Dishwasher Leak Water Damage Repair in San Diego

1. Stop the cycle and don't run the dishwasher again.
2. Turn off the water. The supply valve is usually under the kitchen sink, on the hot line, with a thin tube running toward the dishwasher. Turn it clockwise until it stops. If you can't find it, close the main water valve.
3. Turn off the power. Flip the dishwasher's breaker, or unplug it under the sink if the cabinet floor is dry. Don't touch cords while you're standing in water.
4. Pick up the standing water. Use towels or a wet vacuum, empty the sink cabinet and leave the doors open.
5. Leave the dishwasher in place. It's connected to water, the drain and power, and it's usually screwed to the countertop.
6. Check below. If there's a room or a condo unit under the kitchen, look at its ceiling.
7. Take photos, then call us.

The water you can see is in front of the dishwasher. Much of the rest has run underneath it, slipped into the gap behind the cabinet toe-kicks and spread under the whole cabinet run. Cabinet bases are often particleboard, which soaks up water, swells and stays wet. Vinyl plank, laminate and tile can look fine on top while the subfloor or slab underneath stays wet. Water from the drain side carries food residue and detergent, so it's treated as gray water (IICRC Category 2). Slow leaks from a drain hose or door gasket can go on for weeks before anyone notices.

1. Inspection. We use moisture meters and a thermal camera on the floor, the cabinet bases, the wall behind the dishwasher and the ceiling below.
2. Extraction. We remove standing water, including from under the flooring where we can reach it.
3. We remove only what can't be dried. We take off the toe-kicks and, where needed, drill small holes in the cabinet bases so dry air can get underneath. Swollen particleboard and flooring that won't dry come out.
4. Drying to IICRC S500. We take readings at every visit until the materials reach the dry standard.
5. Mold check. Any growth we find comes out under containment following IICRC S520.
6. Repairs. As a licensed contractor, we handle the drywall and cabinets and reconnect the dishwasher. If flooring needs replacing, we coordinate it with an installer.

A sudden failure, like a burst supply line, is often covered. A slow leak that went on for weeks often isn't. Your policy decides. We document the loss with photos, moisture readings, drying logs and an itemized estimate, we talk with the adjuster and we bill the claim directly. Read more: Does homeowners insurance cover water damage in California?

• Mira Mesa kitchen sink mold: the kitchen looked normal, but an earlier leak had left mold hidden behind the sink base, the dishwasher and the cabinets next to them. We removed it under containment, an independent lab cleared the area and we rebuilt the cabinet run.