Refrigerator Leak; Water under wood flooring?

Question

While I was out of town this past weekend, my refrigerator leaked a large amount of water onto my wood floors in my kitchen. When returned home, I wiped up the water and cut off the water going to the refrigerator. There appears to be water that has gotten underneath my wood floors and some of the wood is starting to buckle. I have Allstate homeowners insurance. Will they cover this sort of situation? If so, do I file a claim first or get it repaired first and then file a cliam?

Answer 1

Get a couple of estimates to have the work done first. You probably have a $500.00 or $1,000 deductible and it might not cost that much to fix.  Or if it does cost at least that much, do you have the money to pay the deductible?

Pull up the wood flooring before it gets any worse and dry the area as well as possible. You may need to replace the pad underneath the flooring where it is wet and maybe just have to replace a few strips of the wood flooring.

Answer 2

Hi. This is the perfect reason to have insurance. Talk to your agent and let him know what has happened and turn the repair over to them. It is not that you will have a 'mark' against you for making a claim it is that you need the help to repair all the damage and potential mold issues. If it leaked that much water the chances are that the moisture has penetrated deeply into areas that can develop hidden molds and be difficult to repair later. Insurance will not cover mold damage unless it is due to an accident like you are describing. The floor should be removed and underneath there properly dried to eliminate the chances of mold developing. If you read your insurance documents you will see that you must take action to limit the additional damage and to inform the insurance company as quickly as possible to start the claim process. Call your agent here as quickly as possible and let him know about your difficulty. He is your friend here, use him. Hope this  helps.

Answer 3

This happened with my frig on my hardwood floors. It may be the ice maker, I had to replace mine when a seal went bad, there was a frozen water puddle at the bottom of my freezer indicating it was the ice maker and not the line behind the frig. As far as your hardwood floors go, it may just be cheaper to have someone come out & sand & refinish your floor vs. paying a deductible and have a mark against your homeowner's insurance. I would also put a fan directed at the floor beneath your frig to make sure ALL moisture is out before it discolors the flooring with mold or continues to buckle. Good Luck!