Find Your Appliance, Then Follow the Water
Each appliance leaks in its own way, and that decides where we look. Use this table to work out what to shut off and where the damage is likely to be hiding.
| Appliance | Shut off | Where the water goes |
|---|---|---|
| Washing machine | Both hose valves behind the washer | Under the machine, through the wall, into the next room |
| Dishwasher | Valve under the kitchen sink | Under cabinets and along the toe-kick |
| Refrigerator line | Small valve behind the unit or under the sink | Behind the fridge, then under nearby cabinets |
| Water heater | Cold inlet valve, plus breaker or gas | Across the closet floor, into adjoining rooms |
| AC air handler | Thermostat off, then the unit's switch | Drain pan, wall plate, adjoining closet or hallway |
Unplug the appliance only if you can do so from a dry spot. If water has reached an outlet, leave it alone and keep clear.
Water Heater Flood Cleanup
A water heater is a tank of hot water that can empty onto your floor and then keep refilling. Close the cold inlet valve first, because the tank keeps filling until you do. Switch off the breaker for an electric unit, or turn the gas control off on a gas unit, and let the tank cool.
Corrosion is the usual end for a tank. A leak at the base often means the tank itself has failed, while a leak at the top may be a fitting. The temperature and pressure valve can also discharge, and the EPA's WaterSense program suggests checking that valve at least once a year.
What makes these jobs different
Closets beside a garage or kitchen share walls with finished rooms, and the water soaks the bottom of those walls first. A drain pan only helps if it is piped somewhere useful, and a full pan overflowing into the closet looks just like a tank failure. We meter both sides of each closet wall, and we check the flooring run into the next room.
Getting the replacement unit installed is a job for your plumber. We handle the wet structure around it.
Why Do These Leaks Stay Hidden So Long?
Appliances sit in the places nobody looks. A cabinet base, the space behind a fridge or a closed laundry closet can stay wet for weeks. By the time the floor lifts, the damage has moved on.
Watch for these:
- A toe-kick that has lifted or a cabinet floor that bows
- Laminate or vinyl plank seams rising near the kitchen
- A musty smell when you open the cabinet under the sink
- A damp line at the base of a wall behind the laundry
- A closet that feels humid when the AC is running
Our climate does its share too. Air conditioners run much of the year here, and with long cooling seasons a condensate line has plenty of time to clog. Seasonal homes add a different risk: a leak may start in an empty house and sit in the heat, which is why UF/IFAS advice on closing a seasonal home includes cleaning the AC condensate line and running the AC periodically to remove moisture.
Leak behind an appliance? Let us find where it went.
Open 24 hours for emergencies. Non-emergency calls are best between 7am and 7pm.
- 5.0 on Google, 8 reviews
- Family owned since 2020
- Calls go straight to the owner
- Free assessments and estimates
Request a free estimate
Not an emergency? Send the details and we will call you back. If water is still moving, call instead.
How We Dry Under and Behind Appliances
Our job is to reach the wet spaces without pulling apart a sound kitchen. Sometimes that means a few panels and sometimes a full cabinet run, and we show you the readings before deciding.
| Option | When it works | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Pull the appliance, dry the open space | Leak caught early, solid materials | Least disruption, needs daily readings |
| Remove toe-kicks and direct air under cabinets | Wet floor below sound cabinets | Keeps cabinets, slower to dry |
| Lift a cabinet or remove a run | Swollen boxes, wet wall behind | More put-back, the most reliable route to dry |
The visit runs in this order:
- Confirm the appliance and its water valve are off, then photograph the appliance, the wall and the floor as found.
- Check the water category, since drain-side leaks are rarely clean.
- Pull the appliance out with care and check the wall behind it.
- Meter the cabinets, walls and flooring run next to it, using a thermal camera to trace the edges.
- Walk you through the options and the written scope.
- Open the spaces we agreed on, set air movers and an LGR dehumidifier, and log readings daily until the affected areas match the dry standard.
What the job covers
We follow the water from the appliance outward. Layered stain rings and warped flooring usually mean a leak has run for a while, so we read past the obvious wet spot. The appliance repair itself stays with your plumber, appliance tech or AC company.
- Pulling the appliance and removing toe-kicks where needed
- Moisture readings on cabinets, walls and the flooring run
- Removal of swollen cabinet bases, trim or flooring that cannot dry
- Air movers and LGR dehumidifiers aimed into the opened spaces
- Photos, daily logs and a written scope before heavy work
What Happens Once the Readings Pass?
Drying ends when your floors, walls and cabinet bases match the unaffected materials in your home. Then the appliance can go back, once a plumber or appliance tech has fixed the cause. We keep hoses and lines out of the way until that repair is done, so it does not start over.
Flooring is often the longest part of the story, because kitchens and laundries usually share one continuous floor. If the run of hardwood or plank is affected, we scope and sequence that flooring replacement as part of the put-back.
