Prevent a Flood by Replacing Your Washer Hose

Imagine walking up to your door to be greeted by a stream of water running under the threshold. Then opening the door and witnessing Niagara Falls coming from your laundry room as one of your washing machine hoses has blown apart from age and pressure.

This is, unfortunately, a very common scenario. Washing machine hoses are nothing more than rather thin-walled rubber tubes constantly under pressure and hidden from view so most people never think about them until there is a problem.

Just like the hoses in your car, these hot- and cold-water supply lines break down over time and need to be replaced. Most appliance technicians recommend changing them every other year to be safe. Changing the hoses is a very easy do-it-yourself job. Most hardware stores sell replacement hoses and the only tool you will need is a pair of adjustable pliers or Channel Lock pliers about 10 inches in length.

Turn off the water valves behind the machine and loosen and remove all the hose fittings with the pliers. Insert a rubber washer into the fittings on either end of the new hoses (the washers are supplied with the new hoses). Reconnect the new hoses to the fittings behind the machine and at the wall, making sure you connect hot to hot and cold to cold. Tighten with the pliers but do not over-tighten. A snug fit is all you need. You’re ready to go.

Make a note to do it again in two years. Also, make a note to turn the valves off when the machine is not in use to eliminate water pressure on the hoses and possibly prevent a flood if one of them should rupture. Or consider installing steel-reinforced hoses, which cost about $30 and can be ordered from specialty catalogs.

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Gary Abrams is a general contractor who has written on home improvement for The Times since 1989. Questions and comments can be sent to P.O. Box 711, Thousand Oaks, CA 91319. Please include a self-addressed stamped envelope.