Life span of flexible tap connectors

[Guest123]

What is the lifespan of these braided flexible hose connectors that are commonly used to connect to taps? It's just that a standard washing machine hose 10 bar pressure at 25c is recommended to be changed every 5 years or so and these flexible hose connectors are rated only slightly higher at 15 bar pressure with the only difference being the braid. Will they last longer than the 5 years for a washing machine hose. I've used a couple on a bathroom suite.

Also a major diy store is selling outside tap kits supplied with a washing machine hose to replace pipework, so I assume that these washing machine hoses also have a fairly short lifespan and have to be changed in 5 years or so too? More so I assume as the washing machine hose is partly exposed to the outside elements as well as harmful UV light from the sun?

 

[REDSAW]

wow, lookintomyeyes ican see a chrystal ball.
who knows? have you tried the manu's?.

 

[Guest123]

Well the manufacturers of washing machine hoses, reckon they're good for 25 years but we know better. I've seen one burst after 2 years. So asking the manufacturers about braided ones wouldn't help. These things are very commonly used and I'd be interested in their life span/failure rate before committing myself to using more of them. If they are needing replaced every 5 years as with washing machine hoses, that's a hell of a lot of installations and I bet a lot of users of these would like to know as well.

Looking into your crystal ball pal, can you tell me next week's lottery numbers?

 

[REDSAW]

well i had one a few months back on a pegler mono tap burst it was only 6months old on a new build. dropped over 200litres into the ensuite and downstairs lounge whilst owner was asleep.

 

[Guest123]

I started using these like everyone else does, for speed and convenience. Seems that they have such a high failure rate that many U.S insurance companies refuse to insure against them.
I'm sticking to good 'ol copper in future or may give barrier pipe/plastic a try out.

 

[oldplumber]

my sister in Australia had one go in her bathroom, $25000 aus damage to her house and her plumber quoted that he has seen them burst on a regular basis. I now only tend to fit ones that are wras approved rather than using the cheapies from screwfix, but seems to be more common as the chinese imports are on the increase.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

would not use them,diy product

 

[REDSAW]

would not use them,diy product

know what you mean mark,
but dissagree.
i,e filling loops are not diy and most mono taps are supplied with them such as in picture. but do agree none quality imports are the problem.
but not in their designed application.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

fair enough filling loops,what i do is keep a few copper tails in the van for monos and give the customer a choice,bin the flexys and for a small charge fit copper tails,the other thing i hate about mono flexys is tightening them into the tap

 

[Guest123]

A quick Google search shows that even the wras ones have failure rates. I suspect that very few people know this and this concerns me. They are also unsuitable for potable water too. I won't use them again. When installing a washing machine, I'm going to advise my customers too that washing machine hoses are perishable and should be checked regularly and certainly changed every 5 years as part of a maintenance program.
What is everyone's experience of the "new" plastic pipe systems. Fittings seem expensive? I'm a traditionalist and up to now have only used copper, but I'm open to anything new, that gets the job done quick and reliable.

 

[oldplumber]

A quick Google search shows that even the wras ones have failure rates. I suspect that very few people know this and this concerns me. They are also unsuitable for potable water too. I won't use them again. When installing a washing machine, I'm going to advise my customers too that washing machine hoses are perishable and should be checked regularly and certainly changed every 5 years as part of a maintenance program.
What is everyone's experience of the "new" plastic pipe systems. Fittings seem expensive? I'm a traditionalist and up to now have only used copper, but I'm open to anything new, that gets the job done quick and reliable.

not quite true, wras approved ones are suitable for potable water. There was an issue where non approved flexi hoses were used in a hospital and there was a bacterial build up on the hoses causing an outbreak of infections and some fatalities ( i believe, havent seen the report for a while)

 

[Plumbstar Tom]

yes there are some that aren't and some that are, but all wras ones are good as far as I was aware

 

[Guest123]

Goad, these things even kill people....

 

[Plumbstar Tom]

wouldnt go that far!

 

[biofish]

not quite true, wras approved ones are suitable for potable water. There was an issue where non approved flexi hoses were used in a hospital and there was a bacterial build up on the hoses causing an outbreak of infections and some fatalities ( i believe, havent seen the report for a while)

One of the hospitals I look after had a big break out of legionairres due to non-wras flexis pre my arrival, I had the awesome job of removing over 300 and replacing with copper! - Now I replace with flexis again, oh how things change over time.

Goad, these things even kill people....