Permits, trades and condo rules
The replacement is a separate permit question. The City of St. Augustine's permit page says plumbing, electrical and mechanical work still need a permit whatever the cost, so ask your plumber or AC company before a water heater or air handler is swapped. Other cities and counties run their own offices.
Condo owners should read one more line. F.S. 718.111(11)(f) keeps appliances, water heaters and cabinets out of the association's policy. Your declaration, your policy wording and your adjuster decide what that means for you.
Ask any company for its license number and check it on the DBPR site, ours included.
Cost Factors for an Appliance Leak
Hidden damage drives the cost, more than the appliance itself. Your assessment and written estimate are free, and we will not pressure you into a scope.
- Cabinets: dried in place or removed
- Flooring: one room, or a continuous floor through the house
- How long it ran: days of slow leak versus an hour-long burst
- Water category: drain water takes more cleaning
- Equipment days: smaller spaces can often dry with fewer units
Local homes add a few variables. A seasonal house can sit empty long enough for a small leak to run for weeks. A second-floor laundry or attic air handler sends water into the ceiling below, which adds that room to the scope. Tile or plank laid under the cabinets decides whether a base can stay while the floor is handled.
Simple Habits That Prevent the Next Leak
Most appliance leaks give a warning if someone looks. Five minutes a month beats a torn-out kitchen.
- Look behind the washer and under the sink for drips and damp spots
- Check around the water heater for corrosion and loose connections, as the EPA advises
- Flush your AC condensate line on the schedule your AC company recommends
- Shut off the water at the main before leaving a seasonal home
- Compare your water bill with the same month last year
See our vacation home leak prevention checklist if the house sits empty for part of the year.
Why Call 1 Call, and Where We Come From
Small jobs matter here. We are family owned, started in 2020 and led by owner Dal Beggs with his son, and your call goes straight to the owner.
- We walk the cabinet run with you before anything comes out
- Daily readings tell you exactly when the job is finished
- You get a free estimate and no high-pressure sales
- If the readings say the cabinets can stay, they stay
We cover World Golf Village, oceanfront homes in Crescent Beach, Ponte Vedra Beach and Flagler Beach. Our area runs through all of St. Johns and Flagler counties and on into Putnam, Duval, Clay and Volusia.
What customers say
5.0 stars on Google from 8 reviews. Quoted as written.
“Where a local plumbing company who’s used Dal many times. He’s always been helpful and honest. 1 call is a great asset for our customers!”
Frequently asked questions
Will my kitchen cabinets have to come out after a dishwasher leak?
No, often they do not. We start by pulling the toe-kicks and metering the cabinet floors and the wall behind them. Solid wood boxes usually dry well. Particleboard that has already swollen rarely recovers, and we tell you if that is what we find. On a leak caught early, opening the base and running air under the cabinets may be enough.
Is a water heater leak clean water?
Yes, it usually starts out as clean water, since it came through your supply. Sediment in the tank, a dirty closet floor or time left sitting can change that, so we classify it on site. Shut the cold inlet valve and switch off the breaker or gas first. Hot water spreads across a floor as quickly as cold, and it can scald you.
How can a small fridge water line cause this much damage?
It runs under pressure all day, and nobody looks behind a fridge. A pinhole in an ice maker line can soak the wall and the floor behind the unit for weeks before anything shows. By then it has often traveled under the cabinets next door. We pull the fridge, meter the wall and check the flooring run beyond it.
What if the leak happened while my vacation home was empty?
Treat the discovery date and the date of loss as separate things and write down both. Photograph everything before anything moves. A long, unseen leak in a humid empty house often means wet materials and possible growth, so expect more to come out. Call us from out of town if you need to, and we can meet someone you trust at the property.
My AC closet floor is wet. Is that an emergency?
Yes, treat it as urgent. Turn the system off and check the drain pan. A clogged condensate line keeps sending water into the pan, and when it spills, it runs under the wall plate and into nearby rooms. Clearing the line is usually a job for your AC company. We check how far the water reached and dry whatever got wet.
Is washing machine water treated differently from a pipe leak?
Yes, often, because drain water from a washer has been through your dirty laundry. A burst fill hose carries clean water, while an overflow from the drain side usually counts as Category 2, gray water. That means more cleaning and sometimes more pad or trim removed. We check which one you had before we choose how to dry the room.
Dry behind the appliance, not just the floor in front.
Open 24 hours for emergencies. Non-emergency calls are best between 7am and 7pm.
- 5.0 on Google, 8 reviews
- Family owned since 2020
- Calls go straight to the owner
- Free assessments and estimates
1 Call Restoration, Saint Augustine, FL. (208) 464-4194.
Related services
Worth reading
Where we handle appliance leak water damage
See all of our service areas.