All washing machines should use standard sizes and fittings. But there are variances in design across different manufacturers and a few potential problems as discussed in this article.
You will always get new fill hoses with a new washing machine. If it isn’t too much trouble, it makes sense to use the new hoses if possible unless you are happy that the existing hoses are still in excellent condition.
Fill Hoses
The main potential problem with fill hoses supplied with a new washing machine is that due to cost cutting they might be shorter and not reach your taps. If so, you may be forced to use the old ones, which are hopefully still in good condition. If not you could try buying extra long fill hoses washing machine fill hoses (standard hoses are 1.5 metres and extra long hoses are usually 2.5 metres).
Some washing machines may come with anti flood fill hoses, which have built in flood protection. They have the same end fittings but are otherwise completely different to normal hoses in that they are large, bulky and made of corrugated plastic similar to that of the drain hose with a large fitting at the tap end.
They can be difficult to fit in some circumstances. For full details about this type of hose and whether you need to use it or not read this article – Aqua Stop Hoses
Some hoses supplied with a new washing machine may have filters built into the ends, whereas your previous ones may not. If so you should use the new ones because the manufacturer has designed the washing machine to require these extra filters.
Drain hoses
The drain hose on a new washing machine should be extremely similar to your old machine’s but it may well be shorter causing problems for some. Cost cutting has resulted in shorter fill hoses, drain hoses and even mains cable. If the new drain hose is too short it is not so simple to use the old one like you can with the fill hoses because it needs connecting to the water pump. This is possible to do, but just too involved for most people.
You can extend a drain hose using a universal drain hose extension kit. You may need to cut down the old one a little to make sure it doesn’t end up much too long but great care must be taken to ensure you don’t have any leaks from the connection afterwards.
Keep a close eye on it until you can trust it’s not going to leak and make sure it’s a good tight fit, if it came disconnected you would get quite a massive flood.
The final potential issue is that you will most likely only get one. This is because they are virtually all cold fill only these days. If your old washer was hot and cold fill and you therefore have two taps and hoses this will raise some questions such as what do you do with the now unused hot water hose and tap? And can you still somehow use the hot water – maybe by connecting it to the washer instead of using cold? All these issues and more are answered here –
Spares
Spares4Appliances is a spares company run by repair engineers who understand all about spare parts for appliances.
I just bought a bosch washing machine but the threads on the hoses are not fitting the standard outlets I have for my hot and cold water supply. Water spurts out everywhere when the water is turned on. I tried new hoses and these connect fine to the water supply but now water spurt in the machine end, so I assume the threads are different.
Is there an adaptor I can buy to fix the issue?
Hello Adam, is this UK? I can’t imagine any washing machine manufacturer changing the thread on their new fill hoses so that they no longer fit standard plumbing. I can’t think of any circumstances where that could happen, it would be crazy, like supplying washing machines to the UK with American plugs so they won’t work. Puzzling.
The only explanation I can think of is if the Bosch washing machine was made for European countries or somewhere else outside the US with different threads on their plumbing. No manufacturer would supply machines to any country that cannot be connected. Something’s wrong somewhere. I would contact whoever you bought it from.
Hi,
We recently bought a new washer, dryer but the hose connector does not fit under the sink – sorry i don’t know the names – we’ve tried 32mm, 40mm. 32 is literally 1-3mm too small. We think our sink is European but it came when we bought the house so can’t be certain. Do you happen to know if they have different sizes there? We’re thinking it may well be 35mm but can’t find that on any of the obvious sites like screwfix.
Beginning to think might be easier just to get a new sink.
Hello Liz. The connector for the drain hose usually comes with the sink, not the washing machine. In the UK at least, the washing machine just comes with the drain hose. Then to plummeting you either pushed this drain hose into a standpipe, or if connecting under the sink to the u-bend then the drain hose should push onto a plastic connector which is already attached to the u-bend. I don’t know if washing machines are connected differently though wherever you are? Click post comment
I have bought a ProACtion washing machine. However the diameter of the drain hose is 2.8 cm.
The diameter of the pipe it is supposed to attach to is only 2 cm, even if i attach it the water floods out.
I cant take the hose off the machine. Is there something I can attach to the pipe to make it wider??
Hello Rachel, it sounds like you have a non standard set up. The waste water drain hose should normally either push inside a standpipe, or attach under the sink to the u-bend where there’s normally a tapered plastic fitting that the drain hose pushes onto. The diameter of the fitting should go from quite thin to quite thick so it can accommodate all sizes. If yours goes to a thin pipe you are not going to be able to fit it unless by any chance there’s a rubber end to the drain hose which may be cut off so that the plastic drain hose may push onto the pipe. It would need a jubilee clip to tighten it down though.
I have the same problem as other people here. I have just purchased a Haier HWS60-12F2S washing machine to go into a newly built property (finished 2 months ago). The cold water inlet pipe/thread from the plumbing is ever so slightly too small for the screw/thread on the end of the machines inlet hose.
Not entirely sure what to do
Hi,
My old washing machine had extension pipes for the hot & cold inlet pipes and the outlet pipe. My new washing machine has come with just a cold inlet pipe which has a smaller diameter tube to the extension pipe (connectors the same size).
1) Do you think there would be an issue connecting the thinner inlet pipe to the bigger extension pipe, I’m thinking difference in pressure?
2) I still have the old bigger inlet pipe that was attached to the old machine. Can you think of any issues just using the old inlet pipes into the new machine.
Am I right in thinking that washing machines stop the flow of water once it reaches a certain level rather than a set period of time? So the diameter of the inlet pipes isn’t an issue?
Any help appreciated. I’m UK by the way.
Hello David. Yes water levels are controlled by measuring the level of the water so the thickness of the inlet hoses won’t make any difference. I’m not aware of any real advantage over the thinner inlet pipes other than presumably they use less material and are cheaper to produce. Any washing machine hoses as long as they are in good condition should work perfectly okay.