Failed braided tap connector

[polygonum]

Have spent part of today helping my mother with the consequences of a flood. The cause was a braided connector to the kitchen sink. Here's a photo:

I find difficult to believe is that ordinary deterioration over the years would have had that impact on the braiding. Sure, the inner rubber (or whatever it is) might have failed, the flood might have been as bad or worse. But could failure of the inner have wrecked the braiding quite so comprehensively?

Am also surprised that, as I looked a similar product up on Screwfix it says "Not suitable for drinking water." Seems that suitability for potable supplies depends on the inner being made of a suitable substance and WRAS approved.

[newshound]

Looks odd to me too. There seems to have been some corrosion on the braiding. It is possible that the degraded rubber released sulphide / sulphate / chloride which then contributed to the attack on the braid. Was the failure at a kink or a contact site which might result in stress corrosion cracking or fretting respectively. Could there have been bimetallic corrosion, or electrolytic corrosion if there was a leakage current passing?

In my present house, you could get a shock off the (metal) sink before I discovered that although the incomer and main fuse were prominently labelled PME, there was actually no earth to neutral link.

[Andrew Gabriel]

Other thoughts: Contact with wet cement/mortar? Could someone have accidently played a blowlamp on it?

[polygonum]

Trouble is someone had done a lot of the clearing up - including replacing this - by the time I got there. So I don't have much of an idea of exactly how it was installed. It was on the hot water side of a deck mixer. The sink is stainless and it is quite possible the braided hose was kinked so as to be in touch with the back of the sink. Wish now I had pointed the camera up there - effectively impossible to look directly.

The supply pipe was ordinary 15mm copper in seemingly good condition.

Not aware of any electrical issues in the house - but that does not mean everything is perfect, I know.

BTW folk - apologies, the image is large. My photos upload automatically so I don't get the "that took a long time" feedback that manual uploading provides - and I didn't think.

[polygonum]

[polygonum]

Not sure what happened there!

I think it unlikely - but anything is possible over years.

Have been wondering if it could have frozen at some point - it is a back of sink, on a cold outside wall, and mother has often disappeared on holiday around Christmas for a couple of weeks. I suppose that could have caused it to bulge out but not fail until now?

[newshound]

On a second look, the polymer looks a bit like it has been overheated, and the kinked individual wires also look as though they have been very hot. Looks to me more like conditions from an electrical discharge than a blowlamp. Anyone done any electric welding in the vicinity?

[newshound]

And if it was against a wet wall, how about ground current from a local lightning strike passing to the mains earth?

[ss]

I have a property abroad and they use these connectors (cheap crap probably) but they only last about 3 years before they burst, its a known issue and all property owners turn the water off at the tap before they leave the property vacant. What happens is the braid corrodes particularly over the winter damp months and when weakened then the water pressure bursts the rubber hose as the braid cant contain it. I have had some go during the night but fortunately in a wetroom toilet. Now I am not saying its the same issue here but thats what happens over there. Many of us replace them every 3 years regardless and keep spares at hand.

[fred]

I had one fail due to frost some time back. It didn't burst but failed at the connector

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

Hmmm... thinks back. Luckily, iirc I've not fitted any of those to mains pressure taps.

[Rick Hughes]

My neighbor .. had one fail, and he hasn't even finished his build and moved in yet .. so less than 3 years old ... flooded out the bathroom

[tony sayer]

In article , Weatherlawyer scribeth thus

Despite that the olde Hurricane did very well when it mattered in Britain's finest hour;!..

My old dad used to be an armourour on Spitfires at Duxford but the hurricane was very well regarded by a lot of pilots as a very decent aircraft and a very stable gun platform that could take a lot of punishment, and it was a lot easier to stick back together again;!...