Get a washer with a shut off system that shuts down automatically if it detects a leak PLUS a pan that catches any water leaked before the system shuts down.

My Bosch washer has both of these but you can acquire both on the aftermarket and have them installed.

And a tile floor is NOT going to protect anything in the event of water leak - it just means that the surface itself (i.e. tile) will not be damaged from normal splashing - i.e. in a bathroom you might get out with wet feet and the tile floor will be wet but if the toilet, sink or tub overflows the water would go right through the floor - it's happened often in my high rise and there has been major damage to floors below even though the bathroom floors are tile or stone.

I'm not an expert so maybe a real pro can give better advice. However, I dislike the look of the pans under washer. I would rather have a waterproofed, sloped floor with a floor drain and tile. While Helen is correct that tile itself is not waterproof, if you use a waterproofing product underneath the tile, your floor would be protected against water.

Why would you be concerned about the looks of a smittie pan under a washer in a closet? Compared to issues of water leaking and causing damage to floors below or to whatever is on the floors, it seems like a no brainer.

With the leak protection cut off valves and the pan, you don't have to worry about any kind of leaks or water damage.

Once your washer/dryer is IN the closet, you already no longer have that million dollar chandelier spa closet look anyway :-)

I have the Bosch 800 with the pan built in and it's completely inoffensive visually. It's a washer after all and I doubt anyone is noticing a visual distinction between one with a pan and one without :-)

I am not a construction expert - I just know that there have been catastrophic floods caused when toilets and tubs and sinks overflow in my high-rise. The tiles are not constructed like a shower with complete water proofing and given enough water, they leak down - not to mention the horizontal spread of water to areas contiguous to your closet. The tile floor (at least in my experience) just means that the floor material is not damaged by moderate wood unlike laminate floors or even wood floors if even small amounts of water are left.

There is a way to waterproof the floor. I am not an expert but ditra is one brand that is used to waterproof bathroom floors. Hardibacker or any cement board is not waterproof. I was hoping Mongoct, Tundra, creative or another wonderful pro would chime in. A pan would be fine if A. It meets your aesthetic expectations and B. would hold a full machine of water. The worse case scenario is the inlet valve gives out and water continues to flow unchecked while you are not home. It happens occasionally. You can also post on the Home Building Forum for more responses.

The Bosch machine has dual protection. The hose is double so that if the inner tube leaks, there is still the exterior tube. The water is shut off immediately when the sensor senses relatively minimal water accumulation where it shouldn’t be and the overflowing water is held in the attached pan.

For new construction, I recommend taking a look at the shutoff valves by Watts. They include an integral electrical receptacle for the washing machine plug, so the Watts will not just turn off the water supply, it'll also remove power from the washing machine.

For retrofits, Watts and Floodstop have versions that will fit an existing laundry box. Floodstop has the ability to remove power from the washer, but it's usually via an add-on product.

There are other manufacturers besides Watts and Floodstop. Those are simply the two I recommend and that I'm familiar with.

MogoCT has a great idea.