When we perform our home watch services, we see the home as a series of water zones: kitchens, bathrooms, boilers, water heaters, air conditioning, and laundry rooms all utilize or dispose of water. Each of these water zones has potential issues that can lead to water leaks.
With laundry rooms, the washing machine, when new, usually come with rubber supply hoses. These hoses can degrade and, over time, if left under pressure, can burst, causing water to cascade all over your floors!
To avoid this disaster, I would suggest replacing the water supply hoses on your washing machine with stainless steel burst-resistant hoses. These hoses will hold up to water pressure and will last much longer than the rubber hoses. You can also turn the water supply for the washing machine off. (However, not everyone will remember to do this)
The trouble with dryers tends to come from not cleaning the exhaust ductwork on a yearly basis.
I have also found that cleaning below the lint catcher within the machine is also essential. Not doing these steps will allow lint to build up, which can make your dryer work harder and take longer to dry your clothes, and in some cases, fires have been caused by the build-up of lint.
Here are some steps you can take to check/clean your dryer ductwork.
- Ensure your lint filter is cleaned regularly.
- Check the visible ductwork to ensure it is not crushed or kinked.
- Check the exhaust port on the house exterior to ensure it is not clogged with lint. Also, confirm that the exhaust port is in good condition.
For the best results, you may want to consider hiring a duct cleaning service. They will check and clean your ducts as well as confirm that it is correctly sized and installed. You can usually find these companies by searching online for Dryer Duct Cleaning Services.
As part of our home watch and property management concierge services, we typically take a look at how our client’s washer and dryer are installed and, if necessary, suggest corrective steps, much like we noted above.
