Warning about flex lines

[Mark Bolton]

Passing this along. I have long had my chops busted in the trade for refusing to use flex lines under water closets, vanities, sinks, water heaters, dishwashers supplies, etc.. To this day we always use soft copper and plated sink and closet supplies and hard pipe everywhere other than washing machines of course. Ive seen these flex lines everywhere and even seen them buried in walls several times. One of my early jobs in the trade almost 30 years ago was an insurance job for a complete first floor and finished basement when a first floor washing machine hose let go in the night and the homeowner woke in the morning to a half inch of water in the first floor (there was a tight fitting sweep on the basement door) and the finished basement (drop ceiling, drywall, carpet) completely destroyed. This was before the days of a washing machine trays (not that they will even catch a spraying supply hose).

Well, here is another. Sometime in the night this water heater supply decided to give up the ghost.
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This is bleeding off after the water has been shut off. It was a full pressure, misty, spray shooting clear across the small basement. Along with the contents of the basement being drenched the leak just so happend to point directly at the service entrance lol...
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The stream was hitting directly at the top of the panel so the panel took on quite a bit of internal water through the romex connectors. Could have been much worse given the supply pretty much fell apart when it came off. It was like the internal rubber tube just turned to putty. This is on a chlorinated city water system (an enemy of plastic) which likely didnt help the situation.

While solid/copper can also spring a leak its pretty rare and usually gives you a long visual warning. I cant imagine what these flex lines will cost the insurance industry and homeowners over time but it'd be worth giving them a pinch/squeeze/wiggle occasionally to possibly try and catch one on the way out but it may be tough to tell under pressure.

[Frederick Skelly]

Thanks for this warning Mark. Can you clarify how one tests these? Is it like your hoses on the car, where you feel the hose for bubbles and soft spots?

[Steve Peterson]

I think the flex hoses as shown in the OP's post are supposed to be replaced every 3-5 years. I am usually negligent and forget about them for 10 years or more. Luckily, we have never had a failure.

Also, I have never seen that type of flex hose on a water heater. In California, they I have only seen flexible copper pipe. The flex hoses with a braided outer jacket are used for washing machines and under sinks.

Steve

[Ole Anderson]

And cheap braided jackets are a plastic material, the better ones have a braided stainless steel braid. I use them (3/8") on toilets and sink supply lines, not 3/4" on a water heater. Most red/blue rubber lines for a washer come with an expire date tag to be placed in clear view.

[Mark Bolton]

Right. Corrugated stainless tubes or corrugated copper are a different animal but are often times not jacketed with the outer braid (no need).

Changing washer hoses every five years has been the motto for as long as I've known but I can hardly recall a single individual changing them until they burst or show signs of bursting. I'd be less concerned with small diameter fixture supplies but I still don't use them. That said many faucets come with flex for supply and valve to spout connections so they are there regardless.

[Brian Elfert]

Faucets are starting to come with flex lines built right into the faucet. Maybe they figure a lot of people change faucets so often as tastes change that the flex lines won't be an issue. Personally, the only times I have purchased faucets is for building my first house and then for the total gut and remodel of my current house. I expect faucets to last for many years without needing replacement.

For a DIY guy like myself running copper lines would take hours compared to minutes for a flex line. I am sure an experienced plumber can run them quickly.

[Clint Baxter]

Water heaters are required to have 18" of rigid tubing before any plastic or rubber lines can be connected. Ive never seen a plumber who'd ever do a hookup like that.

Clint

[Jim Becker]

Faucets are starting to come with flex lines built right into the faucet.

That's exactly the case with the Delta faucet system I just installed during a bathroom renovation. The supply lines were pre-installed and are flexible plastic, pre-terminated with compression fittings that go right on the supply valves.

[Mark Bolton]

Agreed on the faucets. Like I say, smaller diameter tubes would be a bit less of an issue as they can handle much higher pressure (less internal surface area). The 18" rigid off the heater, I believe, has been removed from the code and is left to local code requirement. Regardless all the water heater manufacturers and flex supply manufacturers show the flex water heater lines in the exact configuration in the images. The mock-ups in the home centers as well. I see the braided flex (polymer inner tube) virtually everywhere. Just something to be cautious of because no-one is changing these flex lines out in 5 year intervals. That would pretty much negate any time/cost savings. This water heater was barely five years old and the line let go and flooded the basement. Was lucky as well as it was an HE electronic water heater and the controller on top got saturated. Luckily it didn't fry taking out a perfectly good water heater.
Just a risk I wouldnt want in my basement.