Flexible Hose Connections -Are they better made these days or still liable to fail suddenly?

HUMBUG

I've had one fail at my elderly parents house in the middle of the night under the bath and it was a terrifying experience how much water escaped. The connection hose must have been put in many years ago, while the sideboard of the bath fixed with wooden panelling and tiled over (so could never access or see under bath, so blissfully unaware that it was corroded). When my parents put in a new combi Worcester Bosch boiler , the previous gravity pressured hot water pipes (hot water tank in the loft) were now under water mains pressure and within a few days the flexible hose burst flooding the place. 

From what I've read , even having detergent or household cleaner containers in cabinets under the sink or close to the connectors can cause chemical reactions that corrode the stainless steel braiding , which then means the inner rubber hose can bulge and burst through weakened areas.

There are some recent youtube videos that cause me even more anxiety.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hizg-w0nO48

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOJ-Vuqzvt0

I was now thinking about replacing the mixer tap in my elderly parents kitchen which has 2 of these contraptions under the sink , but it is very difficult these days to find replacement taps without 'easifit' connections. 

My question ( to any plumbers out there)  : 
Are the newer designed flexible connections less likely to burst than the older versions (ie. can they withstand more pressure and not bulge and burst through the steel braiding so easily)?

FreeBear

HUMBUG said: From what I've read , even having detergent or household cleaner containers in cabinets under the sink or close to the connectors can cause chemical reactions that corrode the stainless steel braiding , which then means the inner rubber hose can bulge and burst through weakened areas.

Stainless steel is immune to corrosion from the chemicals you are likely to find in a domestic cupboard. If you are concerned about flexible hoses failing, then fit isolation valves between the hose and any rigid pipework.

Got several flexible hoses dotted around here, and have never experienced a failure.

tacpot12

You should be ok if you buy from a good plumbers merchant, but I would try to find a UK-manufactured product. Pegler make flexible hose connectors, so I would see if you can find a Pegler product that would suit. The other safeguard you can take is to replace them every five years or so. 

CSI_Yorkshire

Flexible hoses fail regularly.  They keep us in business.

benson1980

I really don’t get why people tile the entire bath panel without providing any access- not just for these but bath waste, overflow etc. I’d consider them an item that might need inspection/replacement after a period of time thus wouldn’t have them in inaccessible spaces.

Simonon77

CSI_Yorkshire said:

Flexible hoses fail regularly.  They keep us in business.

I  have various ones in my house, some 16 years old and have never had one fail yet. All can be accessed and there are no signs of any bulging or the stainless braid degrading

Copper pipes can fail and split as well, as can various other water fittings, so I don't think they are any worse 

CSI_Yorkshire

Simonon77 said:

CSI_Yorkshire said:

Flexible hoses fail regularly.  They keep us in business.

I  have various ones in my house, some 16 years old and have never had one fail yet. All can be accessed and there are no signs of any bulging or the stainless braid degrading

Copper pipes can fail and split as well, as can various other water fittings, so I don't think they are any worse 

I didn't say they were any worse.

I was answering the OP's question of "do they still suddenly fail", to which the answer can only be yes.

Your individual anecdote does not disprove this.

Simonon77

CSI_Yorkshire said:

Simonon77 said:

CSI_Yorkshire said:

Flexible hoses fail regularly.  They keep us in business.

I  have various ones in my house, some 16 years old and have never had one fail yet. All can be accessed and there are no signs of any bulging or the stainless braid degrading

Copper pipes can fail and split as well, as can various other water fittings, so I don't think they are any worse 

I didn't say they were any worse.

I was answering the OP's question of "do they still suddenly fail", to which the answer can only be yes.

Your individual anecdote does not disprove this.

True, i was just giving my experience that I have never had any problems with them

Section62

HUMBUG said:

Are the newer designed flexible connections less likely to burst than the older versions (ie. can they withstand more pressure and not bulge and burst through the steel braiding so easily)?

It is the same as most things when it comes to building products.  There are good quality ones and poor quality ones, it has always been that way and probably always will be.  Furthermore quality doesn't necessarily correlate with cost, nor using a particular brand.

In my experience failures are more likely to occur where the installer has taken 'flexible' too literally.  They seem less likely to fail where the flexible connector has been treated kindly - e.g. the correct length was used, the connections are not stressed, and the amount of curvature isn't excessive.  Sometimes you see them where they have been more or less tied in knots, or cases where the connecting hose has been allowed to rotate as the nut is tightened at the end, causing the 'rubber' to twist or kink.

To some degree flexible connectors are a slightly lazy way of plumbing.  That's Ok where they are installed carefully, but if the installer was lazy as well, it won't be surprising if the connector's safe life span isn't that great.

Gavin83

Simonon77 said:

CSI_Yorkshire said:

Flexible hoses fail regularly.  They keep us in business.

I  have various ones in my house, some 16 years old and have never had one fail yet. All can be accessed and there are no signs of any bulging or the stainless braid degrading

Copper pipes can fail and split as well, as can various other water fittings, so I don't think they are any worse 

Copper pipes can fail but it’s unusual for them to fail this catastrophically. Normally copper pipes will fail with a pinhole leak so you’ll get a bit more of a warning first. Still likely a lot of water to deal with by the time you notice but not nearly as much.

Same goes for compression fittings. Prone to weeping but it’s unusual for them to completely fail.

Push fit on the other hand….

danrv

I fitted JG Speedfit push-fit hoses and Pegler isolation valves to my new bath. So far, all good. After taking out the original rigid pipework at the other end for the old bath, I didn’t fancy soldering up new copper pipes.