ArcaMax

A plumbing disaster could be waiting to happen in your laundry room because the water supply to a washing machine is always on. If the hoses fail or leak — and they may if they’re old — you are vulnerable to an unpleasant home accident. A leak is bad enough, but if both the hot and cold lines fail at the same time and no one is home to turn off the water, it can be a very costly repair. To prevent this from happening every so often check the hoses, and if they look worn, replace them with new burst-resistant metal mesh hoses.

A plumber will charge $150, including labor and material to make this repair. You can do it yourself for $25, the cost of the replacement hoses, and save 83% for your effort.

Here’s what’s involved: Turn off the water supply to the hoses and then relieve the pressure by turning the washer on to a warm fill cycle for five seconds. Use adjustable pliers to loosen one hose at a time from the water supply, and then from the machine. Have a bucket handy to catch the water that spills out of the hose. Before installing the new hose, check to see that it has a rubber washer on each end. Replace the other hose in the same way, turn the water supply on and check for leaks.

Pro Cost: $150 — DIY Cost: $25 — Pro time: 0.6
DIY Time: 1.0 — DIY Savings: $125 — Percent Saved: 83%

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To find more DIY project costs and to post comments and questions, visit www.diyornot.com and m.diyornot.com on smartphones.

©2025 Gene and Katie Hamilton. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.