Should I use aftermarket hoses on my washing machine?

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My washing machine is an LG front-loader, model # WM2650HWA. It came with with two rubber hoses, and the manual recommends periodically checking them for cracks, leaks and wear, and replacing them every 5 years. The manual also says that I should use only the inlet hoses provided with the washer, and they do not recommend the use of aftermarket hoses.

I want to replace those two provided rubber hoses with stainless steel ones, which are supposed to be a lot more durable. Is LG serious when they say "only use the rubber hoses we gave you that wear out after 5 years"?
 

tlarson

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LG, like any manufacturer, is trying to sell spare parts. That's why they say "recommend"

I just installed a pair of these:

http://www.floodchek.com/

They claim that they've never had a failure, and from the look of them I can see why. Very durable, and the fittings are thick cast brass.

They are a bit spendy....

You can get any hose to fail at the crimped hose/hose end connection if you kink it enough or don't follow bend radius guidelines.
 

JerryR

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I use these. Change them at 5 year intervals.

I mark the date installed with a sharpy on the white identification label.

They seem well built, are highly rated, stainless steel braided and only $13 for a pair
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCNYO4QhEl8
 
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DonL

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I myself would not buy and use aftermarket, If new ones came with the machine.

The Length, weight and flow rate can be important.

Most of the newer machines have a timer that meters water, And shuts off water if the tub is not filling with water, at the correct rate.

I have seen original hoses last 20 years or more. Normally the hot hose will go first.

If you do use Braided hoses you will have to worry about the added Weight, and may need to support the hoses properly.

The Valves are cheap, and when they Bang shut the hoses will jump around, and that could be problematic for the cheap plastic valves, With heavy hoses connected.


As long as your water pressure does not exceed the Max Manufacture Recommendation, Then the original hoses should be fine.
 
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Related question: should I install 2 Sioux Chief water hammer arrestors on the back of the washing machine? My water pressure is 55 PSI.

I have been trying to do this for a while (and bought the water hammer arrestors), but the guy who installed the washing machine seriously overtightened the hoses, so I can't remove them, and haven't been able to install my arrestors. I'd likely have to pay a plumber to unscrew the hoses and install the arrestors.

mini_resters.jpg
 
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Before, I used to hear water hammer sounds with the washing machine on, as the old pressure reducing valve had failed. I could hear abrupt water hammer sounds in the master bedroom. When I replaced the PRV with a new one, the water hammer sounds went away almost completely (no more loud banging), but if I'm down in the laundry room, I can still see the pipes shaking a little when the washer is running and it quickly closes a valve (even the water meter shakes a little). Is this a potentially damaging situation that requires the installation of water hammer arrestors?

Why install the arrestors on the faucet side instead of the washing machine side?
 

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mini_resters.jpg


I like to install the one on the left on the back of the machine. That way is sucks up the hammer "before" the hose. Hammer comes from the direction of the machine, not the wall.
A pair of pliers will loosen and tighten the hose fitting.

Putting the arrester at the wall will help too.
 
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mini_resters.jpg


I like to install the one on the left on the back of the machine. That way is sucks up the hammer "before" the hose. Hammer comes from the direction of the machine, not the wall.
A pair of pliers will loosen and tighten the hose fitting.

Putting the arrester at the wall will help too.

I bought a pair of the one on the left, and was planning to do just that, install them on the back of the machine. But the hoses are on too tight for me to remove. At first I tried a normal pair of household pliers. Then I bought a small wrench that only opens up to 1" wide. Then I returned the 1" wrench and bought a Channellock 442. I gave it a try with those, but couldn't seem to make them budge. I was also very hesitant about trying too hard, because the things that the hoses are screwed onto are made out of plastic, and can break and cause a flood, and I don't really know what I'm doing.
 

Dj2

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Spending a fortune on washing machine hoses won't get you better security. If you change your hoses every 5 years, get standard hoses, which are rated better than 5 years - for much less.

The other issues: to unlock the hoses, spray some oil or lubricant in the thread, then use TWO wrenches (one to unscrew and one to counter it). There is no such a thing as "I can't unscrew it".

Arrestors are not needed if your pipes are silent. But if you have fluctuating water pressure, install them and find out why.
 
