A hose that bursts can flood a laundry room in minutes. Hoses on older washers are among the cheapest and most useful things to replace before a failure.
How to inspect them
- Look for bulges, cracks, blisters or fraying along the whole hose.
- Check the couplings for rust, white mineral crust or any weeping.
- Squeeze the hose; it should feel firm and not soft or sticky.
- Check the date or label, if any, and replace hoses that have been in place for years.
Replacing them
- Close both faucets and unplug the washer.
- Place a towel and a bucket below the connections, since water remains in each hose.
- Unscrew the hoses at the faucets and then at the back of the washer.
- Check that the rubber washers sit flat inside each coupling.
- Hand-tighten the new hoses and add a quarter turn with pliers; over-tightening can crack the valve.
- Open the faucets slowly and look for drips for several minutes.
Habits that lower the odds
Turn the faucets off before you travel. Some owners fit a lever-type valve for easy shutoff. Leave a few inches behind the washer so hoses can curve instead of kink.
When a hose is not the issue
If the connections stay dry but the floor does not, the leak may come from the pump, the drain hose or the tub. Water under a washer rarely identifies its own source, so we trace it from the top down.
Mark the replacement date on the new hoses with tape. Many owners pick a five-year interval; shorten it if the faucets are corroded or the water pressure is high.
If you find water you cannot trace, we can locate the source. See the washer repair page. Your city and county are listed on the service area page.