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Thread Number: 57680
/ Tag: Modern Automatic Washers
Washer Floods House, Owners Sue Mfg. |
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| Post# 800905 , Reply# 1 12/26/2014 at 05:50 (3,407 days old) by arbilab (Ft Worth TX (Ridglea)) | ||
Putting myself on the jury, the "sock made me do it" defense doesn't work. I have witnessed 1948 Westinghouses to Maytag Neptunes ingesting socks and while the machines didn't work 'right' they did NOT flood. At all.
Unless my jurassic browser gagged on some feature (like 'continue') the story didn't conclude. Still an argument between/among insurance companies. And all that money they take in on premiums and refuse to pay out in claims, goes to lawyers. Who often as not in this type case, bet that you'll be struck by lightning before you get beyond their delay tactics. | ||
| Post# 800928 , Reply# 5 12/26/2014 at 11:33 (3,407 days old) by pierreandreply4 (St-Bruno de montarville (province of quebec) canada) | ||
I can say that we should never let a washer run while running errands if i have to run some errands i wait until the washer finish its cycle before leaving the house to run my errands. lucky for those that have old fashion washers with a knob they can push to stop the washer while running there errands that way they can restart the washer from where it was stop.
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Post# 800929 , Reply# 6 12/26/2014 at 11:41 (3,407 days old) by Yogitunes  (New Jersey) |
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Sorry, no deal, something is not right in Kansas!
I wanted to say, but noticed in the video of the home, there WAS a drain pan under the washer to catch flooding conditions......
and being a normal washer, I would say water would continuously poured in, in these newer machines, there are sensors all over, and would have detected a long fill (LF code), and shut the machine and valves off...these are not time fill, but allow only a certain amount of time for it to fill to that level....as one of my Neptunes, it has a certain amount of time allowed to fill or drain, if not, and error code would pop up..... not to mention again, this is an HE machine, whats the most water it would have held, 10 gallons at the most...... I say something else happened, and their trying to put cause on the machine..... I just seen this a few months ago, people had a flood in their basement, and putting blame on the washer for causing it.....the home owner claimed water was spraying from the valve on the wall, they also claimed to turn on the machine, and then just run errands.....upon inspection of the washer, the pressure hose was taken off of the pressure switch......I have a hard time believing it just slipped off.....insurance is paying for all repairs, including a new machine!...my gut tells me something is not right about this... | ||
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Post# 800937 , Reply# 8 12/26/2014 at 13:11 (3,407 days old) by Imperial70 (MA USA) |
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Think about the damage just 1 gallon of water could do as it flows through the ceiling, insulation, wood drywall, carpets, etc. It doesn't take much water at all to cause problems. Not much at all. | ||
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Post# 800963 , Reply# 11 12/26/2014 at 15:24 (3,406 days old) by joelippard (Hickory) |
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 No way I would ever have a second story laundry, too much risk. I'll gladly keep my machines in the basement with my floor drains. I've had occasions where I forgot to switch the hose out on standpipe for the different machines. I come back to check and water is all down the floor drain, turn on the fan to dry it out and cleanup is done. | ||
| Post# 801006 , Reply# 12 12/26/2014 at 21:46 (3,406 days old) by mrb627 (Buford, GA) | ||
HHGREGG TURNED THEM AWAY... | ||
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Post# 801010 , Reply# 13 12/26/2014 at 22:45 (3,406 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!) |
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 There's a lot that's fishy and just plain wrong about this TV shock-story to be plausible. I will accept water damage to that extent if indeed a "perfect storm" of circumstances lined up at once to cause a flood. New machine, left the house, possible user error all could be lining up at the same instant here, we may never know for sure. Even if they were gone for a couple of hours, water will seek it's lowest level, running down through plumbing and electrical cuts in the floors. Exaggeration aside (water "cascading in sheets..." from the catwalk above) water damage can happen very quickly. If caught quickly (a few hours?) and properly managed, the damage can be minimized.
It certainly does look like they may have been a bit overzealous in the demolition when commercial dehumidifiers and fans probably would have dried out the house just fine. A couple of days at a Marriott Courtyard with an indoor pool for the kids, then minor to moderate repair and restorations. All would have been well. What color of new carpet would you like? Shall we change the paint color while we're at it?
Remember too, most people are paralyzed with terror when anyone so much as mentions the word "mold" and it only takes one neighborhood Gladys Kravitz who knew a whole family that died in their sleep because of mold in the corner of the shower to instill a sense of panic in already stressed minds. Tear it all out, quick as you can!
