The hot water hook up for my stacked washer dryer developed a dripping leak. I can get someone in to look at fixing it, not till after the holiday weekend, but that’s not a problem. It’s shut off now, no dripping.
My question is; can I continue to use the washer, (with the hot water hook up fully shut off), as long as I run in on the cold water cycle?
Yes. It’s that simple.
It may not be that simple, as sometimes appliances are finicky about things.
It should probably work, and there’s no good reason why it shouldn’t. But that doesn’t mean that your washer isn’t “smart” enough to check for hot water and refuse to run if it doesn’t see pressure on that line.
I’d say 97% chance it works fine, and a 3% chance that you have an appliance that’s too smart for its own good.
A drippy hose should be an easy fix for a homeowner. Washer hoses should be replaced periodically anyway, as continued pressure over the years weakens them. If it’s leaking at the connection, you can just replace the rubber washer. All you need is a pair of pliers like these:
If the dripping isn’t too bad, you could also just have the hot water on while you are using the washer, and shut it off the rest of the time. Use a rag or pan to catch whatever water drops.
If it is leaking from the stem, usually tightening the packing nut is all that is needed to fix the leak
I’ve seen washers run that way for years. I will say though, if the valve is leaking, and it’s shut off now and you don’t need to run a hot washer wash, then leave the valve shut off. If you open it again it may not close up without further leaking. It should be something easy to fix if you already own some channel lock pliers. If you don’t, or don’t even know what channel lock pliers are then wait for a plumber.
One should go to a laundromat on occasion to remind them how great in house washers and dryers are.
I recall several times where my attempts to minimize or stop a leak resulted in even more leaking.
One time I was heading out the door for a long vacation. My last task was to shut the water to the house off at the main valve. I had a van-load of people waiting for me to do this. Sure enough, I closed the valve and it started dripping. I don’t do that anymore.
Don’t mess with it too much unless you’re in a position to invest more time and effort than it seems the job should demand.
mmm
Thanks for the info. My handy neighbour is going to replace the faucet, he tried a couple of quick fix things, but we’ve landed on new faucet! It really seems the safest choice.
And he agreed, wash on cold cycle will be fine.
(Thanks for the quick responses, my neighbour just happened by, moments after posting!)
(I should buy a lottery ticket!)
I happened to be in the basement of my parents’ house when one of the washing machine hoses burst unexpectedly, and it spewed a lot of water until I turned off the valve. I heard someplace, possibly This Old House, that burst washing machine hoses are the cause of many insurance claims. So actually in addition to proactively replacing the washer hoses, I think it’s recommended to shut off the hot and cold faucets when the washer isn’t in use. There are gizmos that go between the faucet and the hoses that make it easy to turn the faucets off or on, and even automatic gizmos that only open the faucets when the washing machine starts.
Some insurance policies won’t cover a plain rubber burst hose. It needs to be the steel braid or equivalent type reinforced hose. It’s always recommended to shut off the water supply to a washing machine if it will be left unattended for a long time such as when a homeowner goes on vacation.
My dishwasher came with a valve that shuts the water off in the event of a burst. It only has a cold water connection as do most European machines.
We had that on our washer in our home. It really prolongs the life of the hoses to almost forever. As a backup, there was also a sensor in the pan under the washer that would sense a pump hose leak and shut off the valves as well.
The washer I use (at Mom’s house, because it’s a lot cheaper there than in my apartment, and it’s a good excuse to visit every week), the hot water hasn’t worked in over a year. We just half-fill it with hot water manually (the utility sink next to the washer has a hose on it), and then let it fill the rest of the way with cold. The only way I could see this not working would be if the machine just assumes how much water it’s going to need and adds that amount, rather than tracking the fill level, and I honestly have a hard time imagining any washer that’s that stupid.
When you neighbor replaces the valve for the washer get one of those 90 degree off valves.