Replacing the flexible hoses

Every sink, toilet and washing machine in the house is connected with a short flexible hose: a rubber tube inside a woven steel sleeve. They are cheap, they are hidden in a cupboard, and they do not last forever.

They fail badly rather than slowly. The steel strands snap one by one, the sleeve unwinds, and the rubber inside balloons out and bursts. There is no drip to warn you first. The hose is under pressure all the time, and it usually goes while nobody is home.

Cyprus is hard on them: salty air, warm cupboards, and in a lot of flats the washing machine sits out on a balcony in full sun on hoses never meant to be outside. Look for rust spots, kinks or a bulge. If you see any of those, they are past it.

Doing the whole flat takes one visit and the parts cost very little. It is the cheapest thing on this page and it prevents the most expensive kind of damage.

Typical visit: 1 hour