A neighbor woke up to an inch of water on their first floor from a burst washing machine hose. Got me to worrying.
I replaced mine with braided steel hoses; even splurged and got the ones that shut off in case of a leak.
I know the rubber ones are supposed to be replace every 5 years, or something like that; do the steel ones every have to be routinely replace? Nothing on the package about it.
How much did those hoses cost?
$22 for a pair of 6' at HD.
The PO of my house shut off the water to the washer whenever it was not in use; he was very proud of the fact that it still had the same rubber hoses that were there when he moved in 18 years earlier.
I replaced them anyway; but perhaps there's something to his method.
nate
I also do this, but only on the on the hot water line. Yes, they are ball valves. I wouldn't do this if they were gate valves.
OK. There are 1825 days in 5 years. $22 / 1825 days = $0.0120547 per day. That tells me they should be replaced every five years. Or, if they're going to fail sooner, try and replace them the day before that happens.
Seriously...how can anyone answer this question? The crap's made in China, right?
Yea the steel ones are just rubber inside. They are likely good for some time longer like maybe 10 years. Even some of the non-steel ones are looking good today.
I like the shutoffs that keep the water off except for a given time after the button is pressed giving you enough time for a load of laundry.
Unfortunately my shut off valves are under the laundry tub, at the back. Impractical to get back there to push a button.
A couple years ago I got a box with dual valves for it, but without ripping everything out there is no way to install it. One of these years...
What do you suggest, replacing them when they fail?
Without sending sample out for chemical analysis there is no way to know when your oil needs to be replaced. But you probably do it regularly. Same idea.
When I got my last house I added a set of shut off valves for the washer. I suppose they are a ball valve , ? they just turn about 180 degrees. They are mounted just above the washer and clearly visible.
I had to relocate the electrical outlet the washer uses but that wasnt much of a problem.
One day, at an office at a major seaport in California (where Chinese imports are being inspected): One old, tired inspector looks into a container and sees stuff he doesn't like (maybe he wished he could afford the things). He writes "contents really are pathetic" on the container. Other employees see this and thinks that's what they should write on containers of Chinese goods. They are busy so they usually just write the initials, CRAP.
Myths are often more "deluded imagination" than "great truth". Not always.
I just know what I find in packages. Worse, what you find packaged under a certain brand today will probably be different next month or next year, depending on which factory is chosen to make the stuff.
As I see it, the rubber hoses swell before they split/burst and the steel braid keeps the hose from swelling. So the entire layer of rubber would have to disintegrate in some spot before they would leak.
But I have no idea about your bigger question.
I'm going to go look for the ones that shut off in case of a leak, especially if they are only 22 dollars. That's 44 for a pair or no?
You're supposed to be a member of a tool-using species. Use a stick. If a regular stick won't work, design a special stick.
I don't know. I got a good 15 years out of my last set of washing machine hoses and they were made of rubber. I replaced them as the OP did about a year ago with stainless steel ones from Lowes. The old ones never failed... I just started to get nervous after reading a thread similar to this one.
they're actually spigots, but I'm tempted to replace them with ball valves since I have to do some neatening up in that area anyway (one of the water lines is hanging away from the wall at some funky angle, and it was apparently installed that way...)
nate
Exactly, change them regularly, but even better have a shut off valve for the washer supply and turn it off when not in use.
/snip
Now that is indeed true, and one of the problems with product consistency, especially with any 'store' branded products!
There are single valve shut offs made for just this purpose. Go for the good one too, worth every extra penny IMHO. Why someone hasn't designed an electronic one that 'communicates' with the washer to turn the valves on and off when needed is beyond me......
Right. I have 3 packages of theoretically identical wood screws from Home Depot. Same package size, same UPC code, but purchased over a two year period. There's a clear difference in the quality between the 3 packages.
Contrast: When I need stainless steel hardware that's really mint, I go to West Marine and pay a hefty premium. No packaging, so I have idea where the stuff comes from. But, it's consistent from one visit to the next, and it's well made.
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