A homeowner recently commented that their washing machine sounded like it had been filling for awhile, but they didn’t think anything of it until they realized that the water was still running after about 30 more minutes. In the case for this homeowner, a broken water supply line caused extensive damage to the ceiling, wall and floor in the room directly below the laundry room.

The homeowner also commented that they couldn’t believe so much water could come out of such a small break in the pipe. She was shocked to learn that a 1/8-inch crack in a pipe can release up to 250 gallons of water a day. She was even more stunned to know that her washing machine used upwards of 40 gallons of water per load. She started doing the math and then realized that she had a lot of water in her home.

Here are some additional water facts as they relate to our homes and possible insurance claims:

• A newer washing machine with an “Energy Star” label uses between 18 to 25 gallons of water per load.
• A small water pipe leak inside a wall or under a slab may go undetected for months.
• Insulation inside a wall will wick moisture up into the wall from a wet floor. A mere ½- inch of water on the floor can wick 2 ft. up the backside of the wall.
• Cellulose insulation (made from newspaper) will compact if it gets wet, which causes it to lose much of its insulating ability.
• Water damage accounts for approximately 25% of insurance claims.
• Approximately 37% of US homeowners have experienced a loss of property due to water damage.
• A gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds.
• There are 7.48 gallons of water (that’s more than 62 lbs.) in one cubic foot.
• When it rains one inch, 27,000 gallons of water will fall on a one acre lot… that’s more than 100 metric tons of water!
• Each flush of a toilet uses 2 to 7 gallons of water.
• In a five-minute shower, 25 to 50 gallons of water are used.
• Brushing your teeth uses 2 gallons of water.
• An automatic dishwasher uses 9 to 12 gallons of water per cycle.
• The overall amount of water on earth has remained constant since the beginning of time.

In a 100-year period, a water molecule spends 98 years in the ocean, 20 months as ice, about 2 weeks in lakes and rivers, and less than a week in the atmosphere. Sadly, sometime during that week it will most likely spend some time in one of your insured’s basements.

The next time you receive a call from an insured who thinks they have a little water on the floor or behind an appliance, you may want to ask some further questions. For additional information on water losses and how to mitigate damage, click on www.restorepro.com.