Take a look under your kitchen sink or bathroom vanity. See those braided silver hoses connecting the water supply to your taps? Those are flexible pressure pipes, better known as flexi pipes or flexi hoses, and they’re one of the most common causes of serious water damage in Australian homes.
At Coast Runner Plumbing and Gas, we’ve seen first-hand what happens when one of these little hoses lets go. Here’s why they fail, why the damage can be so severe, and why a simple check after five years is one of the smartest low-cost jobs you can do for your home.
What are pressure pipes, and why do they fail?
Flexi pipes are the braided stainless steel hoses that feed water to your taps, toilets and appliances. They’re found under sinks, vanities, laundry troughs and behind toilets in just about every modern home.
Here’s the important bit: they’re under constant mains water pressure, 24 hours a day, whether you’re using the tap or not. Over time, the stainless steel braiding corrodes, frays and weakens. The rubber inner tube then has nothing holding it against that constant pressure, and eventually it bursts.
Corrosion can be accelerated by things like humidity in enclosed cupboards, cleaning chemicals stored under the sink, kinks or twists from installation, and general wear and age. The trouble is, all of this happens quietly, out of sight, in cupboards most of us rarely look inside.
When a flexi pipe bursts, it really bursts
This isn’t a slow drip you’ll spot on the ceiling. A burst flexi pipe releases mains pressure water at full flow, and it doesn’t stop until someone turns the water off at the meter. That can mean thousands of litres of water flooding through your home in a matter of hours.
Now think about when that’s most likely to be a disaster. If you’re home, you’ll hear it and react quickly. But if a pipe lets go while you’re at work, on holiday, or away for the weekend, nobody knows it’s happened. The water just keeps coming. We’ve heard of homes where a flexi pipe burst on day one of a two-week holiday.
The result can be soaked carpets, warped floorboards, damaged cabinetry, ruined plasterboard, and in some cases structural damage. Burst flexible hoses are consistently reported by Australian insurers as one of the leading causes of internal water damage claims. And even when insurance covers the repair, you’re still left dealing with the disruption, the excess, the drying out, the trades in and out of your home, and potentially higher premiums down the track.
The five-year rule
Flexi pipes are not a fit-and-forget product. As a general guide, we recommend having your pressure pipes checked once they’re around five years old, and in many cases replaced. Some hoses will last longer, but by the five-year mark corrosion has often started, and replacement is cheap insurance against a very expensive event.
It’s worth doing a quick visual check yourself in the meantime. Warning signs to look for include:
- Rust-coloured spots or staining on the braiding
- Fraying, kinked or bulging sections of hose
- Any signs of moisture, drips or corrosion around the connections
- Hoses that were installed twisted or under tension
If you spot any of these, don’t wait. A hose showing visible corrosion is a hose on borrowed time.
A small job that prevents a big one
Here’s the maths that makes this such an easy decision. Checking and replacing flexi pipes is a quick, low-cost job for a licensed plumber. Cleaning up after a burst one can run into the tens of thousands of dollars once you factor in water damage restoration, flooring, cabinetry and everything else that sits in the path of the water.
Low cost, high impact. That’s exactly the kind of maintenance job worth staying on top of.
How Coast Runner Plumbing and Gas can help
We regularly carry out pressure pipe checks and replacements across Perth, and we make it painless:
- Comprehensive inspection. We thoroughly assess the pressure pipes throughout your home and identify any signs of damage, corrosion or wear before they become a problem.
- Expert replacement. Where hoses need replacing, our licensed plumbers do it efficiently with minimal disruption – it’s a small job when it’s done proactively.
- Quality materials. We use only high quality pipes and fittings, so your new hoses are built to last.
- Upfront pricing. As always, you’ll know the cost before we start. No surprises.
While we’re there, we can also show you where your water meter and isolation valves are, so if anything ever does let go, you know exactly how to shut the water off fast.
Book your pressure pipe check
If the flexi pipes in your home are more than five years old, or you’ve never had them checked, now is the time. It’s a quick visit that could save you a flooded home.
Call Mike directly on 0400 666 162 or contact Coast Runner Plumbing and Gas to book your pressure pipe check. Family owned, 34 years in the trade, and you’ll deal with Mike from start to finish.
About the Author
Mike Bury – Owner & Operator, Coast Runner Plumbing and Gas
Mike Bury is the owner and operator of Coast Runner Plumbing and Gas, a family operated plumbing business based in Perth. With over 34 years in the trade, Mike has a vast range of experience across all aspects of plumbing and gas, and is committed to delivering first class service at an affordable price. When you book with Coast Runner, you deal directly with Mike from the start of the job right through to the finish. Mike is a fully licensed plumber and gas fitter (PL 9662, GL 8140).