--- title: "Water and electrical safety — Washer Guides" description: "What to do when water reaches the floor, why a burning smell or a tripping breaker means stop, and how to shut a washer down safely." url: "https://washerrepair.center/guides/safety-and-food/" --- Is it safe to keep running # Water and electrical safety guides. What to do when water reaches the floor, why a burning smell or a tripping breaker means stop, and how to shut a washer down safely. ## Water and electrical safety, guide by guide. A washer is the one appliance in most homes that holds a pressurized water line and a live electrical cord in the same cabinet, often on a floor with a finished room below it. Most of the time the two never meet. When they do, the order of your first moves matters more than anything a technician does afterward. [All 18 guides](https://washerrepair.center/guides/) 5-minute read ### [Washer Leaking: What to Do First](https://washerrepair.center/guides/washer-leak-what-to-do-first/) Power before water, valves before mopping, then reading the puddle to tell a hose from the drain, the door boot or a leak inside the cabinet. 5-minute read ### [Burning Smell From the Washer: What to Do](https://washerrepair.center/guides/washer-burning-smell-what-to-do/) When to unplug and leave, how a break-in odor differs from a slipping belt or a hot plug, and what never to try with the power on. 4-minute read ### [Washer Supply Valves and How to Shut Off the Water](https://washerrepair.center/guides/supply-valves-and-shutoff/) The kinds of valve behind a washer, when the manuals say to close them, the pressure a washer expects, and what to do about a valve that sticks. ## Is it safe to keep running. These guides cover the three situations owners ask about most: water on the floor, a hot or burning smell, and finding and closing the supply valves before either happens. Each one starts with what to do right now, then explains how to tell a minor cause from a serious one, drawing on the manufacturers' own manuals and the U.S. Fire Administration's appliance advice. Read them once before you need them, ideally standing in your laundry room, so you know where the valves are and which breaker feeds the washer. Each guide also draws a clear line: hoses and the standpipe are yours to check, the plumbing behind the wall belongs to a plumber, and anything behind a panel with the power connected is not for an owner to open. [Not sure where to start?](https://washerrepair.center/guides/#start-here) ### The short answer Washer Leaking: What to Do First With a washer leaking water on the floor, stop the cycle, keep clear of any water that has reached the outlet or cord and switch that circuit off at the panel, then close the hot and cold supply valves. ### The short answer Burning Smell From the Washer: What to Do A washer burning smell means stop the cycle and unplug the machine; LG's manual says to unplug immediately for any burning smell or smoke. ### The short answer Washer Supply Valves and How to Shut Off the Water The washer shutoff valves are the hot and cold valves where the fill hoses meet the house plumbing. ## When reading is not enough. If the checks in these guides did not settle it, the visit picks up from there, stop by stop. [What repairs cost](https://washerrepair.center/cost/) 1. 01 Watch it run first 2. 02 You hear the cost first 3. 03 Parts on the van 4. 04 Fixed, then run ## The problems these answer. Each has a page of its own, with the causes in the order worth checking. [All 17 problems](https://washerrepair.center/problems/) Water or electrical risk ### Washer Leaking 5 causes, cheapest first Water or electrical risk ### Washer Overflowing 5 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Washer Not Draining 5 causes, cheapest first Water or electrical risk ### Washer Burning Smell 5 causes, cheapest first For the heart of your home. ## Questions about water and electrical safety. ### Water is coming out of the washer. What comes first? If the water has reached the outlet or the cord, switch off the laundry circuit at the panel instead of unplugging by hand. Then close the hot and cold supply valves, and only after that look for the source. ### Is a burning smell from a brand-new washer normal? A light motor or rubber odor in the first weeks can be, and some manufacturers describe it. An odor together with smoke, a hot plug or a tripped breaker never is: unplug the washer and have it checked. ### Should the washer's water be off whenever I leave the house? Manufacturers recommend it before vacations, and Speed Queen goes further and asks for the valves to be closed after every wash day. A fill hose left under pressure is how a small failure turns into a flooded room. ## The other sections. Split by what you are trying to find out rather than by which part of the appliance it concerns. [All guides](https://washerrepair.center/guides/) Why the cycle ended like that ### [Common problems](https://washerrepair.center/guides/common-problems/) - [Why a washer won't drain, and where the water is stuck](https://washerrepair.center/guides/why-a-washer-wont-drain/) - [Why a washer won't spin, or spins too slowly to wring clothes](https://washerrepair.center/guides/why-a-washer-wont-spin/) - [Why front-loaders smell, and how to get the drum fresh again](https://washerrepair.center/guides/why-front-loaders-smell/) What an owner can check safely ### [Troubleshooting](https://washerrepair.center/guides/troubleshooting/) - [Five things to rule out before booking a washer repair](https://washerrepair.center/guides/five-checks-before-you-call/) - [Clean the drain pump filter on a front-load washer](https://washerrepair.center/guides/clean-the-drain-pump-filter/) - [Find your washer's model number](https://washerrepair.center/guides/find-your-model-number/) Keeping the washer out of trouble ### [Maintenance and prevention](https://washerrepair.center/guides/maintenance-and-prevention/) - [A washer cleaning routine that keeps odor away](https://washerrepair.center/guides/washer-cleaning-routine/) - [HE detergent and dosing: why less works better](https://washerrepair.center/guides/detergent-dosing-and-he-soap/) - [Washer fill hoses: when and how to replace them](https://washerrepair.center/guides/fill-hoses-when-to-replace/) Which washer suits the home ### [Choosing and comparing](https://washerrepair.center/guides/choosing-and-comparing/) - [Repair or replace a washer: what decides it](https://washerrepair.center/guides/repair-or-replace-a-washer/) - [Front-load or top-load washer: how to choose](https://washerrepair.center/guides/front-load-or-top-load/) - [Stackable and compact washers for small spaces](https://washerrepair.center/guides/stackable-and-compact-washers/) Setting it up to last ### [Installation and setup](https://washerrepair.center/guides/installation-and-setup/) - [Washer Drain Standpipe and Hose: Height and Fit](https://washerrepair.center/guides/drain-standpipe-and-hose/) - [How to Level a Washer So It Stays Put](https://washerrepair.center/guides/leveling-a-washer/) - [Washer Drain Pans and Upper-Floor Laundry Rooms](https://washerrepair.center/guides/drain-pan-and-upper-floor-laundry/) Not sure which section? ### Start from your question The four questions most visits start with, each with the guide that answers it. 18 guides Where to start Where to start --- **[Read on the site: Water and electrical safety — Washer Guides](https://washerrepair.center/guides/safety-and-food/)** **[Book a visit with WasherRepair.center](https://washerrepair.center/schedule/)**