Plumbing Tips – How to Avoid Overtightening Flexible Water Supply Hose Connectors

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Concerning standardised water supply hoses such as the 15mm braided hose below.

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I've come across two schools of thought on how tight the hex nut connectors should be:

  1. Hand-tighten only.
  2. Hand-tighten then apply spanner for quarter-turn to half-turn.

In the absence of instructions specific to manufacturer/model, what would you advise?

Best Answer

Option 2, with caveat...

These water supply hoses undergo cycles of temperature change and are subjected to vibration due to flow. For me to be confident that the connections won't loosen and leak over time, I always give them a "snug-up" with a wrench. I don't strictly adhere to either a 1/4 turn or 1/2 turn... I hand tighten then give just a bit of a snug, by feel. They will leak if over-tightened.