[Beethridge]

Our washing machine is upstairs in our new construction home. I started a load of wash and went to take a shower (my husband hates when I do that, he says the washer and shower fight for the water) anyway, mid cycle the drain hose detached from the wall. My husband was downstairs and he saw water start coming through 2 recessed light fixtures in the living room and came to get me. We turned off the washer and put buckets under the lights then began cleaning up. The question is, will the lights and ceiling area dry OK on their own or do we need to call someone?

[massplumber2008]

Hi Beethridge...

I'd shut the power off to the light circuit and allow some time for things to dry up.

Electrical and drying time probably won't be the issue as much as your ceiling may get stained by the water. If this happens, let the area dry for days on end and then purchase some STAIN KILL primer/sealer to paint over the stains and keep the stain from bleeding through in the future.

To keep anything like this from happening again, be sure to tie the drain line off in some way.

You may also want to consider installing the FLOODMASTER AUTOMATIC WATER SHUTOFF VALVE (see image) at the washing machine valve. Here, a sensor gets placed into a washing machine pan (or a circle of silicone) and if the sensor senses water for ANY reason (burst hose, drain overflow, etc.) the floodmaster unit shuts off water flow instantly helping to keep damage to a minimum!

Check floodmaster out @ Washing Machine Leak Detection & Water Supply Shut-Off System - FloodMaster

Good luck!

Mark