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Spending a fortune on washing machine hoses won't get you better security. If you change your hoses every 5 years, get standard hoses, which are rated better than 5 years - for much less.

The other issues: to unlock the hoses, spray some oil or lubricant in the thread, then use TWO wrenches (one to unscrew and one to counter it). There is no such a thing as "I can't unscrew it".

Arrestors are not needed if your pipes are silent. But if you have fluctuating water pressure, install them and find out why.


There's barely enough room in there for one wrench, much less two wrenches, I think. If there was more room, I'd worry myself sick over gripping the plastic thing with a wrench and potentially breaking it and causing a leak or flood. To save my mental health, if installing the arrestors I bought was recommended, I'd have a plumber do it. My water pressure is basically 55 PSI stable when measured at the backyard faucet.
 

Sluggo

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Also remember that the stainless braided hoses look great, but the braid is sometimes nothing more than a cosmetic feature covering a low end hose....
 
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DSCF0933.jpg
This is how I ended up installing the water hammer arrestors. It was much easier to get the hoses off of the wall than off of the washing machine.

Hectic job. I turned off the red and blue valves and disconnected the hose, but there was still some water coming through them, so it was a balancing act to try and catch the water with a towel in one hand while screwing on the replacement arrestor and reattaching the hose and then tightening it with the Channellock in the other hand.

There's a piece of toilet paper under the cold water valve because there's a very slow drip in the bottom of that valve, has been for a while now. I tried seeing if I could tighten the packing nut, but it already feels pretty tight, and I haven't got enough space to move around in there with my Channellocks, and with what space I did have it didn't seem that I could tighten it any further.

In a little while I will start up the washing machine for a 15 minute quick run. I'm hoping that this will not result in a catastrophic leak. I don't know how you guys do this. It feels like trying to disarm a ticking time bomb which reads 00:00:05.
 

Edwardh1

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those water arresrors only work either below or above 85 pounds or so.
Read the mauufacturers tech info.

and really strong hoses can CAUSE water hammer.
 
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The water pressure is stable at about 55 PSI. I'm thinking that at least the water hammer caused by the washing machine won't travel up the line and cause shaking elsewhere. Only the washing machine hoses will shake.
 

Terry

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If you have a closed system, the code likes to see hammer arrestors on any quick closing solenoid valve.
Washer
Dishwasher
Icemaker

These should be within six feet, and the closer the better. Any mechanical hammer arrestor can wear out over time.
Air chambers, the old stuff I installed in the 70's can waterlog.

sioux-chief-660-h.jpg
 
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Asktom

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If you don't want a catastophic flood from a hose failure, shut off the water to the clothes washer when you are not using it. If you are not suffering from symptoms of water hammer, then an arrestor is the solution to a problem you do not have. Sometimes life is as complicated as one chooses to make it.
 
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Shutting off the water to the clothes washer when not in use is somewhat problematic. It's a 30 year old gate valve that doesn't work too well. It drips (though slowly), it requires a bit of force to turn it, and when I turned the valves off to install the water hammer arrestor, there was still water coming out.

Should I be looking to have a plumber replace them with two ball valves, so that I can easily open them and close them when I need to use the washing machine?
 

DonL

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If you are worried about flooding then it is best to Turn off the water heater (So it does not burn up, If the tank has no water), Then turn off water where it comes into the house. Or just get a water leak detector and put it near your washer. It will detect the Drain if it leaks also, the drain hose can leak.

Leak Detectors that send SOS in Morse code can be had for $10-20 dollars. They work great in bathrooms and near water heaters also. The hoses are most likely to leak while the unit is in use, unless you have water pressure problems that burst a hose.

You will be there to hear the alarm if you have one. The cheap SOS leak detectors have saved my ass many times, Because I know Morse code, lol. Most of the Flood Saver stuff is a Joke, and adds more problems than they are worth.

I have never turned off the water valves to a washer unless I was working on it. That is like turning off your toilet valve, Ice maker .... After you use it every time. Silly I think.

Just unpluging power from a washer is better protection. The electronics on the new ones is more likely to fail, and continuously power the water valve (and you get tube overflow), When the CPU gets a brain fart, Than a hose burst.

Ball valves may not be a bad idea, If you use one rated for Hot Water use.
 
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