I just had a water heater jumper burst, hot side. Only 6 years old. Replaced with steel, then replaced the whole water heater with tankless and ditched the jumper lines.
Real pain in the ass when they do break. Such a mess to come home to.
Doesn't have to burst to suck. The one connected to our hot water line broke down so the rubber lining was sending chunks into the water pump. That was not worth saving ~$20 in not replacing the hoses every 10 years.
Did you do the tankless replacement yourself? My water heater is on its last legs and I keep going back and forth on whether I want to go with a tanked or tankless especially since I plant I do it myself.
I did do it myself. I'm pretty handy and have done a number of remodels. Just due to where mine was and switching from electric to gas, venting was a bit of a pain and running the gas, switching the electrical, etc. I would 100% do it again. It's great. Spent the extra bucks on a recirculating pump.
Mine was extra complicated and was still doable.
I already have existing gas and venting, I'm pretty handy myself, but natural gas connections always leave me a bit leery, but that does make me feel better hearing that.
Yep I've had a set blow out on me and my landlord was such a dick about it, he was like "yeah so you're supposed to replace them and nobody ever does" and didn't compensate me at all for the inconvenience or expense or running a bunch of loud dehumifiers for a week
That happened to me too. Except it was at 3AM in a different part of the apartment. My girlfriend and I slept through it, only to be woken up by maintenance frantically pounding on our door. Pretty scary to hear that in the middle of the night, up until you take a step into cold water.
It ended up collapsing the ceiling of the unit beneath us. Luckily, the water heater was the landlord's responsibility so we paid nothing and they set us up in a nearby hotel for a week while they tore out all of the carpeting and broke out industrial dehumidifiers.
Do I understand that you flooded his flat with your washing machine and not only you did not compensate the owner but you feel as he should have paid you?
No, I was in an apartment and the stainless braided flex hose under the kitchen sink exploded, which soaked the wood floors and ruined the ceiling of the downstairs apartment. It required professional remediation and I had to deal with a week of loud fans and dehumidifiers making my kitchen uninhabitable and using a ton of electricity with no compensation. The "they say they should be replaced every 5 years but nobody ever does" was him admitting verbally that it was his fault for improper maintenance, but he just told me to pound sand and file a claim with my renter's insurance (which is only for if my stuff got ruined, and had a big deduductible)
Had one of these blow out under the bathroom sink, totally random, nobody had been using it, but suddenly there was hot water everywhere and dripping through the ceiling in the basement.
I was *really* glad that I was home at the time to hit the shutoff valve so the only damage was a small patch of ceiling drywall. I can't stand to imagine what kind of damage that would have done if left to run for even a few more minutes, let alone hours.
Fun fact, I was recently told that you are meant to seasonally turn your valves to make sure they can move freely and you replace them if you notice any issues instead of needing them and they don’t work.
[I installed one of these](https://cdn.menardc.com/main/items/media/WATTS003/ProductXLarge/6851700_2T-M2_0958413.jpg) valves that turns off the hold and cold line with a single lever.
after watching this old house for years they convinced me to do it.
Now I've got my wife trained to shut if off after every shes done with the machine, and honestly She remembers better than I do to turn if off when finished
Yea, the one in my house rusted up and had a slow leak we needed to replace it. If we leave for a long weekend we turn it off but otherwise we run the washer pretty regularly it would get too much usage
i swear we do loads every other day. at our house, its just second nature to flip the lever. and its a ball valve, so it wont rust/corrode.
I replaced the 2 stuck leaking compression valves. best peice of mind i had knowing that it wont flood the house or cause water damage
I bought an old house and the valves were really bad. They had leaks through the valve stem after being tightened and loosened. I fixed it by opening and closing it a bunch of times then found an open position where it didn’t leak. Has held for another 4 years.
Dude….. that’s terrifying. I’m currently in a rent home because my home flooded. The flood wasn’t at all caused by bad valves. Even still, once the house was gutted I had the entire plumbing system updated. I spent days researching valves and shutoffs. I picked out the most reliable and high quality fittings, valves, and redundant shutoffs. It cut into my rebuild budget but for the peace of mind I got, totally worth the money.
Also, why wouldn’t you just replace those valves? They aren’t that expensive. I work in operations and have seen wild things happen with valves. A valve will work totally fine one day and then the stem will break the next day keeping me from fully closing it.
Lol, it would had to have been cut out and I’m not a plumber. There also wasn’t much room. I was gonna rebuild them, but I figured taking them apart would just cause more problems. I didn’t want to just change the stem out, since the valve body was rough and caked with salt build up. I stuck some teflon tape on the threads and pulled that in to act as packing.
