How to Save Thousands of Dollars - 110th Penny Pinching Party

When we moved into our first home just over 10 years ago, we remodeled everything. After we painted the kitchen cabinets and installed a new Pergo laminate floor, we bought new appliances. We bought a nice dishwasher with all of the bells and whistles. After using the new dishwasher for a few months, we noticed that our new laminate floor was warped. The new dishwasher had a defective part and had been leaking and getting under our floor. Luckily, the dishwasher manufacture paid to fix the dishwasher and for another new floor since the dishwasher was still under warranty. The repair man told us to go to a metal shop and have them make us a pan to stick under the dishwasher so that if there was ever a leak again, we would see it before it ruined our floor. We paid about $20 for a metal pan with 3 sides and an opening in the front. When we sold our house just a few months ago, the inspector reported that the dishwasher was leaking. It was a small leak, so it wasn't enough to come out the front and alert us. The pan however, did save the floor. Without it, the floor would have slowly been ruined over time.

We have been working hard at our new home, painting the cabinets and installing a laminate floor. On Labor Day we scored a stainless steel dishwasher for $200 at the RC Willey Labor Day Sale. After previously buying a dishwasher with all of the bells and whistles, we learned that all we ever used was the normal cycle and didn't need the extra stuff. Our new dishwasher is simple and uncomplicated and hopefully won't leak. Before we installed the dishwasher we called a metal shop to have a pan made. The price of metal must have gone up because they wanted $70! I decided to look around on the internet for a pan and after a lot of searching found one at http://www.floorsaverpan.com. I was so excited to find that someone actually made these! I can't believe that they are not sold in every hardware store in the world. I then did something I had never done before. I emailed the company and asked if they would send me one for free and I would blog about it in exchange. I would have bought one anyway, but it doesn't hurt to ask. It turns out the man who sells them is a plumber who saw a need and decided to do something about it. He doesn't advertise or promote his product at all which is probably why it was so hard to find. Here it is! The simple product that every home with a dishwasher should have. It will save you thousands of dollars.

I wish the previous owners of our home had used one of these. When we pulled out the old dishwasher we discovered why several of the tiles in front of the sink/dishwasher were broken.

Before we installed our new laminate floor, we had to replace some of the damaged and warped subfloor. You can see that post here. We thought the sink had leaked and caused the damage. It makes more sense that it was the dishwasher since a leak under the dishwasher can go undetected for months and even years, causing extensive damage. The previous owners must have had a leak that they never knew about. It warped the subfloor underneath the tile, causing the tiles to break on the uneven floor.

We bought some mold paint additive and mixed it in some leftover primer we had. The mold paint additive is supposed to block mold and it was cheaper than replacing the wood and drywall.

We used some scraps of laminate and finished it off with a lot of caulk.

Finally we got to put the floor saver pan in.

Now I get to enjoy my new dishwasher without worrying about my new expensive floor ever being ruined.

I am not being paid to write this review, but am writing it hoping that I can save at least one other person from the nightmare that an undetected leak can cause. Here are the Floor Saver Pan features:

• Floor Saver Pan is a water barrier that fits neatly under your built-in dishwasher
• Made from a tough recycled ABS plastic
• Impact resistant (not effected by dishwasher legs or weight of machine)
• Sits out of sight & takes up minimal space
• Will not allow an undetected water leak to damage your floor
• Channels water from a leak to the front of the dishwasher so immediate repair can be initiated
• Inexpensive insurance for your expensive flooring
• Protects cabinets, subfloors, basements and house structure from water damage

I challenge you to pull out your dishwasher and see if you have any unknown water damage. If you do, then fix it and put a Floor Saver Pan in. If you don't, put a Floor Saver Pan in before you do have an unexpected leak costing you thousands of dollars.

*I have even convinced the owner to do a giveaway and will be posting that soon.

I think spending a little money to prevent a huge expense is a great Penny Pinching idea. What have you been doing to save some $$$?