Shut off water when washer not in use?

Hi,

A plumber told me that it's a good idea to shut off water from the washer when it's not in use because the flexible lines aren't rated to continuous pressure.

A. Is that true? B. Does the same apply to the gas line for the dryer?

Many thanks in advance!

Aaron

Reply to
Aaron Fude
Loading thread data ...

Well, they ARE rated for continuous pressure, but do break. So shutting off the water is a fail-safe idea. Special valves are available for just that purpose - to make it easy to turn off the water.

It does NOT apply to the dryer's gas line (unless you're using the push-on rubber hoses that have been outlawed since about 1950).

Reply to
HeyBub

If the hoses are not rated for the pressure they must not be very good hoses. I am sure there are millions of homes with the hoses that never get cut off. There are some valves you can install to cut the water off when the washer is not in use or will detect a big leak and cut off the water. If I was going on vacation I would cut off the water going to them or to the hole house. I did have a hose to develope a leak while I was out of town one day. I now cut off the well pump (did not have that option at the other house) if I go off overnight or longer.

The gas line is only under a couple of pounds of presure. Much less than 10 pounds so you do not have to worry about that line breaking.

Reply to
Ralph Mowery

My mother was visiting us in Arizona 7 or 8 years ago. We were sitting in the family room talking, and she started obsessing over whether she should have turned off the water in her house before she left. As I was telling her not to worry, we heard the sound of running water, and saw a widening circle of water creeping across the floor from the laundry room. The hot water hose on the washer had split. Of course, this did nothing to improve her frame of mind. I replaced those hoses with the braided metallic armored kind (available in the home centers), and got in the habit of turning off the water to the washer when we were going to be away for a while. Probably a good idea to change to new hoses each time you replace the washing machine. Fancy armored hoses can be more expensive than the other kind, but they are a lot cheaper than repairing the water damage from a leak that's been running all day while you were at work.

So, yes, those hoses can break. On the other hand, who knows what is worse for those washer supply hoses - constant pressure, or the pressure surge every time you turn the supply back on?

I can remember seeing an episode of "Ask This Old House" where the plumber guy installed one of those leak-detector shutoff valves on the laundry water lines - you might be able to find it on their website.

Another opportunity for leaks is the water supply line to the toilet. I had one let go at about 2AM, luckily in the bathroom right next to our bedroom, so I heard the water running right away. It wasn't actually the metal flex supply line - the plastic nut connecting to the bottom of the toilet cracked and split at the joint between the round and hex parts of the nut. Have since had 5 or 6 other people tell me the same thing happened to them.

Many recent homes here in AZ have the water supply split at the entry to the house. You can leave the water on to your lawn sprinkler system so your lawn doesn't turn brown when you're gone for 3 weeks in the summer - but you can shut off the main feed to the rest of the house. I have been been tempted to use that shutoff several times on vacations, but never have. If it's a concern, you might consider a bit of minor replumbing to install an easily accessible whole-house shutoff.

Kind of makes you want to go check your homeowners insurance for water damage coverage doesn't it? ;->

Jerry

Reply to
Jerry

Why not? Hoses fail regardless of their rating. Ever hear of water hammer? Every time you turn off your faucet there is some transient pressure spike in your system. At some point in time there is always the potential of a hose failure after it has been subjected to (weakened by) these high pressure pulses. Get yourself a single lever Watts valve. Gas line is under low pressure but what's the harm in shutting off the supply to the dryer/ I have a ball type valve in the line right next to the dryer. MLD

Reply to
MLD

Like this?

formatting link
First I heard of this. Interesting. Convenient. Cheap insurance.

Jerry

Reply to
Jerry

If the hoses are old then turning the water off each time is a good idea. Replacing the hoses is even better.

Reply to
The Reverend Natural Light

Get some better hoses (they do make them) and be done with it.

Gas line no problem.

Reply to
Blattus Slafaly

anything can break at any time, messing with valves constantly can lead to them failing too.

your water heater can start lkeaking too at any time

Reply to
hallerb

Yes, it is a good idea. The metal braided lines will last longer than the rubber hoses. I installed a one-lever shut off valve, about $20. The gas line should have a shut off value nearby, but it is not necessary to close off this (low-pressure) valve.

Reply to
Phisherman

Yes, the earth can open up and suck you in. But a good hose is no more likely to break than the water pipes.

Reply to
Claude Hopper

Hi, There may be some truth in it. But in my whole life I never did that and never experienced bursted hose. Anyway our washer is located in the basement right next to floor drain if it ever bursts. If you think about gas dryer, how about gas fire place, gas range, gas furnace, list goes on.

Reply to
Tony Hwang

Hi, One thought, if you keep turing water on/off wouldn't it cause premature failure of hose by repeated expanding/shrinking cycles?

Reply to
Tony Hwang

Don't think so. The water in the hose will retain the pressure - unless it leaks, then you have a different problem.

Reply to
HeyBub

Even with titanium hoses equipped with laser carved diamond fittings, you still have to consider that the inner plumbing and valves of the washer itself can fail. Shut the water off. Really.

Reply to
salty

Do you turn off the water to your ice maker after the tray fills too?

Reply to
gfretwell

If I had an icemaker, the answer would be no. Of course, if you were intellectually honest, you would have admitted that there is a bit of a difference between the very tiny line to the icemaker, and the two large diameter hoses leading to the washer.

Reply to
salty

Dumb----Ask yourself one question--am I better off with the water shut OFF or ON. The machine shutoff valves are nickel and dime parts--Closure is made with a small plunger pushed by a spring that's probably exerts a force comparable to a ball point pen spring. Sure it works but to say that they never fail----Consider a small piece of contamination on the shutoff valve seat that starts out as a small leak that grows into a very big leak while you're off on vacation somewhere. MLD

Reply to
MLD

My house was vacant for a while (we tried to sell it, but with the housing market the way it is, that didn't happen). The day after we decided to move back in, the toilet supply line in the master bath failed in exactly the manner described above. A neighbor noticed water flowing out of the house and called us. We have no way of knowing how long the water had been spraying out of that crack in the plastic nut, but all rooms were flooded but the two front bedrooms. All the carpeting and all of the MDF baseboards in the flooded rooms were ruined. The company that came out that evening drilled 1" holes in the drywall everywhere and installed 5 industrial-sized dehumifiers and about 20 high-power fans to dry everything out. It took a week. All the flooring had to be replaced except the ceramic tile, and all the flooded rooms were repainted. The total insurance settlement was about $25K.

All of this was caused by the failure of a part that costs less than $5 at Home Depot. For under $7 you can get one with a safety shut-off valve. Guess which one I bought. I replaced the toilet supply line in the other bathroom as well because the plastic nut on that one was cracked too, but hadn't started to leak yet.

Suggestion: inspect those things often!

--Steve

Reply to
Steve

Thanks for the reminder, its time to replace my 11 year old hoses. A good stainless steel hose under 5 years old should not require the hassle of getting under the laundry tub to turn a valve every time you want to do the laundry. But watch out when they get old.

Reply to
RickH

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.