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Low view behind a front-loading washer pulled slightly away from the wall in a home laundry room, a black rubber fill hose with a visible swollen bulge near its fitting and a thin stream of water spraying from it onto a tile floor, a spreading puddle, the hot and cold wall valves above.

Supply Hose Leaking or Bulging Behind an Appliance: Shut the Water Off

A supply hose leaking or bulging is water spraying, dripping or pooling from the fill hose of a washer, the line to an ice maker or dispenser, or the dishwasher's supply under the sink.

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Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm

  • Fire, gas, water or wiring risk
  • 5 questions that narrow it
  • 6 causes, cheapest first

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or call (844) 879-5178

Smell gas? Leave first. Heat, water or sparks? Stop it, cut the power

A leaking or bulging supply hose is urgent: close the supply valve now, or the house main if needed. Keep clear of outlets and cords in the wet area, and turn off a circuit at the panel only from a dry floor. Leave the valve closed until the hose or line has been replaced.

What it
usually means.

Most appliances that use water are fed by a hose or a small line that stays under full house pressure day and night, whether the appliance runs or not. The washer has two rubber or braided hoses to valves in the wall behind it; a refrigerator with a dispenser or ice maker has a thin plastic or braided line to a valve under the sink or in the basement; a dishwasher has a short line from the hot water valve under the sink; a steam oven or plumbed coffee system may have one too. Rubber ages and swells near the crimped fittings, plastic lines crack where they bend, couplings loosen when an appliance is pushed back, and old shutoff valves stop closing fully. A bulge in a hose is the last warning before it bursts, and a burst hose can release a great deal of water in a short time. The first step is to close the supply valve behind or under the appliance, or the house main if that valve will not turn. Keep clear of outlets and cords in the wet area, and if the water has reached anything electrical, switch that circuit off at the panel only if you can reach it standing on a dry floor. A hose or line replaced is upkeep; a cracked inlet valve inside the appliance is a repair for the sister site.

Inside the fresh food section of an open stainless refrigerator in a bright home kitchen, a technician's hands seen from the shoulders down twisting a new white cylindrical water filter cartridge into its housing in the upper corner, the old cartridge resting on a folded towel on a glass shelf, soft daylight. The 6 causes, cheapest first

Answer these first

01

Which appliance is it: washer, refrigerator line, dishwasher, steam oven or another?
02

Is the water spraying, dripping from a fitting, or seeping from the hose itself?
03

Is the hose rubber, braided metal or thin plastic, and do you know how old it is?
04

Was the appliance moved, pushed back or serviced recently?
05

Does the leak stop completely when the valve behind or under it is closed?

Check these
before you book.

Supply hose leaking: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything.

01

Close the supply valve behind or under the appliance; if it will not turn, close the main water valve for the house.

02

Keep away from outlets, cords and power strips in the wet area, and do not unplug anything standing in water.

03

If water has reached an outlet or the appliance, switch that circuit off at the panel only from a dry floor.

Also worth checking

  • Soak up standing water and pull the appliance forward only after the water and the power are off.
  • Photograph the hose and its fittings where it leaked, so the right replacement comes along.

The causes,
cheapest first.

6 things supply hose leaking or bulging behind an appliance: shut the water off turns out to be, from coupling loosened after the appliance was moved to inlet valve cracked inside the appliance.

The cost guide
  1. 01 low

    Coupling loosened after the appliance was moved

    Pulling a washer or refrigerator out and pushing it back can twist or unseat a hose coupling. With the water off, the washer is checked, reseated and snugged by hand plus a small turn, and the hose is routed so it cannot kink.

    Fixed by drum seal and drain filter cleaning On a laundry machine
  2. 02 low

    Rubber fill hose swollen with age

    Rubber washer hoses soften and bulge near their crimped ends over the years. Both hoses are replaced together, braided stainless is recommended, and the valves are checked to be sure they close.

    Fixed by drum seal and drain filter cleaning On a laundry machine
  3. 03 low

    Dish care supply line under the sink

    The short supply line to a dishwasher can weep at its fitting or the valve. The line and its connection are checked on a dish care visit, and a worn one is swapped with the water closed.

    Fixed by dish care filter and spray arm cleaning On a dish care machine
  4. 04 low to moderate

    Cracked water line to an ice maker or dispenser

    Thin plastic lines crack where they bend behind a refrigerator, and old saddle valves on the pipe drip. The line is replaced with a new one, and a saddle valve is noted for a plumber to replace with a proper shutoff.

    Fixed by water filter and descaling service On a cold storage unit
  5. 05 low to moderate

    Shutoff valve that will not close

    An old multi-turn valve behind a washer or under a sink can seize open or weep at its stem. The visit finds it and notes it; replacing a house valve is a plumber's job.

    Book a diagnostic visit
  6. 06 moderate

    Inlet valve cracked inside the appliance

    If the leak comes from the appliance's own water valve rather than the hose, the part has failed. That is a repair, handed to the sister repair site for that appliance.

    Book a diagnostic visit

The makes
it happens on.

35 makes on this site; supply hose leaking or bulging behind an appliance: shut the water off can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page.

All 35 brands

Supply Hose Leaking or Bulging Behind an Appliance: Shut the Water Off,
where we come out.

9 metros, each with its own page.

All service areas

Tampa BayFL · 31 areas

OrlandoFL · 30 areas

Miami / South FloridaFL · 47 areas

New York MetroNY · 75 areas

HoustonTX · 36 areas

ChicagoIL · 50 areas

Los AngelesCA · 95 areas

San DiegoCA · 31 areas

San Francisco Bay AreaCA · 74 areas

A family sharing breakfast in a bright, well-kept home kitchen.
For the heart of your home.

Questions about
supply hose leaking or bulging behind an appliance: shut the water off.

Should the valves behind the laundry be turned off after every wash?
Some homeowners do, especially with rubber hoses, and it removes the pressure between loads. Others fit braided hoses and a single-lever valve that is easy to close when leaving for a trip. Either way, the valves should turn freely.
How can a hose that is about to fail be spotted?
Look for a bulge or blister near the ends, cracks in the rubber, rust or green crust on the fittings, and damp on the floor behind the machine. Any one of them means replacing the hose rather than waiting.
Does a water leak detector behind the appliances help?
It does. A small battery alarm on the floor behind a washer, refrigerator or dishwasher sounds at the first puddle, and some models close a valve automatically. It is a small cost next to a flooded floor.
Are braided stainless hoses worth the upgrade?
For most homes, yes. They resist bursting better than plain rubber, though they still age and should be replaced on the schedule the hose maker gives.

Back to your everyday

Still seeing supply hose leaking or bulging behind an appliance: shut the water off?

Book with what you checked above — 5 answers save the technician the first part of the visit.

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