losses when no one is home.

Do you run your washing machine or dishwasher when you are not home? You might get away with this 999 times out of 1000. However, if a hose fails or a pipe bursts, the problem will likely get much worse in the time it takes you to return to your home.

Lexington, MA Pipe Burst

We were recently called to a colonial in Lexington, Mass. with a laundry closet on the second floor. The homeowners had started the washer before heading out for the day. Upon their return in the evening, they found a pipe leading to the washer had burst and three floors had water damage. Water had leaked from the laundry closet into the master bedroom and flowed down through the first floor into the basement.

This loss was much more expensive than it would have been had someone been home to hear the water flowing and shut off the water main until a plumber arrived to fix the pipe. Not only was the loss more expensive, but also more intrusive.

In order to dry the house quickly and avert microbial growth, we had to remove several floorboards in the master bedroom and drill holes in the living room wall. Which means these rooms also needed repairs once the house was dry.

Be Prepared

Here at SERVPRO of Lexington-Bedford, we recommend every adult and responsible young adult knows where to shut off the water to the home in the event of a water emergency. Inspecting your washer hoses and replacing aging ones will also help prevent a problem. And running your dishwasher or washing machine only when someone is home is key to keeping a small leak from becoming a major flood.

Get It Dry

Of course, once the damage is done, you need to get your home dry as soon as possible to avoid mold growth. Call SERVPRO of Lexington-Bedford at the first sign of water intrusion. We will make it “Like it never even happened.”