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Failing washing machine hoses!

7 years ago

Hello I recently had a washing machine hose fail on my new washer and dryer within a few months of installing it. I chalked it up to bad luck. I used the black rubber hoses that came with the set. The cold water hose is split off to the dryer and washer because the dryer has one of those fancy steam settings. Anyhow, I replaced the hoses with steel braided hoses by GE. The kind that you can get at Home Depot. I figure I am good. I the go check the other day and the cold water hose is already visibly corroded and dripping at the machine hookup and at the splitter. The inside is caked with light blue crud. Strangely at the dryer attachment and the cold water valve they are clean as can be. I am at a loss. These hoses should last a few years while mine are lasting a few month at most. Could I be installing them wrong? Am I using the wrong hoses? Thanks for any help you can provide! I have included some pictures of said hoses and my main supply just in case.

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Comments (7)

weedmeister
7 years ago
Are you on a well?

I would be suspicious of an electrical problem. That is, you have some kind of electrical leakage through the water that is causing electrolysis/corrosion on the cold water line.

Does the blue stuff show up on the other end at the wall connections?
lmiskowicz
Original Author
7 years ago
Hi! Thanks for the reply. To answer your questions:

We are not on a well. Just good old city water.

As for the other ends of the hoses they are pristine. No corrosion what-so-ever. The only corrosion is at the washer and then at the Y splitter here:

This is the hose that goes to the dryer outlet that looks like this:

The line from the wall to the splitter shows no signs of corrosion on either end. So, what I have done temporarily is remove the splitter to the dryer and just attached the washer to the wall directly. I don't know if it will work but we never had a problem before. Also, I probably should have said that we had our basement finished so we did have a bunch of plumbing work done in the basement. Most all of it was PEX as you can see in the wall box. Thanks again for any advice!
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w0lley32
7 years ago
Is your dryer 3 or 4-wire? How was the old one hooked up? There could be a wiring fault in the dryer and it is using the water line as the neutral connection. Does the dryer work if you don't hook up the water line?
geoffrey_b
7 years ago
Can you get a plastic 'splitter'? This would eliminate a problem of dissimilar materials.
klem1
7 years ago
The corosion and burst hose are not related (although the corosion will undouptly result in leaky connections and premature metal failure). Call back the electrician that helped with remodel,IF THEY WERE LICENSED. Otherwise have an electrician check electrical and "bond"several plumbing items that I see needing it in pictures. Do not mess around surfing the forums and diy,get an electrician now before you get a new hair-doo or worse.
Vith
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Looks like the splitter IS plastic, also looks like the one hose between the splitter and the washing machine is the only affected. Is this the hose with the 90 degree attachment at the washing machine? I see corrosion underneath that 90 degree (first picture). Could be the culprit.

Also, the best washing machine hoses available are floodchek. Brass fittings and premium rubber. http://www.floodchek.com/product/floodchek-hoses/?v=7516fd43adaa 5' hose and two 45 degree fittings run about $53.
lmiskowicz
Original Author
7 years ago
Thanks for taking the time to reply! The splitter we have is plastic and the corrosion happened in two places. One is at the washing machine in the first picture. The other is at the splitter on the hose coming from the dryer. There is no corrosion anywhere else in the setup. If there was something with the finished basement wouldn't there be corrosion at more than just these two specific places? Just thinking out loud on that one...As for the dryer electrical I will have to check that out. I will check the installation and type of plug. Sounds like one way or another I am in need of an electrician.

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