I suspect their insurance will end up paying for the damage, less the deductible, and the house will be put back in order. In a global market, Samsung (or any other Mfgr. for that matter) could really care less about this one instance that will fade from people's memory almost instantly. HH Gregg should only be liable if they installed the appliance incorrectly causing a failure of a supply hose, etc. Their homeowners insurance will pursue whatever course they can, but ultimately the proud new LG owners will have their home restored.
On tonight's episode of " Five Can Help, we tell the story of a woman who lost a foot in her can opener...."
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| Post# 801013 , Reply# 14 12/26/2014 at 22:58 (3,406 days old) by golittlesport (California) | ||
Second floor laundry is great! | ||
| Post# 801018 , Reply# 15 12/26/2014 at 23:28 (3,406 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada) | ||
I can't tell much about this but a friend of mine had a plumber install a small water line to the fridge in his girlfriend's condo when he moved with her to connect the ice maker on his fridge and the connection under the sink failed a few weeks after while they were both at work... The whole condo was flooded by that small leak and the unit below it too. The damage was over $50K and both owners had to be relocated during the repair work... The insurance did pay but when you see all the trouble a tiny water line for an ice maker can cause...
Years ago, I had just arrived home and one of the hoses to the washer exploded... It took less than a minute before I heard something was wrong and closed the valve but since that incident, I always close the valves off when I don't use the machines... | ||
| Post# 801040 , Reply# 18 12/27/2014 at 06:14 (3,406 days old) by arbilab (Ft Worth TX (Ridglea)) | ||
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Unless you have experienced runaway water, don't underestimate it. The water events I have experienced lasted units of minutes, soaked entire rooms and took days of large blowers supplied by landlord to dry. Which doesn't account for mildew or the permanently-deformed carpets I 'should' have demanded they replace.
Same apartment complex had so many water heaters fail/flood, they finally (largely at my behest) started replacing them preemptively. Not only did they flood the apartment they were in, but the one (or more) below. In 1955 it took an hour to mop up after our 2yo Hotpoint dishwasher valve stuck open while we were right there to shut it off as soon as we noticed. And it did not involve carpet. | ||
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Post# 801055 , Reply# 19 12/27/2014 at 11:04 (3,406 days old) by Chetlaham (United States) |
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No one wants to take responsibility
Todays appliance makers sell garbage, and unless installer didn't hook the machine up correctly (leaking connections) Samsung is at fault. I have never heard of a sock flooding a machine let alone splitting it open. Perhaps this is an issue for new machines, but not old ones.
Second, Id love to hear how they reached the conclusion the machine was overloaded. Its funny because everyone claims "there is not evidence" on how the machine malfunctioned, yet someone is claiming it was overloaded. To me, that's nothing but a cover. No one wants to take responsibility so they will find anyway to blame the end user. I agree it wasn't smart to leave the house with a machine running (heck I don't blame her all that much considering she has 3 kids) but then again Manufacturers need to stop selling these crap products. Also, the machine appears to be on a drain pan (at least it does now) and I am assuming the pan is plumbed, so for a leak to take place that machine must have shot water at the wall or flown off the pan. | ||
| Post# 801059 , Reply# 20 12/27/2014 at 11:33 (3,406 days old) by mrb627 (Buford, GA) | ||
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Drip Pan
Is nothing more than a "DRIP" pan. A full on leak is no contest. Those pans are worthless in my opinion. I suppose if the pan is not properly plumbed, they will go after the builder too.
I wonder about her previous washing machine. Has she used a FL machine before? A baby sock can easily slip to the outer tub. Or at least get stuck in the rubber door seal. I wonder if the salesman gave her the pack it full sales pitch in addition to the only use a teaspoon of detergent BS. Malcolm | ||
| Post# 801211 , Reply# 22 12/28/2014 at 07:24 (3,405 days old) by whirlcool (Just North Of Houston, Texas) | ||
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In the Users Guide to our Whirlpool set it warns against using the appliances when you are not at home. We've been tempted a few times, but never have done it. Nothing has ever happened though. | ||
| Post# 801232 , Reply# 23 12/28/2014 at 10:54 (3,405 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY) | ||
Whirlcool
Your stories about your crazy sister crack me up.
