Washing machine filled through a slow and steady drip over a 5 day period. Washer is on the 2nd of a 3 floor house. Appliance people determined that the washers inlet valve was bad. The weird part... the water to the house was shut off! How can this happen? Enough water in the pipes above to reach the washer to make it overflow? Washer sucked up all water in pipes even from the 2 floors below? Water was not fully shut off?

Help!

Even though water is off pressure remains and could have gravity drained but not sucked up. My guess is that the water was not all the way off.

Appliance people determined that the washers inlet valve was bad.
How was that done if the water to the house was turned off?

Enough water in the pipes above to reach the washer to make it overflow?
Possible, but unlikely. Only possible if inlet valve was indeed bad and at least one faucet above was open to break vacuum.

Washer sucked up all water in pipes even from the 2 floors below?
Not possible.

Water was not fully shut off?
Possible. To eliminate possibility open at least one faucet and leave it open.

What you have describe is highly unlikely. Something else is going on. Tell us what happened.