DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Hello, I found that there was a leak at the join where my washing machine's cold water intake hose attached to my pipes under my kitchen sink. I bought a new hose and tried fitting it. However, I cannot completely stop the leak. After tightening the plastic nut (that holds the hose onto the pipe) as much as I could by hand, I still got a drop or two of water coming out of the join when I put the washing machine through a rinse cycle. That's a lot better than it was, but it's not enough to give me peace of mind that a significant leak won't develop again. I don't seem to have any pliers that are big enough to get around the screw part for getting a stronger grip, and I'm not sure it's a good idea to use too much force anyway.

Does anyone have any advice for how to stop the join leaking completely? Should I keep trying to tighten the plastic nut somehow, and if so are there any tips for getting a better grip (I don't have the strongest hands for tightening nuts)? Is the new hose likely to be faulty or might I not have fitted it correctly?

Here's the new hose I bought, which is nearly identical to the one it replaced on my Indesit washing machine: http://www.espares.co.uk/product/es7991 ... e---2-metr

For the hose to be leak free, the seal on the hose needs to be tight to the body on the isolator opening. Double check that you have not threaded nut, also check no debris is around the area that creates the seal. Normally hand tighten is sufficient but failing that a spanner will be required. To help you hand grip it, use a cloth or tea towel around the nut and grip that. It could be worth considering replacing the isolator.

Thanks, I got it tight enough in the end using rubber gloves to get a better grip - it was helpful to know I needed to keep tightening and not worry about going too far this way. I learnt though that my hot and cold pipes were mislabelled and that my washing machine had been taking in hot water for the past several years! (I'm not the one who put it in!)