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Salty_Peaks
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[Appliances] Do you replace washer hoses every 5 years?

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New hoses
Any truth to having to do this? Seems reasonable if you have a water composition that may cause the hoses to leech chemicals and become rotten or rigid but just how much truth is there to having to replace these hoses if the ingress filter screens aren’t clogging with hose debris? Not to mention it looks like the cold water hose I replaced was pristine every a decade. Hot water side looks a little suspect with some warping of the washer and some residue/calcification in the host but nothing that says "replace me". Went ahead and replaced 'em for $12.95 (USA made hoses) only because the wife mentioned needing to replace them every 5 years thanks to that insurance commercial and I knew if I didn’t they would explode over night *grin*. Anyone else doing this 5 year rotation? The hoses I replaced were 10 years old (unknown origin) and looked fine to me. Do you replace 'em?

PS -- always an enjoyable thing to have to tighten the packing nut on the shut-off values because they haven't been using in a decade.

jrs8084
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jrs8084

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[Appliances] Re: Do you replace washer hoses every 5 years?

I didn't buy into replacing hoses. Then one day about 7 years ago, a rag fell down behind the washer. As I fished it out, it appeared as if I had a lemon stuffed in my hot water line.

The lines were immediately replaced with braided stainless, and are inspected routinely.

shdesigns
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Mine are over 20 years old.

The water here does not seem to bother them. Biggest thing in my water is rust and much of that is taken out by the whole-house filter.

Probably should replace them but they get expensive when you need 8' ones. They run above the W/D so I can see if they start swelling.

As the W/D is in the basement and would flood into the lower garage, not much damage would occur if they leaked.

Salty_Peaks
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Apologies for the misspellings in the original post, 's/hosts/hose/'. I should also add there were no bulges in the hoses, no observed tearing or fissures around the compression couplings, and the hose was uniform in outer diameter visually. I'm with shdesigns -- inspect visually and replace as needed. The arbitrary time-based replacement strategies seem suspect especially if you're trading out a quality hose for a potential defect-prone new one.
fartness (banned)
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My whites don't stay very white, could this be because of old hoses?

netboy34
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I check them often, but not replace every 5.

Smoke detectors though, every 10 years like clock work. I have two more to replace this year, and about to do all of them in the mother in laws town home.

Camelot One
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I've yet to live in the same house for 5 years. And the buyers always want to include the washer and dryer, so I get new hoses for the new units each time.

nunya
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No. But I had one break once... F___ing mess!!!
TheMG
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This will probably sound like I'm a bit paranoid, but I shut the valves when I'm done using the washer, then open them again when I want to use it.

They are quarter-turn ball valves, so it only takes a couple seconds.

nunya
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nunya

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That's what you are supposed to do.

shdesigns
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Ball vales I'd turn off. The regular ones I have, I'd worry they'd leak if I touch them as they are almost 30 years old.

linicx
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Why? This is the first time I ever heard it. I never had to replace a hose.

nunya
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nunya

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Wait until one breaks. You'll see.

linicx
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linicx

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. I was curious why faucets were turned off?

Raphion
join:2000-10-14
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said by linicx:

:D. I was curious why faucets were turned off?

If you turn them off when the washer isn't in use, there is no chance that the hose will break while you're at work, and turn your basement into an unplanned underground cistern. No chance of the valves in the washer failing while you're away and flooding the place either. And, though it's counter-intuitive, the solenoid valves in a washer actually require water pressure to keep them closed, if the water pressure drops too low, they can let it run through and cause flooding.

So it is safer to shut the supply off when not doing laundry, but it's one more thing to remember to do, both turning it off, and turning it back on. Clothes wouldn't wash very well if you forgot to turn it back on...

Beezel
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I just look, and feel them every now and then to see if I see dry-rotting, splits, etc. If there are any signs apparent then I change them. Other than that, no I don't change them every 5 years.
Critsmcgee
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I'd rather play the lottery. I have the same odds of winning as a hose breaking. It's never happened to my grandparents, my parents, or me so well over 100 years of combined life. My grandparents hoses are something like 20-25 years old, my parents are about 15 years old, and mine are about 9 years old. If they break they break but I'm not going to be paranoid and add more hassle to my life over something that will likely never happen.

pike
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said by fartness:

My whites don't stay very white, could this be because of old hoses?

You are keeping them separate from your colors, right? Using water that's too hot will also tend to yellow your whites (use the warm setting instead). Also use a quality detergent, not just whatever's cheapest this week at Walmart (especially if you wear expensive clothes).

As far as hoses, it really depends on the risk. My washer sits in an unfinished portion of the basement right next to a drain on properly graded floor. So the only risk I bear is wasted water. Those with washers on the main or second floor obviously have more to lose and would benefit from the cheap insurance of proactively replacing hoses or using their shutoff valves.
25696122 (banned)
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Re: [Appliances] Do you replace washer hoses every 5 years?