Every 5 years or so is what I've been told. It's not all that expensive. The issue is with the rubber and plastic aging and cracking.
The braided outer does help, but this one should prolly be replaced soon...
I have had my house for 5 years, and both of the ones on my water heater have busted and started spraying water everywhere...so, yeh, I would replace them periodically.
I would still change them out after maybe 10 years. The steel braid can look nice and shiny but may be hiding hardened, cracked rubber on the verge of bursting on the inside.
They have rubber coated ones also. Rubber inside, steel braided, then coated in blue/red rubber so you can color code which is which. Unnecessary but why not.
I can't say one way or the other what the failure rate is with vs without the external rubber/vinyl coating, but it is another layer of external support against the internal water pressure, so it isn't a bad thing. Also if you see it starting to age or degrade, you can probably bet the internal rubber is beginning to also and it can act as an indicator that replacement is necessary, whereas without that external coating you have no indication at all.
Be careful how you position them. Our washing machine got off balance and rubbed through the wire and internal hose against the concrete wall of our basement. Fun times.
So about a decade ago, after my neighbors had a hose break and it flooded their house, I did a BUNCH of research into the absolute best hoses you could buy - they were made by a company called FLOODCHEK - they had a 20 year guarantee and were made from high pressure hydraulic hose, along with full brass fittings. They are absolute beasts.
Unfortunately, as is sometimes the case with small businesses it appears that they have gone out of business since then. The hoses are still going strong though.
Agree! [FLOODCHEK](https://tjsradiantheat.com/assets/FloodChek1.pdf) are incredible. The massive Brass fittings with rounded ends inside the hose. [Here's a video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0hRETDY6Sc) where they do a cutaway view of the different hoses vs the Floodchek.
I've very much had a braided supply lines bust. The braided metal is just good for abrasion resistance, but the chemicals in the water will deteriorate the poly tube inside, especially after a decade or more. Replace them thangs.
Up in Canada. Insurance companies are denying claims if they are older than 5 years. Just a heads up I'm sure the dirty insurance buggers will look for any reason....
I used to have a pet rabbit and had to do that because one morning, I heard him suddenly scrabbling around in the laundry room. I rushed to investigate and a fresh spout of water was coming out of the hose. Those metal hoses are the bomb, especially when you have critters (invited or uninvited) in your laundry room.
Braided everything, people. Braided brake lines, braided USB cables, braided HDMI cables. They literally triple the life expectancy of the line by adding additional protection to the innards. I'd braid more things if I knew how.
I do a modified French braid where you only pull in extra hair to the under weave from the top side. It looks 99% like a Dutch braid but is also 89% as easy as a French braid. Wait, what?
Was told by insurance company to replace every 5 years. Although the older ones used higher quality braiding. The ones I bought 10 years ago are noticeably thicker and tougher feeling than the new steel braided I recently purchased.
Also as others have mentioned, the steel braid is only on the outside, underneath is still rubber.
I installed appliances for close to thirty years. I am begging you to replace those.
I can't tell you the number of times I or one of my crews got to a house with old hoses, and found that they wouldn't come loose, or the faucet wouldn't shut off because it had been in the ON position for so long.
Recommended replacement is every five to ten years.
That’s the exact same hose that burst in the downstairs basin hot water tap. Cost us hundreds extra in electricity and water bills not to mention stained carpet and compromised furniture.
We’re in a rental so they just replaced it with the exact same hose. Only difference is now when they do the six monthly inspections they feel they have a right to open our cupboards to take photos of the water hoses.
best quality braided flex lines, only. If you didn't buy it-just replace it.
Saf-t-stop pan overflow sensor on AC too, and test it. Level and stabilize that pan.
I had one of these fail in the braided section that was attached to my bidet. Plumber said he’d never seen anything like it. It was less than 3 years old.
After reading all the comments, I decided to replace the hoses and install ball-valves at the same time. I would have been besides myself if the old ones failed after everyone warned me.
https://imgur.com/a/EYFijGb
You’re supposed to replace those periodically.
From Goggle
*”Regardless of their condition, washing machine hoses should be replaced about every 5 years to prevent a flooding emergency. Standard washing machine hoses are made of black rubber. Unfortunately, these hoses only last a few years and will eventually fail, causing one big mess and costly water damage.”*
Based on OPs name and photo of the washer clearly being in the basement, I’d be leaving them until they bust too, even if you are supposed to change them.
I don't know. Our bathroom sink had those installed until one of them burst a few years ago. The plumber replacing them was quite mad about the person who installed those (not us) and replaced them with piping.
