What is a flexi-hose and why is it causing massive issues for all Property Owners?

What is a flexi-hose and quite frankly why should you care?

Well, you will be surprised this inexpensive hose is causing major water damage in Australian homes, apartments, and businesses.

What is a flexible hose?

Commonly known as a ‘flexi hose’, a flexible hose is a versatile and malleable rubber pipe armored in braided layers of stainless steel. (see what it looks like below). They’re part of many Australian home and business fit-outs and can be found in connections from the wall outlet to sinks, toilets, washing machines, dishwashers, taps connected to mains, plumbed fridges, and more.

Burst braided flexible hoses are a major cause of water damage in Australian properties. Escaped water from a flexible hose can cause tens of thousands of dollars in water damage, leave a home unliveable, and destroy sentimental items in a matter of hours.

Checking and where able, replacing your flexi hoses can prevent the worst from occurring. And given they cost as little as ten dollars it is an inexpensive problem to solve.

Why should flexi hoses be checked/replaced?

Flexi pipes are only designed to last five to ten years and should they burst, they have the potential to flood your property and cause extensive damage.

Incorrect installation, and damage through lack of maintenance such as rusting, fraying, and kinking can also cause them to degrade faster than anticipated.

Noting that flexi hoses have a limited lifespan means they need to be checked and replaced particularly if there are any signs of degradation in the material.

What happens if a flexi hose bursts?

A burst flexi hose can release significant volumes of water through your property in a very short space of time, particularly if there is no one around. This could impact multiple rooms in your property and if you live in an apartment complex, can impact common areas and even other people’s properties.

Could you imagine If it happened while you’re at work or, worst-case while you’re away on holiday?

Even when you are home, you may not immediately note that damage could be occurring.

Unfortunately, some of our clients have experienced this and the significant distress and inconvenience that follows.

How to check if a flexible hose needs replacement?

Checking flexible hoses is quite a simple process.

Take a look around your business or home, look under your sinks, and around the property for flexible braided hoses that connect your hot and cold water. You may be surprised how many you have.

Try not to touch them with your bare hands. There should be an expiry date tagged on the flexible braided hoses to look for. If it has expired, or there is no tag, then contact a professional plumber to check them immediately. Especially if you don’t know when they were installed or last checked.

We highly recommend that if you are unsure, speak with a professional plumber who can provide you further advice on checking/replacing flexi hoses to prevent any future damage.

Preventing water damage to your property is the best way to reduce the risk of having a claim and all the inconvenience that comes along with it.

Does home and business insurance cover a burst flexi hose?

If you have home building and contents or business insurance, your policy will usually cover you.

Speaking with your personal Rivers team member, we can check your policy documents and Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) to understand limits, exclusions, and payable excess, and knowing your current sum insured levels is accurate is essential.