What is an aqua stop hose and do you have to use it?
The words aqua, and stop, are used by a variety of companies covering different products. They all try to “stop” damage from leaking water in various situations. So-called “aqua stop” systems in appliances can combine more than one leak detection system including float switch detectors in the base of the appliance.
However, this article deals with questions about the actual aqua stop fill hose supplied with several brands of washing machines and dishwashers (including AEG, Neff, Bosch & Siemens).
How does the Aqua-stop hose work?
It’s a hose within a hose. The outer hose is made of corrugated plastic designed to contain any water if the inner hose leaks. There is also a plastic housing at the end where it connects to the water tap.
If the inner hose ever leaks, then a device inside this housing is able to detect the incident and prevent further water getting into it. If this happens, the hose will no longer let any water through to the appliance and will commonly indicate it has “tripped” via a red dot in a small window in the housing.
If this happens the hose is now useless and cannot be repaired.
Problems associated with the aqua-stop hose
1: Their bulk and relative inflexibility can make them difficult to use depending on the set-up and plumbing
2: They can’t be extended if they are too short. (You can still connect one to a normal hose but that would of course introduce a normal unprotected hose partially defeating the point of using an aqua stop hose)
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3: The size of the bulky plastic housing at the end connecting to the water tap is especially difficult to accommodate for many people (especially with taps fitted under the sink) where there may not be room for it. So in many situations it can be impossible to connect this hose to existing plumbing
4: Many people’s taps point out horizontally and some of these hoses should only be fitted pointing down as shown in the photo below. Check your instruction manual for fitting instructions)
This photo was sent to me by Mark. He had to fit a new cold tap with a 90 degree angle pointing down to accommodate the aqua-stop hose.
His original tap had extended horizontally like the (no longer required) hot tap behind it. Before changing the tap there was no room to connect the new aqua stop hose.
This demonstrates the type of problem many people have when confronted with these larger bulky hoses with specific fitting instructions as described in the main article on the left.
Can you replace an aqua stop hose with a normal fill hose?
Many aqua stop hoses do nothing different except protect against leaks from itself with a mechanical stop mechanism activated by leaking water inside the hose.
You can usually replace them with a normal fill hose if you are prepared to remove this flood protection.
However, some aqua stop hoses actually have an electrical solenoid inside them, with wires running through the hose from the washing machine. In this case the aqua stop hose acts like a remote fill valve which would be missing in a normal hose.
If the washing machine also has a regular fill solenoid with power running to it, and the aqua stop hose just piggy backs of its electrical power being energised when the main valve is energised, then a normal hose should still work OK.
I’ve seen cases where some manufacturers bizarrely threaten to void your guarantee if you don’t use their hose. This makes no sense at all.
The hose protects only against the fill hose bursting or corroding, which is in fact a pretty rare event these days anyway. No one would dispute they have every right to refuse any repairs to the replacement hose you have used instead, and if by any freak chance the split hose sprayed water onto the appliance and caused damage they have no need to fix that either – but it’s not really on to refuse to repair a faulty motor or any other fault on the washing machine unrelated to the fill hose.
Having said that, all guarantees are in addition to our statutory rights, and in law, no one has to provide any guarantee whatsoever. Our rights extend only to the Sale of Goods Act. The only reason they give any guarantee is because everyone does, and it’s an important – nay essential – sales tool. No one is likely to buy any appliance with no guarantee. But as it is an addition they are able to try to impose certain restrictions. If we think the restrictions are unreasonable or restrict our “statutory rights” then we can challenge them, and if necessary seek consumer advice or take them to the small claims court.
It’s hard to imagine a manufacturer seriously trying to convince a customer with a 3 month old washing machine that they must pay £200 or more to have a new motor fitted simply because the washing machine is connected by a normal fill hose instead of their aqua stop hose, how ridiculous.
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Comments transferred
This article was originally published on Washerhelp.co.uk and had attracted some comments which you may find very useful to read. Therefore the first dozen or so comments under this article are the comments I’ve transferred across.
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Hi Richard. The ratchet function just allows you to torn the bulk device to best fit and suit the environment, which might be a tight space or cupboard.
Thanks Andy. So would I be correct in thinking I can just replace with normal hose ?Would make life so much simpler.
I cover that in my article above but yes as long as it doesn’t have any wires connecting it to the appliance and you are prepared to risk not having the flood protection.
Hello Everyone,
I’m here to give feedback on bypassing the aquastop hose. I have a Siemens WM14E47 Varioperfect very smart and pretty washingmachine with super secure aquastop. The magnetic something in the aquastop system (which is on the watersupply end of the hose) commited suicide after 4 years. (I really mean suicide, because noone touched the machine, its built in, I mean we built a kitchen around it, noone can get even close to that part) The nice old “uncle neighbor” helped a lot with pulling it out, turning the hose upside down, inside out, looking at it, gently and not so gently make pressure on it, we read the manual many time back and forth but no success in resuscitation. So, I called Siemens. Wow, what a suprise, even though there is a huge pretty sticker on the front of the machine ‘Aquastop lifetime guarantee”, they would charge €250 (!!!!) for changing the hose. I got really upset! Next morning I got my husband’s screwdriver and took off all pieces that can lead me close to the hose. Found the electric plug inside the washing machine. Unplugged it. Took the whole hose to the neares hardware store, to make sure I get what I need, bought a regular, standard hose for €8,79. Came home and put in on the machine. (of course, I insulated the remaining inside part of electric plug and asked my husband to fix the retro looking new grey hose to the faucet and to the washing machine with his strong hand. I switched on the machine with my heart beating in my throat. I really hoped that I was smarter than Siemens. And well done, I was. I guess I lost lifetime guarantee and the security of aquastop, but since its a machine, living in the “basement”, there is noone else I can hurt with leaking water. But why would I anyway? I lived 39 years without aquastop, maybe I can manage the other half too. And if I have to buy a hose every year, or so, that would take almost 30 years until I reach the cost of the official repair … And after that, in the remaining few years, hopefully my future grandchildren will help me out if “i am leaking” :-)
Good luck anyone!
Can anyone help me please? I’m trying to disconnect an aqua stop pipe so that I can remove my integrated washing machine and fit with a free standing one. However, I cannot get to the back of the machine as the hose tightens before I can get behind the machine. So am trying to disconnect the bulky end from the brass inlet pipe. But it does not want to unscrew!! Can anyone advise please?
Someone must have connected it up with the worktop off or something with no consideration to how anyone would disconnect it in the future. The aquastop hose is only screwed on exactly the same as a normal hose. Are you using pipe pliers? Depending on the type of tap you may need a pair of vice grips or another pair of pipe pliers to hold the tap in place whilst you undo the hose.
Please can you tell me why aqua stops have to be installed pointing down and what difference it would make being installed horizontally?
Thank you.
Hello Colin. I’m not a hundred percent sure but it may be to do with the fact that they are so large and with the hose attached they would be under pressure from leverage and they could easily be broken off with an inadvertent knock of the hose. But it could be for a different reason. I have never seen inside one to work out how they work.
Is there an easy way to remove /bypass the nonworking aqua stop valve on the end of my Bosch dishwasher inlet pipe?
I’m not sure exactly what you mean Roger. If you mean the AquaStop valve has now triggered and is no use you can either buy a new AquaStop valve or use a normal fill those as described in my article above.