I just had to replace my washer and dryer, and as always, everyone involved in the process, from the salesman to the delivery guys, insisted that I MUST purchase new washer hoses and a new dryer vent from them, or else, you know, they can’t be responsible if my house burns down. Literally - I had one guy tell me that using an old dryer vent would probably start a fire within a few weeks. These guys refused to hook anything up using my old stuff. Now, my knee-jerk reaction has always been to view this as a huge scam, along the lines of undercoating on a new car, particularly because they want to charge upwards of $30 for these accessories. And also because I’ve been using these things for years, so how can they suddenly have gone bad just because I got new machines?
But it’s become so prevalent, and they’re so insistent, that I thought I should at least look into it. So is there any real, legitimate reason to replace these things when I get a new machine? I realize there’s always a chance of an old hose failing over time, or an old vent getting clogged with lint and catching fire, but is there any reason to expect that to happen specifically when changing machines? It just doesn’t make sense to me.
If the washer hoses aren’t cracked, chafed, or worn anywhere, I can’t imagine why anyone would replace them.
As for old dryer vents - if they haven’t been cleaned, there’s always a chance of fire, regardless of the age of the dryer. Beyond that, nope. There’s nothing magical about having new hoses with new machines.
Never been an issue for us, but then we just install our own.
A dryer vent having a problem just because you attached a new machine to it doesn’t even make sense. I mean, in theory, you pull it off every couple of years to clean it anyways, it’s not like it knows that you didn’t hook the same machine back up to it. I would suggest that you do what you can to clean it out when you pull the old dryer out though.
The only thing I can think of (in a fanwank sort of way) is that the new dryer, internally, isn’t going to be full of lint and going to exhaust a lot more air and if it suddenly hits a bunch of lint in the vent, maybe that could cause a problem. But that seems like a reach.
As for the washing machine hoses. They always say you’re supposed to swap them out every few years. If I was getting a new machine, I’d probably take that opportunity to do it then. It just seems like a good time to do it.
Mine are 7 years old and I’ve been meaning to do it, but I keep telling myself they’re fine and besides, the washing machine is pretty close to a floor drain and a burst hose really couldn’t do that much damage (the basement is unfinished).
Also, while we’re at it, I don’t buy into those ones that automatically shut off if they burst. I mean, sure, they shut off if they burst, but what if they only split to the point where they’re letting enough water through that the shutoff just things it’s ‘normal’. Then it’s not going to do any good.
Washer supply hoses should be replaced only because they can fail after several years. There’s nothing wrong with using an old dryer vent unless it’s plastic. Plastic dryer vent tubes are fire hazards.
Dryer vent hose is inexpensive and worth changing to avoid a fire. You should have washer hoses that are the braided burst proof type anyway, so if they are just rubber hoses then replace them.
This is not factually checked, but I’ve heard that code and insurance requirements may require burst proof hoses, and even that insurance will not cover damage if you leave your home for an extended time without shutting off the water supply to your washer.
But the guys at the store are definitely trying to sell extras with their advice. It may be good advice anyway, but I doubt they care.
ETA: The above applies to the flexible expanding type of dryer vent hose that is impossible to clean all lint out of. If you have rigid vent pipe, just clean it.
I don’t know if they’re truly better that the standard hoses. They feel heavier than the ones at my local hardware store, but who knows? So far, they’ve held up okay for five years.
We bought a Bosch front loader a few years ago that came with special hoses designed to detect a leak and shut off the flow. The washer will not fill with regular hoses. The installers cracked the fitting on one of the hoses and we tried to use an old hose temperararaly, no go, had to have the right hose.
Special case I’m sure.
If I ever really felt like doing a project, I’d get the one of these. You run the water supply through them and then plug the washer into it as well. The valves remain closed until in senses a current flowing through it, then it opens them up. As soon as the current is gone (when the machine is done), it closes the valves.
You can also connect it to a floor sensor so if a hose bursts during the cycle, it’ll shut it off then as well.
When I read about these, I wonder if newer washing machines, with their electronics have any kind of standby current that might keep the valves open.
I’ve also seen similar systems that rely on a timer. When you turn the washing machine on, you turn a dial for, say, an hour, after the hour is up, it closes the valve automatically. You can get manual ones, but this won’t let you leave it open out of laziness.
But, again, my washing machine and dryer are very close to a floor drain and the damage would likely be very minimal, if any at all. Maybe someday, if I’m looking for a soldering project and feel like dragging my washing machine around.
I expect this is driven by either (as noted) a desire for extra revenue, or someone at Corporate telling their people not to hook up to the old lines and vents because of liability issues.
My mother had a washing machine hose fail and the resultant flood. Damage to floor, subfloor, hardwood floors in rooms on other side of walls from laundry room, and so on. Damage was well more than $10K. Before the failure the hoses looked fine. I had just replaced them about two years prior.
So my vote is it is worthwhile to replace the washer hoses. Heck, I am going to check into those floodchek hoses Calluses posted about.
If it isn’t a stretch (literally) to get to the valves I’d install a single action shutoff valve like thisand shut it of after each use. I think you could connect it to the existing valves with copper tubing to bring it to the level of the washer controls.
Washer hoses are usually the first plumbing fixture to fail. The majority of insurance claims for water damage are due to broken washer hoses. There’s no reason not to replace them every few years, even if there’s no visible damage. That’s what Richard Trethewy says and he is my God. I throw back a shot of jager every time he says the word “ferrule.”
There’s no reason to replace the vent as long as it’s in good condition.
Q: What constitutes “up to code” where you live? Because every municipality / town is slightly different… and some a lot more than slightly.
People, if you think knowing state law in 50 states could make a sane person’s head spin, try guessing that times a dozen (and that’s just the ones with over 50,000 people) for building code.
