Indoors or out, an old, worn hose can crack and leak. When this happens outdoors with a garden hose, the fix is easy: Replace the hose. Sometimes, though, the hose is fine but drips are forming where it attaches to a faucet. The culprit then is likely to be the washer inside the female end of the hose or possibly a washer inside the faucet. Hose washers are easy and inexpensive to replace; Home Depot sells a pack of 10 for $3.47. If you can’t slip the old washer out of the hose fitting, try prying it out with a screwdriver or needle-nose pliers.
Indoors, a house can have numerous hoses: on the clothes and dish washers, dehumidifiers, ice-maker, toilets and refrigerator. If any of these hoses become brittle and break, the water can cause significant damage to floors, rugs and furniture. Take time on a summer day to check each of these for signs of wear and brittleness. Replace any that seem compromised, especially if they are more than five years old. While you’re at it, look for subtle signs of slow leaks, including musty smells, peeling paint, mold spots on walls or floors, and warped floors or sagging ceiling tiles (when an appliance with a hose is located on the floor above).
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