Flexi hose public service announcement

Just finished giving advice on another matter with an exploding flexi hose. Tenant was out for the day so literally the entire single storey house has been water damaged. Now its uninhabitable.

I heard maybe the newer ones are better? Not sure of the age of this one - I think more than 6 years old at least.

 

How often should they be checked?
And replaced?

 

Thanks, good reminder. I like to replace mine in between tenants but it has been 3 years now...

 

A mate mentioned this to me just last night. Braided hose in his bathroom connected to the dunny burst one day. Luckily, it was in a room with a floor drain.
I told him that a plumber mate of mine some years ago recommended flex hoses be replaced every couple of years with good quality ones and that when people go away on holidays they turn off the stop cocks at the wall.
Of course, I have never done this and I have 14 braided hoses - yikes.

 

Just so that I'm clear next time I talk to my plumber, what's the best alternative I should be asking for?

 

I am surprised that insurance companies have not moved to require owners implement and keep records of a minimum replacement interval for these hoses as a condition of accepting a claim. It would be a pain to keep track of but on the other hand a reasonable % of building and contents claims would be attributed to these stupid hoses at present.

 

Are the flexi hoses under the vanity unit ? Can't see any copper pipes in my house.

 

This issue has been known about for a while now. I read that hoses should be checked every two years and have a life of 5-10 years.

Detailed description - with photos - at this link:

Bursting the flexi-hose bubble - Plumbing Connection

 

Flexi hose:




Look for it anywhere in your house where there is a water connection.

 

Ask your plumber to replace them with copper pipes. They will need to be carefully bent and shaped to fit and the plumber may try to discourage them because they are a bit of a pain to do compared to just screwing on a flexible hose.

 

the new ones recently came out they are plastic "polyamide" so no braided metal so the theory is they cannot burst. the braided metal would rust and weaken then split causing the inside rubber to break under pressure as it's not supported. because these ones are plastic material they will not rust thus can't break down etc.

 

We've started getting our plumbers to check and replace any that show signs of wear whenever they visit a property. Our plumber has been using 'burstproof' ones which might be similar to these above.

Definitely worth checking and replacing regularly.

 

From my Docklands high-rise AGM this evening:

The excess was increased from $1,000 to $5,000 by Insurers as a direct result of the high level
of water damage claims lodged during the past 5 years. Timber Floating Floors have been
excluded from the Strata Policy cover as these are the most costly element in all water damage
claims. Owners with timber floating floors in their apartments will need to ensure that they have
the value of these floors included in their contents policy.

The major cause of these high cost water damage claims was burst flexible hoses. Given that
these hoses usually have a life of between 8 to maybe 15 years, unless steps are taken to replace
these hoses, we will be seeing more and more frequent claims with further increases in premiums
and claims excesses. Some buildings are now carrying water damage excesses of up to $20,000
per claim!

A broken flexible hose in an apartment will result in that lot owner being responsible for the
payment of any excess on that water damage claim. We therefore encourage all owners to have
their flexible water hoses changed and thereby enjoy the peace of mind that comes from good
maintenance practices.

 

Why you should inspect your flexible hoses

Recommendations for flexible hoses:

• Always have a licenced plumber install the flexible hose
• Inspect all hoses regularly (minimum once per year). If you have an interstate property then consider paying a plumber to do this.
• Replace all hoses every five years for cheap hoses or every ten years for quality hoses (10 year warranty)
• Ensure the stainless steel sleeve is free from trauma caused by twisting or kinking
• Ensure the stainless steel sleeve is free from corrosion
• Do not clean with harsh chemicals
• Where poor quality hoses are encountered replace with better quality PEX inner core hose with a 10-year manufacturer’s warranty
• Tag the pipe with the date of installation and the date of the last inspection

 

Does the replacement need to be done by a plumber or is it more a should be done by a plumber?

Thanks

 

3-5 years proactively by lay person, they're cheap so just set reminders in your calendars and have done.

 

Fridges with plumbed water can be bad too. Many will run from under sink all way though cabinets to the fridge and are simple plastic lines. Have heard many horror stories. Worst of all are apartments which may have a perfectly level floor slab. One told me of the whole apartment being a few millimetres of water deep - carpet including from a whole night of flow. Not deep enough to drain but it destroyed almost everything.

 

Definitely no plumber needed, if you have half a brain.

 

Thanks for the post @thatbum , as I have first hand knowledge of such an event about 8 weeks ago, ANY plumber that enters any premises should have a mixer tap flexi-hose inspection on their to-do list, and detailed on their invoice, on all occasions.

I can assure you that the outcome of a burst flexi-hose is something that all wallets and purses do not want to experience, particularly when the premises is unoccupied for a <use your imagination> period of time.

Noting that most bathrooms are waterproofed, but not a lot of kitchens are.

And tossing out the mixer taps and replacing them with traditional tap plumbing is MASSIVELY cheaper than dealing with the aftermath of the above.

In case anybody is interested...