Why you should inspect your flexible hoses

My plumber just pulled this tap out of a rental property. Lucky the tenant was home so any flooding damage was minimised. It would not have been a good outcome if this happened at the start of the tenants recent 3 week holiday!



A guy in Sydney had one upstairs burst while he was at work. This is how his unit looked after the water damaed elements were removed.



Some relevant info:

According to research conducted by general insurer IAG, flexible braided hoses accounted for 22% of water damage claims in Australian households in 2016, with the claims most likely to be for kitchen and bathroom damage. IAG has even labelled flexible connectors a ‘ticking time bomb’ and put notices on its website advising home owners that flexible hoses have a lifespan of between five and ten years, and should be checked by a licensed plumber every two years.

The pipes, manufactured by a wide range of companies, appear to have a limited life span. A decade after a house is built, the risk that a pipe will burst, flooding a home, increases significantly, according to IAG. Most claims came from the owners of properties that were built between 11 and 30 years ago.

"Our research shows that flexible hoses only last around 10 years and as they're typically out of sight and out of mind, it's not something you're probably thinking about replacing," said Cheryl Chantry, Executive General Manager, Short Tail Claims for IAG.​

It seems that damage can be picked up before the pipes burst. If pipes are regularly inspected for damage and replaced when damaged, I don't think it will be a problem. This is what damage looks like before the hoses burst:





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

Consider installing mini-stops where flexible hoses are used. It makes replacement of the hoses a lot easier. It is noted that some tap warranties require mini-stops to be installed or the warranty is void.



References:

Bursting the flexi-hose bubble – Plumbing Connection
Why Flexi Hoses Burst While You’re Not Home – Ambrose Building
Flexi Hoses – Help or Hindrance – Ambrose Building
Flexible braided pipes responsible for more than 20 per cent of water damage claims

 

My in-laws had a flexible hose burst on their fridge, while they were away for 3 days.

Came home to water running down the driveway and total bill was over $100k to replace all the timber floors, skirting, kitchen, vanities, laundry, media room and carpets plus painting and steam cleaning.

The insurance company said it will soon be a question they ask when applying for insurance, do you have a flexible hose in your fridge due to the massive $$$ repairs it can cause.

 

Yep, ticking time bombs.

Good PMs should remind you to replace them periodically, mine does. Though if you've got an old kitchen that could do with a subsidised renovation, I guess you could always let it side...

 

While I'm at it, should I also get an electrician in to turn on my light switch for me?

 

Depends. Will turning on the light switch incorrectly damage the electrical wiring so that it could burst and cause $15,000 damage to your house? Because installing a flexible hose incorrectly can do all that and more. Your choice.

 

Each year I check the smoke alarms and also the hoses to see if they're kinky or dripping. Nothing worse than a kinky hose.

 

It's very simple to replace these flexible hoses, no need for a plumber. Just make sure you don't over tighten it so the rubber seal isn't damaged. Finger tight is adequate.

 

You can also diy your own dental work.

A hose that is too long can use elasticity to unthread itself causing a leak. I didnt know that until my plumber showed me. He reckons almost all of major leaks are cheap chinese imports or short fittings and either too tight or not tight enough

 

I believe he is referring to the correct installation method. Which there is only one. Do not install with sharp bends or kinks.

 

Or potentially rubbing on something. Turning them on and off will make the hose move a little bit each time. So over thousands of time, it can cause them to wear out.
But yes, if you know what you're doing, it's not a problem to put them in yourself at all. Any handyman that's worth their salt should be able to do it too.

 

The only problem with these is ,where they are made.. And they need to be more then finger light with tread seal tape when set..Make me wonder if when one bursts, and flood's everything,insurance company comes out and asks who installed the flexes ,if you said and had a receipt for the handy-man and not a lic-plumber what would happen??..Would they still pay-out..

 

Yeah....returned home one evening to be greeted by water flowing out of front door thanks to flexible hose connecting the toilet cistern in the ensuite. New carpet, drapes to bedroom and lounge. New shoes (wife was simultaneously happy and sad) and some other bits n pieces.

Change em every few years, lot easier and cheaper than dealing with floods.

 

I am not sure with the insurance side. It's a risk to DIY.

The other risk is that the installation instructions for taps state that the warranty is void if not installed by a licensed plumber. Also stop valves are required. Probably doesn't make any difference with a $25 Bunnos special but a $1,500 tap should be installed by a pro, IMO

 

Yes that's what it states ,something to put through the risk analysis ..Plus those cheap flexes sometimes will not last 3-5 years..Would be better just to pay a lic plumber ,and as most handy-persons charge above $80.00 call out fee ,roughly the same as a plumber-would be different costs outside normal working hours but sleep at night factors would be well worth the extra plumbing costs compared with the handyman..imho..

 

Why not just go back to copper pipes and never worry about flexible hoses ever again?

 

I think we'll have to agree to disagree on getting plumbers to install these.

Also, looking at the first picture, I think we can all agree that improper installation may have led to the issue here (no idea if a plumber did it or not. While it looks like hot water hose burst, you can see on the cold water one was actually not installed properly and I'm assuming the same is true for the hot water. If you look at it, you can see that it was screwed in by turning the hose and once it was in, whoever installed it kept turning the hose to make sure they got a good seal and twisted the hose.

Haha, clearly not a serious suggestion, I hope?
I actually had a copper pipe leak under my house recently (pitting, not sure if it was chemical corrosion or not) and I just pulled it out and replaced it with PEX pipes. What a great system, I'll certainly never put copper in again!

 

The copper is much more reliable than flexible hoses....

 

Ps. I posted a thread about this issue 18 months ago.

Glad this topic has been revived.
Flexible braided pipes - cause of around 20% of water damage claims

 

With everything, if installed correctly, it will be fine.
Having a plumber install it increases the chance of it being installed properly, but at the same time there are a lot of incompetent people out there.

I remember for my sister's bathroom reno, they had a "plumber" to put the handheld shower in.
Expected an elbow for the shower house, got this instead.



Some how they thought that was acceptable.... after seeing that i decided to redo all the flex hoses... 1 was stretched, one had a kink. So much for "professional"

Another example of this are Financial Planners, there are many that are qualified on paper... doesn't mean they aren't morons, some of the people I have met on this forum would run rings around them.

 

My plumber suspects it was a bad DIY job by the previous owner.

In any case, the point of the thread was for people to inspect regularly to pick up issues before the hose bursts and floods the house.

Signs of impending failure are easy to spot if you know what you are looking for and inspect the hoses regularly.

What do you reckon, every 6 months?