I get what you’re saying about brass giving you a heads-up before it fails, but I’ve actually had the opposite luck with those stainless braided hoses. They look bulletproof, but I’ve had two go on me in the last decade—both times right at the crimp, like you mentioned. The thing is, they looked fine from the outside. No rust, no bulging, nothing. Then suddenly, one started spraying under a bathroom sink and the other just let loose behind a washing machine. Both were less than ten years old.
Ever tried those stainless braided hoses? I’ve seen a few fail at the crimp, but they seem more reliable than plastic.
I used to think they were set-and-forget, but now I’m not so sure. At least with brass or even copper, you can spot that greenish corrosion or see a drip forming before it turns into a disaster. With the braided ones, it’s like they hide their problems until it’s too late.
Funny enough, I’ve had some of those cheap plastic supply lines last longer than expected—though I still don’t trust them for anything important. Maybe it’s just luck of the draw or water quality playing a part? Hard water seems to chew through everything faster.
Anyway, these days I just swap out any supply line over five years old when I’m doing turnovers or renovations. It’s not worth risking a midnight flood because something looked “fine” on the outside.
- Gotta admit, I’m still team stainless braided, even after hearing these horror stories. Maybe I’m just tempting fate, but the plastic ones always make me nervous—like, one good bump and they’ll split.
- I do check the crimps every now and then, though. Paranoid? Maybe. But after my neighbor’s laundry room turned into a wading pool, I’m not taking chances.
- Hard water’s a beast, for sure. I swear it’s aged my pipes faster than my first year of homeownership aged me...
- Five-year swap sounds smart, but I’ll probably forget and get a surprise shower at 2am.
Five-year swap sounds smart, but I’ll probably forget and get a surprise shower at 2am.
Honestly, setting a calendar reminder is the only way I remember to swap out supply lines. Stainless braided does seem sturdier, but I’ve seen a few fail at the crimp—especially with hard water. If you’re worried about forgetting, those little leak alarms under the sink are cheap insurance. Not perfect, but better than mopping up at midnight...
- Leak alarms are a decent backup, but I’d rather not rely on them as my first line of defense.
- I swap supply lines every 7-8 years instead of five—seems like overkill to do it sooner, especially if you’re using decent quality ones.
- Stainless braided is good, but I’ve had better luck with PEX lines. They’re less prone to crimp issues and don’t seem to get brittle as fast.
- Hard water’s a pain, agreed. I throw a cheap in-line filter on the supply if I’m really worried about buildup.
- Honestly, I just write the install date on the line with a Sharpie. Easier than digging through reminders when something starts leaking...
Writing the install date on the supply line is a solid move—makes life easier when you’re staring at a puddle at 2am and can’t remember if it’s been five years or fifteen. I’m with you on not trusting leak alarms as the main defense. They’re a last resort, not a plan.
On the supply lines, I’ve seen some PEX lines hold up really well, but I’m still a bit old-school about stainless braided. Maybe it’s just habit, but I’ve had a couple of PEX lines develop slow leaks at the crimp after a few years. Could be installer error, could be cheap fittings, hard to say. With stainless, if you get a decent brand and don’t overtighten, they seem to last a decade easy. Curious if you’re using push-to-connect fittings or the crimp rings? That seems to make a difference in longevity.
Hard water’s brutal, no argument there. The in-line filter trick helps, but I’ve run into issues where folks forget to change the filter and it ends up restricting flow over time. Not a huge deal for toilets, but it can mess with fill valves and cause those ghost flushes. I’ve started recommending folks just check their shutoff valves every year or so—make sure they still turn and aren’t corroded shut. Nothing worse than trying to shut off water in an emergency and finding the valve’s frozen.
Out of curiosity, has anyone actually had a supply line fail before the five-year mark? All the “replace every five years” advice feels like it’s written by people selling supply lines, not using them. I’ve seen plenty go ten years without issue, but maybe I’m just lucky.