Washer Overflowed - First Time!

16 years ago

OK, for my entire life of doing laundry, my washer overflowed for the first time ever. Here's what I was glad about:

1. My energy-efficient Miele, which doesn't use a lot of water...minimized the clean up, although there seemed plenty to mop up at the time.

2. The washer pan we had made to set the washer in should this ever happen worked, as it was filled with water. It wasn't big enough to contain it all, but it certainly held a lot. The pan is bolted to the pedestal floor, with a drain so we couldn't remove it. It is draining, however slowly, so we may have to see how to help that along.

3. I was home doing laundry when it happened. I think of times past when I would throw in a load and leave the house. I don't tend to do this any more, and this THE REASON Not To Do It (knock on wood floor). I can't imagine what my wood floors (hallway into bedrooms) would look like if I'd come home hours later, as it was starting to travel that direction.

4. There was plenty of paint under the base of the W/D pedestal to keep the water from soaking in. Three coats is a good thing! You know I didn't originally want painted surfaces, but in this case it worked out well. Fortunately, the water did not seep into the sheet rock.

5. Those heated floors in my renovated bathroom were quite handy to throw the wet laundry piles onto until I could get them into the washer. Love those heated floors in so many ways.

Wow. What a rush, and not in a good way! Apparently, the water hose vibrated out of the drain, so it's something I need to be aware and keep track of. Of course I've been using it trouble free for four years, but it's good to know where the weak link is! I've had the dishwasher overflow, but never the washing machine. Has anyone experienced this lately?

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Comments (6)

mrb627
16 years ago
You should secure the drain line to the cold water hose to keep it from jumping out of the standpipe.

MRB
bob_f
16 years ago
....Apparently, the water hose vibrated out of the drain, so it's something I need to be aware and keep track of.

As noted by mrb726, you definitely need to secure the drain hose to the standpipe/drain.

The same thing happened with our Whirlpool Duet front loader. The lightweight drain hose propelled itself out of the drainpipe and flooded our laundry room. This happened about a month or so after we bought it.

It turns out that the washer shipped with a nylon tie-wrap for securing the drain hose but the Sears installation crew forgot to install it.

The drain pan is a great idea but it may not help much if one of your supply lines bursts. The water can fly all over the place and very little may end up in the pan. So use high quality supply hoses and keep an eye on them. Sometimes they develop an aneurism or bulge before they fail. Insurance companies have reported that failed supply hoses are one of the leading causes of home floods.

Is your laundry room on the second floor? If so, be aware that if the interior of your walls got soaked you could end up with a mold problem. This can especially be an issue if the fiberglass insulation in the outer walls gets soaked since it can take a while to dry out. (I'm guessing that you're probably OK since it sounds like the pan caught most of the overflow.)
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claire_de_luna
Original Author
16 years ago
Yes, Thank You both. It was done yesterday, tied down with a steel clamp. This is yet Another Reminder of why I lost that contractor's number...permanently!
weedmeister
16 years ago
the drain may have a rubber one-way flapper valve in it that is stuck. Depends on how it is hooked up. Does it drain down the sewer or out the side of the house?
claire_de_luna
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for your concern weedmeister. No, that wasn't the problem. It actually came out of the drain and wasn't tied down. All is well now, and my laundry is done (for now. Only for now!)
cynic
16 years ago
Wow, that's scary when you think of how often it actually happens. I recall seeing pictures of your laundry area and it's great.

Some friends of mine had a first floor laundry and a hose broke while they were away for a while. The water flooded the first floor, ran down the steps and into the basement and there was a foot of water on the basement floor when they got home. They couldn't help but chuckle though when they saw some of the plastic totes of stuff in the basement floating around! They called a disaster team to clean up. As I recall it was over $30,000.00 for cleanup and repair. All because of a $5 hose! Makes you wonder, doesn't it?