Welcome to Day 9 of my 31 Days of Handy Home Fixes. Would you believe that a burst water line can cause tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage to your home? It’s true! If one of your water supply lines is not braided metal, you could be putting your home in danger of a massive leak; leading to a flood; which can lead to rot, mold and termites! Yup, termites love moist wood.
Day 9: Replace All Water Lines with Braided Metal:
Take a few minutes to look behind your toilet, behind your washing machine and under sinks to see if you have water supply lines that look like these:
If you do, it’s time to change them out for braided metal water lines:
And if you are purchasing a new washer, dishwasher or refrigerator, request braided metal water supply lines instead of the basic lines that are sold with the appliance. The cost difference is literally a few dollars in some cases. That extra dollar or two could save you tens of thousands of dollars!
Replacing the water lines is as easy as attaching your garden hose. To replace your washing machine hoses, locate the water shut off (usually it is behind the washer.) Turn the knobs off. Then remove the supply line from the shut off and the back of the washer. Have a towel underneath to capture any drips.
Tighten the new braided hoses onto the washing machine and the water shut off valve. Turn the water back on and look for any drips or leaks. You might need to use a wrench to tighten up to half a turn more if you notice any drips after you turn the water back on.
Replacing the water lines to your toilet and sink is almost as easy, usually the shut off valve looks like this:
Replacing the dishwasher water line can be a bit trickier if it is behind your cabinets. You might need to call in a helper to help you remove the dishwasher.
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I’ve done this & insisted on this religiously in every home I’ve had for some time. What I’m always surprised at is that a number of men that I’ve mentioned this to think this isn’t necessary! I don’t understand this but then again I don’t understand men in general…HAHA!
Braided metal hoses burst and leak routinely. This article should be updated. The inner hose needs to be pressure rated.
Good one Brittaney! People that don’t think this is necessary probably haven’t come home at the end of a long day, opened their garage door, and been treated to a wall of water rushing out to welcome them home. We were delighted to have this experience due to a half inch slit in a toilet feed line. Needless to say, all of our supply lines are now this braided type.
This is such good advice! I had a pipe burst once and can validate that water can massively damage your home. I had a burst pipe once and replaced the old hose with this braided metal type but I need to do my washer and dryer and the rest of the house too. Thanks for the reminder!
What’s so good about braided metal hoses? The only braided metal hose I have is quite rusted while all others, which are either PVC-plastic or copper, are in excellent shape. The newest is atleast 30 years, and I suspect that is the braided one.
They resist bursting.
Do you have a particular brand and hose type that you recommend?
Not in particular, just make sure it is a metal braided water supply hose.