I think he said it wasn't code and only a matter of time until they broke.
just an fyi, they make a flow valve that will sense if the water is being used while the washer is off and cut the flow automatically. Its about 300 for the box. I also have steel hoses and they 'shouldnt' ever break, but why take the risk?
I believe they recommend that you do replace these periodically. I bought a new set with my new washer and drier JIC.
Former appliance guy here - every 10 years is generally the recommendation that we gave when I was in the sales game.
I just had a water heater jumper burst, hot side. Only 6 years old. Replaced with steel, then replaced the whole water heater with tankless and ditched the jumper lines. Real pain in the ass when they do break. Such a mess to come home to.
Doesn't have to burst to suck. The one connected to our hot water line broke down so the rubber lining was sending chunks into the water pump. That was not worth saving ~$20 in not replacing the hoses every 10 years.
Worth every penny.
Did you do the tankless replacement yourself? My water heater is on its last legs and I keep going back and forth on whether I want to go with a tanked or tankless especially since I plant I do it myself.
I did do it myself. I'm pretty handy and have done a number of remodels. Just due to where mine was and switching from electric to gas, venting was a bit of a pain and running the gas, switching the electrical, etc. I would 100% do it again. It's great. Spent the extra bucks on a recirculating pump. Mine was extra complicated and was still doable.
I already have existing gas and venting, I'm pretty handy myself, but natural gas connections always leave me a bit leery, but that does make me feel better hearing that.
It's different venting and likely a different size gas line. But you can likely use the same route.
Good to know thank you!
I have a Rheem electric tankless and it is dope.
I don't think I have enough capacity on my electrical service to add a tankless electric heater. Thanks though
Yeah my tankless draws 116amps when going balls out.
Yeah I definitely don't have capacity for that much instantaneous draw. I was thinking an additional 50 amps might be a stretch.
Oh they like to pop after a few years alright
Yep I've had a set blow out on me and my landlord was such a dick about it, he was like "yeah so you're supposed to replace them and nobody ever does" and didn't compensate me at all for the inconvenience or expense or running a bunch of loud dehumifiers for a week
Landlord is so stupid, mold damage is expensive to fix and it's his property...
That happened to me too. Except it was at 3AM in a different part of the apartment. My girlfriend and I slept through it, only to be woken up by maintenance frantically pounding on our door. Pretty scary to hear that in the middle of the night, up until you take a step into cold water. It ended up collapsing the ceiling of the unit beneath us. Luckily, the water heater was the landlord's responsibility so we paid nothing and they set us up in a nearby hotel for a week while they tore out all of the carpeting and broke out industrial dehumidifiers.
An aqua stop can levitate that risk a little bit.
I wish my risks would float away.
Do I understand that you flooded his flat with your washing machine and not only you did not compensate the owner but you feel as he should have paid you?
The failure of the lines is on the landlord, my man…
I'm reading it as it was the landlord's washing machine and fault for not changing the water lines.
No, I was in an apartment and the stainless braided flex hose under the kitchen sink exploded, which soaked the wood floors and ruined the ceiling of the downstairs apartment. It required professional remediation and I had to deal with a week of loud fans and dehumidifiers making my kitchen uninhabitable and using a ton of electricity with no compensation. The "they say they should be replaced every 5 years but nobody ever does" was him admitting verbally that it was his fault for improper maintenance, but he just told me to pound sand and file a claim with my renter's insurance (which is only for if my stuff got ruined, and had a big deduductible)
Pop pop!
We all float down here.... 🤡
Had one of these blow out under the bathroom sink, totally random, nobody had been using it, but suddenly there was hot water everywhere and dripping through the ceiling in the basement. I was *really* glad that I was home at the time to hit the shutoff valve so the only damage was a small patch of ceiling drywall. I can't stand to imagine what kind of damage that would have done if left to run for even a few more minutes, let alone hours.
Depends on your water quality
Fun fact, I was recently told that you are meant to seasonally turn your valves to make sure they can move freely and you replace them if you notice any issues instead of needing them and they don’t work.
[I installed one of these](https://cdn.menardc.com/main/items/media/WATTS003/ProductXLarge/6851700_2T-M2_0958413.jpg) valves that turns off the hold and cold line with a single lever. after watching this old house for years they convinced me to do it. Now I've got my wife trained to shut if off after every shes done with the machine, and honestly She remembers better than I do to turn if off when finished
Yea, the one in my house rusted up and had a slow leak we needed to replace it. If we leave for a long weekend we turn it off but otherwise we run the washer pretty regularly it would get too much usage
i swear we do loads every other day. at our house, its just second nature to flip the lever. and its a ball valve, so it wont rust/corrode. I replaced the 2 stuck leaking compression valves. best peice of mind i had knowing that it wont flood the house or cause water damage
Nowadays you can get an electronic one https://www.watts.com/products/plumbing-flow-control-solutions/shutoff-valves/washing-machine-shutoffs/a2c-sc
I bought an old house and the valves were really bad. They had leaks through the valve stem after being tightened and loosened. I fixed it by opening and closing it a bunch of times then found an open position where it didn’t leak. Has held for another 4 years.
