Washing machine hose nonsense

[GB]

We just had the Miele man in to repair our washing machine. He diagnosed a faulty inlet valve leaking water outside the machine (not into the drum). Fair enough, I guess, if it needs a new one (£96) and about £50 labour to fit it. But he has also prescribed a new inlet hose at £36.88.

It's just a 1.5m 3/4" inlet hose, so leaving aside the ridiculous price, why could it need replacing? There does not appear to be anything wrong with the old one, so I assume that he just wants the washer off the new hose. Surely, this is total nonsense?

[Tim]

Sounds like it. To be honest it sounds like a leaking washer was the *only* fault. I can't conceive of an inlet valve problem resulting in a leak outside the machine other than a simple washer leak.

If possible, if you can't diagnose and fix the fault yourself, I'd suggest getting a second opinion.

Tim

[Ian Jackson]

I recently had a problem where the washing machine leaked at the inlet connector. I tried new washers, and even a smear of plumbers mate on the threads and the washer, but the leak always returned.

I tried to identify the source of the leak by using the trick of tying a 'spill' of kitchen tissue around the connector, and also a little further down the pipe, and came to the conclusion that the leak was indeed coming from the seat of the inlet (rather than where the pipe connector was crimped to the pipe). However, I simply couldn't see where or why. The faces of both the washing machine inlet connector and the nut of the pipe connector seemed fine (no ridges, fine cracks etc). Everything was tightening up correctly, and was seating firmly.

In the end I paid about £6 for a new pipe, and this fixed the problem.

[damduck-egg]

Hairline crack on the nut opening under high water pressure ? Sometimes happens if the connection is pushed up too tight to something,I wouldn't expect a Miele to vibrate as much as some machines but a couple of years of bashing the nut on spin could weaken it.

Perhaps Miele man suspects the threads on the inlet valve and or the hose end have become distorted or damaged and he is adopting a belt and braces approach rather than being called back again. Would have been sensible to inform the OP of his reasoning though.

G.Harman

[John Stumbles]

Is it? I thought Miele hoses had a plastic box on the end with the 3/4" BSP female fitting and a corrugated plastic pipe about an inch diameter from that to the machine. I assume (never having taken one apart) that the plastic box houses the inlet valve and the corrugated pipe carries not only the water from the inlet valve to the machine but the control linkage from the machine to the valve.

I think I've seen another make of machine with this arrangement recently.

[Steve Firth]

John Stumbles wrote: [snip]

Ikea, which presumably means Whirlpool.

[js.b1]

Miele hoses used to be unique. They were rated to some obscenely high pressure, an order of magnitude beyond any domestic water supply (ours is 8.2 bar, far from the highest). As a result they were expensive and ironically popular for some critical applications (holiday let, expensively furnished house etc). Miele tended to last 12-20yrs so it was quite conceivable that the hose might never be replaced for 2 decades. A =A336 hose (thought they were =A348!) is pretty small compared to the cost of replacing a downstairs solid floor, expensive wallpaper, antique furniture etc.

They may still be, or just outsourced.

Unless you have a particular reason to buy a Miele hose, just get one from Screwfix. You can always buy a genuine Miele item later from Miele, eSpares, Ebay etc.

[Andrew May]

Isn't is so that the machine can detect a leak and cut of the water supply accordingly. It's been a while since I installed mine so may be wrong but there is definitely something there that makes it non-standard.

[PeterC]

Yes, I noticed the pressure rating when installing a Miele. I did see an ordinary hose that had pressure rating v temperature on it. I can't remember the values, but quite low at 60C - far lower than most mains water supplies. As my combi is above the washing machine this means, in the rare circumstance of a machine having hot fill, that the machine could stop filling with water at 60C or so and, in this village, about 5 Bar pressure. That would shorten the life of the hose, I feel.

[Derek G.]

It's quite a commonplace old idea. My last 2 machines have utilised it.

During the filling operation ... At the start of the filling operation a timer is set to run. If the filling operation hasn't completed as detected by the water level switch in the machine, by the time the timer runs out the solenoid valve at the tap end of the hose is closed to shut off the water.

This based on the assumption that if the inlet water isn't filling the machine it's probably escaping and causing a flood.

Derek G.

[The Medway Handyman]

I won't change washers on WM hoses, it invariable doesn't solve the problem & I get called back. I change the hose - £2:25 from Toolstation.

[Harry Bloomfield]

GB laid this down on his screen :

So why didn't you fix it yourself and avoid paying such an inflated bill?

[Ian Jackson]

In message , The Medway Handyman writes

At £2.25, a new hose doesn't seem an unnecessary extravagance. However, dare I ask what causes the invariable problems with the old hoses?

Obviously you wouldn't use a really old one, or one which has been damaged, but for personal DIY jobs, I don't normally replace stuff which seems perfectly OK.

And BTW, the hose which I was having the intransigent leak with WAS a new one. [The WM was in a different position, and needed a longer hose.] As I wanted to get the job fixed without further delay, I did a 'cut and shut' job with two shorter hoses which I just happened to have in the garage.

[js.b1]

Thanks harry, yes 8 bar is pretty severe.

Turn the bathroom sink tap on a bit quick in the early hours of Monday morning, when no-one is drawing water, and you get a shower with a cup blown to the other side of the sink. I can also hear the (new) Torbeck valve on the toilet cistern drip-drip

PRV is definately on the shortlist, if UU will not fit one then Honeywell seem well regarded.

[The Medway Handyman]

I wish I knew! I've changed washers in a few & had to go back because a drip developed. I can't afford to do that.

Likewise toilet siphons, you can just change the diaphragm bit, but twice I had trouble, possibly hairline splits in the mouldings - and had to go back.

Neither would I for personal jobs, but its different doing it commercially.

[GB]

It's got the drier stacked on top, so it's too heavy for me to move on my own. Plus if it's anything internal you need a manual anyway. Did you know that the front comes off a Miele washing machine, for example?

TBH, I just assumed it would need internal repair. If I had pulled it out and looked round the back I would probably have tried a new washer, as that's where it seems to be leaking.

[Steve Walker]

They have gone downhill ;) The Meile dishwasher that we used to have had a full circuit diagram on the inside, along with information on "updates" that had been incorporated by their service guy!

SteveW

[Huge]

Our Miele washing machine still does.