Only because non wras approved (chinese imports) had no protection/testing against legionella/aires. Done the course a few months back. Flexi's are fine as long as its wras approved. - I made a point of bringing this up as my fellow engineers were told never to use flexi's (whilst I have always used them) now for the work that we do its very time consuming not too.

I was given the all clear by the people who know! - as for the exploding flexi's it could be one of hundreds of reasons - but my guess is its been bashed/folded or generally just the odd dodgy one. I've never witnessed/seen or replaced one thats just got pooooooof.

 

[Gray0689]

i have used hundreds of flexi hoses and never had a problem

 

[Bernie2]

Problem is it seems. Is that although we usually have a British Standard for products allowed to be sold on the UK market, the standard is perhaps a minimum one. The better manufacturers exceed the standards. But its knowing which ones do and which don't.

WRAS I suppose, only approve stuff for fitting on UK water installations, but it does not tell you by how much they exceed the standards.

Perhaps a grade system should be introduced and manufacturers be made to stamp their products with its life expectancy and quality grade?

The idea that the brand name implies quality, would not seem to work any more, as many of the manufacturers all seem to belong to the same owner.

And sometime when you take the cover off anything, you find the parts are from all over the world not the one company you thought it was.

I think change over valves for combis are nearly all made in Italy by one company regardless of whose combi it is.

Screwfix are B and Q and so on.

Some well known brands also seem to trade on their name and import low cost Far Eastern products and then rebrand them as something else.

Even the likes of Toyota's seem to be made all over the place now.

Some Makita stuff is even made in the UK.

You just don't know what your buying now days.

I suppose with world markets, if you make it to hard to sell products in one country they just send them to another and prices rise in your country.

The thing is though, with world materials resources getting scarcer we have got to learn to make products that last.

But must admit, I have not seen any signs of that happening much, yet.

Perhaps a minimum world wide manufacturers guarantee of at least 10 years may help?

If Miele can do 10 year gurantees on washing machines!!!!

 

[oldplumber]

i have used hundreds of flexi hoses and never had a problem

got to say you wont be the one with the problem really, bit like saying never had a car crash but seen loads on the way to work behind me!

 

[Gray0689]

Well that's a true observation oldplumber but I have been to lots of jobs where the plumber used copper and looked awful and the tap tails where leaking in my opinion I like to use a good quality flexi hose but we are all different
If we all same it would be a boring world lol

 

[tamz]

Any decent plumber should be able to bend a couple of tails that would look 10 times better than flexi's and connect them so they will never leak. Perhaps taking 5 - 10 minutes longer to do.
The trouble is the skill is being removed from the trade and the ones can and who should better (me included) use flexi's for an easy option but sometimes there is no other way to fit the stuff except by using them eg some wc's.
If it is a decent quality job i will always hard pipe it.

 

[Puddle]

Any decent plumber should be able to bend a couple of tails that would look 10 times better than flexi's and connect them so they will never leak. Perhaps taking 5 - 10 minutes longer to do.
The trouble is the skill is being removed from the trade and the ones can and who should better (me included) use flexi's for an easy option but sometimes there is no other way to fit the stuff except by using them eg some wc's.
If it is a decent quality job i will always hard pipe it.

Agree completly

Also you are doing youreself out of work, as customer will see you fit a flexi and think ,I can do that next time,where as a nice bit of pipework and it will encourage the customer to re call when other works needed.

Have said before ,I have not come accross a job were I think to myself,this needs a flexi hose instead of pipework

imho

 

[oldplumber]

time is money and cu tube is costly as well, who looks under the sink anyhow?, flexis have their place, much like me in the household pecking order (somewhere after the dog and cat according to her in charge)

 

[tamz]

1m of 1/2" costs around £1.50, tap adaptor (or a nut and ring if you like) under £1.00 so about £1.75 + 5 minutes time to make up a connection. If you are good you don't even need to measure it eg i could get the wife to bend tails for pedistal basins with a 5 minute tutoring and unless you lie on the floor you won't see the pipes.
No matter how easy they are to fit you must agree hard piping looks better.
What i say to the apprentices' is plumbing is not hard to do. Any one can stick in some plastic and flexi's but people employ me because i am a professional and they like to see professional results not look at it and think "i could have done that".
Be different from the rest and use your skills. Be a tradesman

Puddle
I edited it myself Too long on the sites!

 

[Gray0689]

Lol I'd like to see you hard pipe a back to wall wc odviously you don't do a lot of top end sanitaryware hard pipeing not an option

 

[tamz]

Lol I'd like to see you hard pipe a back to wall wc odviously you don't do a lot of top end sanitaryware hard pipeing not an option

I already mentioned that.