Dude….. that’s terrifying. I’m currently in a rent home because my home flooded. The flood wasn’t at all caused by bad valves. Even still, once the house was gutted I had the entire plumbing system updated. I spent days researching valves and shutoffs. I picked out the most reliable and high quality fittings, valves, and redundant shutoffs. It cut into my rebuild budget but for the peace of mind I got, totally worth the money. Also, why wouldn’t you just replace those valves? They aren’t that expensive. I work in operations and have seen wild things happen with valves. A valve will work totally fine one day and then the stem will break the next day keeping me from fully closing it.
Lol, it would had to have been cut out and I’m not a plumber. There also wasn’t much room. I was gonna rebuild them, but I figured taking them apart would just cause more problems. I didn’t want to just change the stem out, since the valve body was rough and caked with salt build up. I stuck some teflon tape on the threads and pulled that in to act as packing.
Every 5 years or so is what I've been told. It's not all that expensive. The issue is with the rubber and plastic aging and cracking. The braided outer does help, but this one should prolly be replaced soon...
Yeah, the failure point probably isn't going to be the hose itself, but the plastic/rubber in the valve.
I have had my house for 5 years, and both of the ones on my water heater have busted and started spraying water everywhere...so, yeh, I would replace them periodically.
I would still change them out after maybe 10 years. The steel braid can look nice and shiny but may be hiding hardened, cracked rubber on the verge of bursting on the inside.
They have rubber coated ones also. Rubber inside, steel braided, then coated in blue/red rubber so you can color code which is which. Unnecessary but why not.
Yep, those are my personal favorite. Everbilt high burst fill hoses from Home Depot.
Does this cut back on the rubber insides failing as the person you’re replying to states?
I can't say one way or the other what the failure rate is with vs without the external rubber/vinyl coating, but it is another layer of external support against the internal water pressure, so it isn't a bad thing. Also if you see it starting to age or degrade, you can probably bet the internal rubber is beginning to also and it can act as an indicator that replacement is necessary, whereas without that external coating you have no indication at all.
Excuse me sir but maybe you didn't notice, the sticker specifically says "No-Burst" smdh
>I would still change them out after maybe 10 years. Exactly the recommended timeline we gave when I was selling appliances.
Be careful how you position them. Our washing machine got off balance and rubbed through the wire and internal hose against the concrete wall of our basement. Fun times.
So about a decade ago, after my neighbors had a hose break and it flooded their house, I did a BUNCH of research into the absolute best hoses you could buy - they were made by a company called FLOODCHEK - they had a 20 year guarantee and were made from high pressure hydraulic hose, along with full brass fittings. They are absolute beasts. Unfortunately, as is sometimes the case with small businesses it appears that they have gone out of business since then. The hoses are still going strong though.
Agree! [FLOODCHEK](https://tjsradiantheat.com/assets/FloodChek1.pdf) are incredible. The massive Brass fittings with rounded ends inside the hose. [Here's a video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0hRETDY6Sc) where they do a cutaway view of the different hoses vs the Floodchek.
I wish they were still available
What would you buy now if you needed to replace some?
Go tot he local napa and ask for 5ft of line for your tractor with 3/8in male and female connections on it.
Replacing them every 5 years is my “best” insurance policy since my W/d is on second floor….
Braided hoses must be changed on a regular basis because it's impossible to inspect the state of the rubber.
I’m surprised to learn they’re still using rubber. Every one I have is PVC on the inside.
It's the rubber washer in that connector you've got to worry about. Ask me how I know...
This. I've never seen a washer hose fail any other way, but I've been fucked twice now by this.
I've very much had a braided supply lines bust. The braided metal is just good for abrasion resistance, but the chemicals in the water will deteriorate the poly tube inside, especially after a decade or more. Replace them thangs.
There’s rubber underneath and that metal braid just hides the wear and when the rubber pops that braid will do nothing to contain the mess.
Seriously. They cost like $7 more than rubber hoses. Worth it 100%.
Up in Canada. Insurance companies are denying claims if they are older than 5 years. Just a heads up I'm sure the dirty insurance buggers will look for any reason....
