After the storm: what to do with a flood-damaged appliance

Florida’s hurricane season runs June through November, and every storm that pushes water indoors leaves the same question behind: what about the appliances it reached? The honest answer starts with safety, not savings.

Why a flooded appliance isn’t a simple repair

Ready.gov and other federal sources are consistent: after a flood, equipment that took water — furnaces, water heaters, ranges, washers, dryers, refrigerators — should be checked by a professional or replaced before use. Floodwater carries sewage and chemicals, and it gets into insulation, motors, gas valves, and control boards where you can’t clean it. Switching a submerged unit back on risks shock, fire, or a gas leak.

Before you throw anything away

Insurance and any FEMA assistance will want proof. Photograph each damaged appliance, note its model and serial number, and keep the records before you haul anything to the curb. If a unit is under warranty or was part of a recent recall, that matters too.

Repair, replace, or claim

Some lightly affected appliances can be professionally inspected and saved; deeply submerged ones rarely are. The math also depends on the unit’s age — a flooded 12-year-old water heater is a replace; a nearly new one may be worth an inspection and an insurance claim.

OwnWise helps you sort it out. Tell it what flooded and how deep, with your model, and it flags the safety stops, weighs inspection against replacement given the appliance’s age, and checks for any warranty or recall coverage — so you make the call on facts, not panic, in the messy days after a storm.