What kind of supply for dishwasher?
brucet9
| Posted in Energy, Heating & Insulation on
Replacing a dishwasher that had 3/8″ copper supply connected with compression fittings.
A friend said that it’s better to replace the copper supply with braided flexible hose with a shut-off that senses high flow rate from a catastrophic leak and shuts off the water.
Seems to me that the only thing that could fail catastrophically is the hose itself. In that case, the automatic shutoff just solves the problem of hose failure.
What say you guys, braided hose or copper?
BruceT
Replies
High quality braided hose is strong and simple
Braided without the hoky shutoff.
Often what causes leaks in a DW line is if it is flex copper tubing and the unit is pulled out / pushed in several times for service or replacement the line will kink and bend in a spot and then at some point leak. Never seen a line blow out on a DW (not saying it can't or doesn't happen) but have seen many subfloors ruined and rotted from a slow leak in a pinched copper tube.
Just get the braided SS hose. I have never had good luck with those flow sensing valves.
Edit: Every major leak (water spraying all over floor) I have seen has been a problem with the unit and not the line. There is often a flow reducer in the part where the hose hooks to the unit so a flow sensing valve might not even catch a problem.
If you are really really worried about a leak in the unit get a bosch DW, they have a leak sensor that shuts the machine down when there is a problem.
Edited 2/17/2009 6:28 pm ET by restorationday
dont forget the hammer arrester
well i'm odd man out on this one.
evrybody loves using these braided lines,including me. there easy,whats not to love.
we'll they are nothing but a rubber hose with a stainless wire outer jacket to help prevent the hose from blowing out. do not confuse these with the same type of hose as whats on a bobcat hydraulic line that has the wire molded into the rubber and can withstand 3000 psi.
i have replaced several that have had the wire fraid out at the ends with the hose ready to burst. so far i've lucked out.
but on a dishwasher you are going to slide that in and probably never see it again for 12-15 years,hope lucks with you.
whens the last time you saw copper give trouble?i'll bet the piece you pulled out is at least 10 years old and you want reuse it,that won't happen with a rubber hose.
i think these things are going to be booming bussiness for water restoration companies someday..........................
YOU ONLY NEED TWO TOOLS IN LIFE - WD-40 AND DUCT TAPE. IF IT DOESN'T
MOVE AND SHOULD, USE THE WD-40. IF IT SHOULDN'T MOVE AND DOES, USE THE
DUCT TAPE.
i agree with you... i've had more than a few "stainless braided lines" develope pin hole leaks... one so fine i couldn't see the leak but could see the water on the wood where it was spray'n i couldn't even feel it... it was that fine of a spray....
PLUS they are not code here... not for anything... sink... toilet... ice maker... dishwasher... nada...
you can use pex here... so pex or copper for me
P
"have replaced several that have had the wire fraid out at the ends with the hose ready to burst."Was that naturally frayed, or rodent chewed. I had one under the kitchen sink in a rental that burst and flooded all over. When I took it out I found several places where at least a quarter inch diameter area of braid was gone and the hose burst at the largest of those.
BruceT
naturally frayed at the ends. the stainless braid is just held at each end by the crimp fitting.about a 1/4 inch at the ends is also what i have found.
i think they would be fine if a guy could make himself check them every year or so,but who's going to do that.
ponys reply that there not to code,makes me feel that someone knows more than me.[thats not hard]larryYOU ONLY NEED TWO TOOLS IN LIFE - WD-40 AND DUCT TAPE. IF IT DOESN'TMOVE AND SHOULD, USE THE WD-40. IF IT SHOULDN'T MOVE AND DOES, USE THEDUCT TAPE.
The problem I have found with copper tube is under the sink. People turn to bump it by cramming too many cleaning supplies there pushing the doors shut. then in the process bending the copper causing a drip at the fitting.Wallyo
I would use the braided, mixed feeling on the auto shut off, installed one once just remembering there are situations that it could shut off under no problem. I think is was in a running toilet situation and then it would need to be reset.
Only reason for it to fray is; it is rubbing against some metal and vibrating due to water hammer or rodents gnaw.
Wallyo
Before you buy a braided hose, go over to the Terry Love Plumbing forum and do a search....all sorts of threads about how they are no good.
One problem is that it's hard to know anymore whether you're getting a good one or Chinese junk. The original NoBurst brand was good quality, but a lot of what's sold now is very doubtful. And I don't know of anyone in town that carries NoBurst.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith
But of course the real "right" way to do a dishwasher is with hard copper. In most cases it can be done, but it takes a bit of planning.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith
That would seem like the best solution...take a little more time and be bombproof! What's an extra hour of labor when you compare to a damaged floor!
When you say "hard" copper, do you mean like 1/2" nominal Type L copper?I think that would be a big challenge.
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
Yep. It's the way it used to be done all the time. Most DWs are designed to facilitate it, but each is different in how, and where the pipe must be placed to allow the unit to be slid in and out.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith
I used a leak sensing line once. It broke (pre-sensor) about an hour after I put in on.
I always use the braided lines but never the leak sensing kind.
Family.....They're always there when they need you.
Most of the DW leaks I have encountered were caused by the solenoid fill valve and it was a slow leak that the gee whiz leak thing would never sense. I use the "ss" versions but do not believe they really offer anything over copper unless you are going to let it freeze. In that case the leak will just be somewhere else.
Never had a leak with copper tubing on DW , though I use steel braided for the washer.