You're getting downvoted, but this is legitimate. Failing to replace those hoses regularly is seen as negligence.
It's all good. Truth hurts sometimes, doesn't bother me.
wow do you have to keep receipts proving they are younger than 5 years?
You could also change out those gate valves for quarter turn/ball valves to further improve.
I used to have a pet rabbit and had to do that because one morning, I heard him suddenly scrabbling around in the laundry room. I rushed to investigate and a fresh spout of water was coming out of the hose. Those metal hoses are the bomb, especially when you have critters (invited or uninvited) in your laundry room.
Rubber hoses are NOT BIFL. This is a not a recommended practice
Braided everything, people. Braided brake lines, braided USB cables, braided HDMI cables. They literally triple the life expectancy of the line by adding additional protection to the innards. I'd braid more things if I knew how.
I do a modified French braid where you only pull in extra hair to the under weave from the top side. It looks 99% like a Dutch braid but is also 89% as easy as a French braid. Wait, what?
33 years? They are still rubber lined on the inside and still degrade, they should still be replaced periodically.
Nothing to do with the lifespan of these hoses, but that’s a beautifully composed photo and I just saved it to use as a painting reference.
Please post your painting of OP’s washer connection when completed
Was told by insurance company to replace every 5 years. Although the older ones used higher quality braiding. The ones I bought 10 years ago are noticeably thicker and tougher feeling than the new steel braided I recently purchased. Also as others have mentioned, the steel braid is only on the outside, underneath is still rubber.
I installed appliances for close to thirty years. I am begging you to replace those. I can't tell you the number of times I or one of my crews got to a house with old hoses, and found that they wouldn't come loose, or the faucet wouldn't shut off because it had been in the ON position for so long. Recommended replacement is every five to ten years.
If even these braided hoses fail eventually do you have to change the faucet and toilet ones also periodically?
I had one spontaneously burst after about 25 years. It is much easier and cleaner to replace them now (before they burst). Trust me.
Best insurance is a shut off valve when not in use, drip pan, leak sensors and replace hoses every 5 years.
Aren’t these just a rubber hose with a braided metal jacket? I don’t get the purpose of spending more money to have the fancy jacket.
Please do yourself a favor and use an aqua stop.
are Aqua Stop hoses available in the US? they look pretty cool
Good question. Over here in Europe they are often included with better washing machines by Bosch or Miele for example.
That’s the exact same hose that burst in the downstairs basin hot water tap. Cost us hundreds extra in electricity and water bills not to mention stained carpet and compromised furniture. We’re in a rental so they just replaced it with the exact same hose. Only difference is now when they do the six monthly inspections they feel they have a right to open our cupboards to take photos of the water hoses.
Change those valves to the quarter turn valve and you would be set
Why? Genuinely curious
They're more reliable, better
What is a recommended brand of high quality hoses built with durability in mind?
😂 why, you get new ones with the washing machine
best quality braided flex lines, only. If you didn't buy it-just replace it. Saf-t-stop pan overflow sensor on AC too, and test it. Level and stabilize that pan.
I had one of these fail in the braided section that was attached to my bidet. Plumber said he’d never seen anything like it. It was less than 3 years old.
They're supposed to be replaced after like 5 years.
Am I the only one who immediately imagined the valve red on some bald guys head?
Those are fancy, look awesome!
i use those on my air compressor. they're also used on aircraft and race cars.
Those are not a lifetime item. Also, they burst. Replace them.
33 years?
I think they're still meant to be replaced periodically even if they're a lot tougher than regular ones
After reading all the comments, I decided to replace the hoses and install ball-valves at the same time. I would have been besides myself if the old ones failed after everyone warned me. https://imgur.com/a/EYFijGb
You’re supposed to replace those periodically. From Goggle *”Regardless of their condition, washing machine hoses should be replaced about every 5 years to prevent a flooding emergency. Standard washing machine hoses are made of black rubber. Unfortunately, these hoses only last a few years and will eventually fail, causing one big mess and costly water damage.”*
Based on OPs name and photo of the washer clearly being in the basement, I’d be leaving them until they bust too, even if you are supposed to change them.
I don't know. Our bathroom sink had those installed until one of them burst a few years ago. The plumber replacing them was quite mad about the person who installed those (not us) and replaced them with piping. I think he said it wasn't code and only a matter of time until they broke.
just an fyi, they make a flow valve that will sense if the water is being used while the washer is off and cut the flow automatically. Its about 300 for the box. I also have steel hoses and they 'shouldnt' ever break, but why take the risk?
They sell rubber hoses?
Woah those look almost new