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After almost 40 years of home ownership and although I've heard of it happening, never knew anyone it happened to. The hose for my clothes washer blew up! Woke up this AM to water all over the place! Good news it that I was able to reach the water shut off and it's over an unfinished basement, so I'm hoping I can just let everything dry out, replace the hose and all is well.
So this post is for all of you out there who, like me, never thought it would happen to you.
My washer & hoses are 20 yrs old and since I was lucky enough to have a washer last that long never thought to check the hoses. It may just be time to replace them with the new heavy duty hoses and save yourself a mess.
The good news is that now my LR will be VERY clean, time to redecorate?

I'm so sorry that happened to you. I've always feared it, so I've always used metal hoses.

We had something similar happen to us only it wasn't the washer hose, it was the water line that attaches to the toilet. It blew off just before we were to leave the house for the day. Had it blown off 20 minutes later, we would have come home to EVERYTHING ruined...floors ceilings (bathroom was upstairs), furniture, etc. THANK HEAVENS we were still there when it happened!

Good lesson to post! We had a brand new hose that just crimped as it went into the drain area causing it to 'explode' as it cracked. So, our fault since it was only installed a few months before. Water went only in the laundry room which is tiled and on a slab.

We have a set of front loaders that have a hot water feature (can use real hot water) for sanitizing. Well, the hose requirement, which we did in our other house, was not followed by DH in this house. For some reason he thought he would use what was here and then get back to it after we settled in (since I had Cervical Spine surgery 5 days after we moved in). We had a lot on our mind.

But as soon as it happened, I called DH at work, his first words... I didn't get to change out the hose yet! OH my, good thing it was not a huge mess and I was home and caught it early enough to shut the machine off. The newer more stable wire reinforced hose was then installed and all is well again!

The hot water had softened the old hose and then with soft sides it collapsed and made it flatter where it hung over the drain area causing a reduced draining, and over a few uses it just stayed crimped. The place where the hose goes in is not visible to me when I am in front of the machines, so I didn't notice it as it was happening.

So, put in the hose required by our new machines and our better hot water heaters (getting water hotter faster and longer) and the machines that can super heat the water for a cycle.

Good lesson learned and perhaps can help someone else not have the same issue happen to them! We got lucky with minimal damage!

Also check your dryer hose! Make sure the lint is not built up in the hose going outside, this clogging can cause house fires! Always check your lint filters and the hose (at least a couple of times a year) to make sure there is no build up happening. Some of the older dryer vent material has a slinky kind of look to it with material, when not stretched out properly there are ridges on the inside that catch debris and hold it there, like clogged arteries!

Jaysmom,

Thank you for a very timely reminder! We've been in this house 29 years so will check those hoses.

Also a good idea to know where the shut-offs are located for water valves. Easy to forget in those moments.

Thanks Again! Good luck on the clean-up.

I actually couldn't get to the shut offs because the leak was in the hose right next to them and it was spraying all over. I ran downstairs and shut the water off to the whole house, and then upstairs to shut off the washer valves. All this at 6:30 am before coffee! The bifold doors are off, the washer pulled out and I have a friend coming over to hold the washer so I can change the hoses. So much for a relaxing Saturday!
Everyone should know where the water shut offs, fuse boxes, etc. are in their houses.

jaysmom, must be the week of leaks and water messes. We had a basement flood due to hot water valve blow off. Oh my.

Hope yours is cleaned off and fixed ...we are back to normal here.

So Sorry! I've had that to happen with no cut-off. We were lucky that our laundry in our old house was off the garage with a concrete floor and 3-steps up into the house. Hubby made it home to tons of water pouring out the laundry room into the garage but all was well when everything dried out.
Now in this house it would be a disaster. eek.

Sure hope you don't have to replace anything or have any major damage.

So sorry to hear this too, but your word of caution could save others grief. BTW, DH and I are in the habit of turning off the water supply to our washing machine when not in use which is a good practice, but won't guarantee a burst hose. Also, I don't keep the washer on when I'm leaving the house, even for a short jaunt.

Sorry to hear it happened to you J. Thank goodness you caught it in time and you have an unfinished basement. Ours is finished so what a mess it would be.

I have heard of this before and worry about it. I've heard that when you go on vacation, you should turn your water off, just for this reason.

Thanks for the warning though, it's a good thing to know.

I guess I should tell the rest of the story. Had to run downstairs and shut the water off at the main because I couldn't get to the shut off valve at the washer because I was getting sprayed in the face (all this BEFORE coffee!). Then shut off the washer valves and turned the main back on.
Managed to drain the washer off all water, it was full from the water dripping in to it. Proceeded to take off the bi-fold doors and then pull the washer out. Pretty simple, so far. Checked to see kind of hoses I needed and headed out. A few yard sales later (it WAS Sat. morning) my new SS hoses were in hand ready to go. Tipped washer over and replaced the hot water-no problem. Tried to take off the cold water hose. 5 different slip joint pliers, 2 vice grips, and 3 pipe wrenches later, not a budge. PB all over joint. Put a container of liquid wrench over the spigot, taped it with electrical tape, let it soak, not a budge. A friend stopped in and gave me some muscle, nothing. Torched it, nothing. Tried to Dremel off the hose connector, managed to cut through it, still nothing. Called plumber this am, new valves installed. Still need to put up the bi-fold doors.
Lesson learned from this? Shut the valves off when not doing laundry. 2nd lesson? Unscrew the hoses every once in a while in case you're one of the lucky ones (like me!) who's had the same washer for 20 years with 1 $20 part about 7 years ago.
Now my "friend" who lives in my spare bedroom (male, quite house useless) informs me that the chain on the upstairs toilet came off and he can't figure out where it connects. Hmmmmm....