About the story - I guess it's possible. I really wish I had a floor drain installed in my small laundry room. I'm paranoid that the water heater will leak or maybe a hose on the washer will break.......I can never remember the turn the washer hoses off after I'm done doing laundry...If someone ever did happen, having a floor drain would be a life saver......It's been so long since I've left the house with an appliance running, but I have done it in the past - If this is legit, I feel so sorry for the people. What a mess to have your lives turned upside down like that and the house was so nice too. | ||
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Post# 801294 , Reply# 26 12/28/2014 at 18:56 (3,404 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey) |
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the best set up I ever seen for a washer on an upper level was done in a bathroom, a closet type setup was used, an actual shower floor pan was installed with enclosure walls on the back and sides with cauking, and the drain connected to the internal plumbing......
it was a stacked set used, electrical outlet placed high and vented through the ceiling.....standard water and drain placed on one side as usual..... just short of a glass door for a true shower..... the disadvantage to those trays is if your using a drawer underneath, it won't open! the other disadvantage to my setup, is the risers raise the machines up 15 inches, putting my valves and outlets hidden behind and out of reach in an emergency if I need to get to them.....and noting I should consider a pan for the upstairs laundry..... | ||
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Post# 801321 , Reply# 27 12/28/2014 at 21:37 (3,404 days old) by logixx (Germany) |
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 Why don't US manufacturers put leakage detection/protection systems on their products? It's so common in Europe.
From the back of a Bosch dishwasher manual (UK version)
View Full Size
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| Post# 801418 , Reply# 29 12/29/2014 at 11:53 (3,404 days old) by mrb627 (Buford, GA) | ||
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TL... | ||
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Post# 801453 , Reply# 30 12/29/2014 at 16:54 (3,403 days old) by neptunebob (Pittsburgh, PA) |
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In the Users Guide to our Whirlpool set it warns against usi The reason I hear for leaving appliances running is - but you don't have kids! When you have to take kids to school/sports/music/dance/dr. appointments and have to take the cat to the vet, etc. how would get any laundry or dishes or even cooking done if you had to be there all the time? Oh, and hubbie works all day and even if he were home he won't do any house work anyways. Wonder if this was a large, active family, like a lot in our neighborhood. Installing a floor drain might be expensive if it involves a plumber but would it not be possible to have the drainpipe go into a wash tub or outside for an "emergency" drain like that and not need a plumber? | ||
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Post# 801508 , Reply# 32 12/29/2014 at 22:06 (3,403 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey) |
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first of all this was a TopLoad "H E" machine, FL or TL...theres not a lot of water compared to a typical TL machine....
think about this closely, a sock can work its way into the outter tub, even by loading or unloading....most recommend using a laundry bag for small items, YOU may be used to doing laundry for decades in regular machines, newer ones need a bit more tweaking when it comes to loading...especially TL HE machines.....read the directions, or learn the hard way..... then theres the issue, the water is still pouring into the house, and the homeowner leaves and runs to the store for help......if someone is being electrocuted, you don't jump on the phone, "DUH, what should I do George!"...anyone with common sense would go to the electrical panel and shut off the breaker......another case of people wanting paid for being stupid!..... this really boils down to who is at fault?.....do you believe beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this is consumer error?, or error of the machine?.......did the machine just break open on its own?....did the machine load this sock?..... take note too.....these machines have flow restrictors in the valve.....lucky if you get a full flow waterfall into the machine on a good day, it takes forever to fill.....but this homeowner managed to get a waterfall cascading over the catwalk as if someone opened Niagra Falls in their house..... willing to bet more that the sock may have got pulled into the drain sump and jammed the pump, maybe breaking open, and water pouring on the floor...enough water to fill Sea World.....not likely a water pipe bursting inside a wall would be more believable for that amount of water damage.... BUT, this is what you pay homeowners insurance for in the first place.....THAT is who should have been contacted first!...let them handle the claim and repairs, take the machine for themselves to investigate, and go after who IS at fault.....a lot less headaches in the long run, and if they find Samsung at fault, you would have gotten your deductible refunded......and the repairs would be guaranteed for life, NOT something you would have gotten from Samsung or HHGreGG..... these people did not want repairs done....they wanted Pain and Suffering TOO!....which they were not going to get.... people need to pay attention very closely.....Warrantees DON'T cover for user instructions or user errors.....let's just say that the sock jammed the machine, and it stopped!.....repair man would have come out, removed the sock, and CHARGED the homeowner for the repair, there was no mechanical defect of the machine.....User Error!!!..... simple terms: turn the water off Goober! | ||
| Post# 801510 , Reply# 33 12/29/2014 at 22:24 (3,403 days old) by alr2903 (TN) | ||
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It can happen ..... .... fast. CLICK HERE TO GO TO alr2903's LINK | ||
| Post# 801665 , Reply# 34 12/31/2014 at 04:59 (3,402 days old) by arbilab (Ft Worth TX (Ridglea)) | ||
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