Don't bother turning off the water. Just get a water alarm. Hook it to your alarm system or set it to call/email you.

LadyL
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We bought our washer&dryer in 1970...when hubby was transferred to Kodiak,Alaska in 1973(Coast Guard),they were shipped up there...hubby decided to retire in '77(didn't want to be a Warrant Officer at the CG Academy), everything was shipped to his hometown(Lorain)...haven't had a problem with either of them...2 adults&3 kids...and now it's just me... gas dryer is a Maytag and washer is a Kenmore Guess I'm just lucky !
MichelR
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After a lot of water damage in my building over the past few years, we passed a by-law to replace the hoses every 8 years, and hot water tanks every 10 years. Just had the hoses replaced this week. I have no idea how old the previous ones were.

I was renting another unit in the building for a few years before buying this one. I always turn off the taps when I'm not using the washer, so before moving I told the owner that they should replace the hoses before someone else moves in, because the hoses were old and the next person most likely wouldn't leave the taps off. Four months after the person moved in, one of the hoses burst and caused a lot of damage all the way down to the first floor. You guessed it, the owner hadn't replaced the hoses like I had recommended...

It's pretty cheap to replace those, and definitely a lot cheaper than dealing with water damage. My boss told me that some insurance companies won't pay for damage due to a burst hose if the hose is older than two years, but I've never heard that elsewhere and it does seem pretty extreme.

New hoses requirement in my building: Steel-braided, 125 PSI.
25696122 (banned)
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New hose HoA rule is as bad as our no furniture on your patio rule. Just stupid!

beck
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They don't have to break when you aren't home. One day while washing and the spin cycle jiggling them... Yeah, if one breaks, doesn't take long to flood and make a BIG mess. It isn't like the whole thing breaks off nicely. There will be a split and it will spray ALL over.
MichelR
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said by 25696122:

New hose HoA rule is as bad as our no furniture on your patio rule. Just stupid!

Seriously? You're comparing patio furniture with flood prevention? Apples, oranges anyone?

There were so many floods in the building that the deductible for water damage is now $50K (which the insurance of the unit where it originated has to cover). It was either that, or the building was no longer insurable (they wanted a $100K deductible at first, but they talked them down to $50K). That's not counting all the trouble for everyone whose unit is affected. A hose burst on the 12th floor last year and that went all the way down to the 2nd floor. If you want to flood your place, buy a house.

Booost
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I don't replace them. However, I have shutoff valves (1/4 turn) which I close whenever the washer is not actively in use. The washer and dryer are also sitting in a drain pan piped to the outside.
25696122 (banned)
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Hardly. A lawn guy tripped and got hurt on patio furniture. It cost far more that anything a hose/water could do. Both are freak accidents and both rules are knee-jerk reactions.

acadiel
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Just like when nunya says something with the wisdom of an electrician, the P&C insurance industries also are saying this from experience (i.e. claims):

»learningcenter.statefarm ··· dex.html

3-5 years is what State Farm states.

I label mine on the end with a label with the date I replaced them. And yes, I've seen the egg/lemon bulge on the end between 3-5 years before just as a previous poster. I also have a leak frog at the bottom of the washer, and a pan with drain (with all good that did the one time the water valve stuck.. the "drain" went right into the ceiling below. Darn builder shortcuts.)
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Re: [Appliances] Re: Do you replace washer hoses every 5 years?

said by netboy34:

I check them often, but not replace every 5.

x2 As long as the hoses are inspected regularly for obstructions, warping, loss of flexibility, etc then you only need to replace them when they need replacement. If you're not one to inspect them at least once a year then you would be better off replacing at regular intervals otherwise you are pretty much guaranteed to end up replacing them standing in a couple feet of water, and having to replace a whole lot more. It's all about risk mitigation.
said by netboy34:

Smoke detectors though, every 10 years like clock work. I have two more to replace this year, and about to do all of them in the mother in laws town home.

x2 on this as well. The great majority of smoke alarms function using radioactive materials which decay over time, no matter the environment where the alarm is installed. These MUST be changed every 10 years as past that the radioactive material has decayed past the point of effectiveness.

Ken
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Re: [Appliances] Do you replace washer hoses every 5 years?

I know this has been posted before in previous topics about washing machine hoses, but for those that don't know...

You can buy hoses made from hydraulic hose
dmagerl
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Re: [Appliances] Re: Do you replace washer hoses every 5 years?

said by IamGimli:

The great majority of smoke alarms function using radioactive materials which decay over time, no matter the environment where the alarm is installed. These MUST be changed every 10 years as past that the radioactive material has decayed past the point of effectiveness.

I've never understood this, yet this is the reason commonly given for why they need to be replaced, "the radioactive element has decayed past usefullness". Americium is the element used in smoke detectors and has a half life of around 400 years. How can it decay enough in 10 years to make the detector non functional?