4 Tips to Keep New Appliances Leak-Free

Whether it’s a shiny, stainless steel dishwasher, efficient new water heater, or that awesome washer/dryer set you so desperately needed, you likely shelled out a pretty penny for those new appliances. But all that glitters isn’t gold! While the appliances themselves may feature state-of-the-art, reliable technology, our expert plumbers see lots of water damage caused by the cheap water supply lines and valves that often come with them. Here are some ways to deal with those issues, as well as a few other tips for keeping your appliances leak free for years to come:

1. Upgrade your hoses. Head to your local home improvement store and buy braided stainless steel water supply hoses for your washing machine, your dishwasher and your refrigerator’s water supply line. They cost more but they’re well worth it, since steel hoses are less likely to spring a leak and flood your home.
2. Swap out the cheap drain valve on the bottom of your new water heater before you hook it up. Take the valve to the hardware store and buy a high-quality brass drain valve of the same size and type. Wrap the threads with Teflon tape then thread the valve onto the water heater tank. Cheap plastic valves often break apart or go bad within just a few years.
3. New washing machine for your upstairs laundry room? If so, be sure to place it in a drain pan. That way, if it overflows for any reason, instead of water flooding the second floor, it would go down the sides of the machine into the drain pan, which is attached to a pipe that drains the water away.
4. Check your home’s water pressure! Sometimes, the hidden killer of appliances like water softeners is pressure that’s too high. Water pressure in your home above 60 pounds per square inch is harmful to your entire plumbing system and will cause excessive water usage and even burst pipes. Contact your local water authority to find out what the water pressure is on your street. If it exceeds 60 pounds, consider installing a pressure reducing valve (PRV), which costs about $80, to limit the water pressure within your home.

An appliance flood could easily add up to tens of thousands of dollars in repairs. But all of the tips above are easy fixes that cost a small amount of money. For more plumbing tips & tricks, as well as instructional videos, visit our Roto-Rooter YouTube channel.