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The two hoses behind a washing machine are under full water pressure all day, every day, whether the machine is running or not. When a rubber hose gives out, there is no drip and no warning. It bursts, and it keeps pouring until someone closes the valves. Insurance companies list it among the most frequent causes of serious water damage in houses, and it is entirely preventable.
How old are yours?
If you do not know, they are too old. Rubber hoses are generally considered good for about five years. Pull the machine out and look:
- Bulging, blistering or cracks near the fittings: replace them today
- Rust on the fittings, or a hose that feels stiff: replace them
- Damp at either end: replace them
Buy the right hoses
Braided stainless steel washing machine hoses cost little more than rubber and do not burst in the same way. Buy them in a pair, and pick a length that reaches without being stretched tight or kinked. Four feet suits most installations.
Avoid the cheapest unbranded hoses. The braid is only as good as the rubber liner inside it.
Replacing them
- Turn off both valves on the wall. Lever handles turn a quarter; wheel handles turn clockwise until they stop. If a valve will not turn, or drips when you try, stop here and see the note on valves below.
- Unplug the machine and pull it out far enough to work.
- Put a towel and a shallow pan under the connections. Unscrew each hose from the valve, then from the back of the machine. Some water will come out.
- Check that each new hose has a rubber washer inside both ends.
- Screw the new hoses on by hand, hot to hot and cold to cold. The valves and the machine's inlets are usually marked, and hot is on the left. Tighten a further quarter turn with pliers, no more. The washer makes the seal, not force.
- Open the valves slowly and check for drips. Run a short cycle and check again.
Write the date on a piece of tape on one of the hoses.
The valves
Washing machine valves are notorious. They sit untouched for years, and the first time they are turned they leak from the stem or refuse to close.
- A stem leak can often be stopped by tightening the packing nut just behind the handle, a little at a time.
- A valve that will not close must be replaced, and that is a plumber's job, done with the main shut-off closed.
- Consider having the pair replaced with a single-lever washing machine valve box, which turns both hot and cold off together with one motion. That makes it practical to shut the water off between washes, which is the safest habit of all if the laundry room is upstairs or the house is left empty.
The drain hose
While the machine is out, check the drain hose. It should hook securely into the standpipe or the laundry sink, with a gap above the water level, and it should not be pushed so far down the standpipe that it can siphon. A drain hose that jumps out mid-cycle floods the room just as effectively as a burst supply hose.
Extra protection
- A water leak alarm on the floor behind the machine
- A washing machine drain pan under it, especially on an upper floor
- If the house is empty for more than a day, turn the valves off
When to call a plumber
- A valve that leaks, will not turn, or will not fully close
- Replacing the valves with a single-lever box
- Water damage already present behind the machine, such as a soft floor or stained drywall
Find a licensed plumber near your town.