A great majority of flooding and fire losses are caused when something goes wrong with the appliance and nobody is around to hear what is happening to either shut the appliance off, shut off the water, or call the fire department.

Washing machines are the most sensitive when it comes to operation. Simply overloading the machine, or any number of other factors, can cause the load to be unbalanced. This may cause the machine to “jump around” during the high spin cycles. The machines are capable of moving several feet and pulling the water hoses off the wall or damaging water pipes which can lead to flooding. When this occurs, the machine is very loud and most people can hear it and get to it before anything major happens.

Dishwashers should also never be turned on when leaving a home. If a pipe is about to break, it is much more likely to occur during a cycle.

With Dryers, never operate them when leaving or going to sleep. As they are subject to catching fire, the person operating the machine should always be home and alert while it is running.