How can I stop high water pressure from causing leaks at the connection to my washer?

Question

First of all, I've tried searching the questions for this but I haven't found anything that matches, but if this is a duplicate, my apologies in advance.

I've just moved into an apartment, and in contrast to the abysmal water pressure in my previous house (seriously, the upstairs shower takes about 4-5 hours to fill a bucket), this place has pressure that is too HIGH. This is normally not a cause for complaint, but my washing machine is having an issue.

Specifically, the connection between the machine's inlet valve and the main pipe in the wall. I'm trying to turn the tap to the optimum level, but it's either too low (the machine takes forever to fill) or too high (the pipe bursts open). I've replaced the pipe clip on both connections, and even reinforced it with a second pipe clip. The pipe holds together, but there are leaks springing around the clip.

I'm not a DIY expert, so what I really want to ask is if there is a solution to this, like a clip or pipe specifically to withstand high pressures. I'll be hitting the DIY stores again tomorrow and also asking my plumber about it, but I thought I'd post the question here as well, to pick your collective brains :)

Answer 1

The usual remedy is to install a water-pressure regulator (aka. water-pressure–reducing valve) where the water line enters the building:

They cost about $70, and the plumber should be able to install it in less than an hour. But since you live in an apartment, this is probably something the landlord or condo management company would have to arrange.

There are also screw-in pressure regulators, commonly used with recreational vehicles:

Although I don't have any experience with them, it would probably work to use one with your washing machine. They are only ~$10, and installing it is something you can do yourself, even in an apartment.

Answer 2

If you can replace and add clips to your hose, you have inferior hoses. Get proper clothes washer hoses where the fittings are permanently, hydraulically crimped to the hose. The only place they can possibly leak under any practical pressure is at the rotating sleeve, and a proper washer will prevent that. Also ensure the mating surface at the end of the tap is smooth and uniform.

Answer 3

So the plumber came and took a look at it, and this was what he did. He changed the outlet tap (there was no controller on the outlet where the green level is now, it was controlled by the tap beside it). Truth be told, I didn't post the answer to this immediately because the plumber himself wasn't completely convinced this would solve the problem. His approach was "let's see if this holds, and if it doesn't, we'll move on to plan C". A week later, it's still holding strong (I believe we didn't have to lower the water pressure, either) so I'm going to assume that it's good to go. Thank you so much everyone for your suggestions!

Answer 4

Something simple you might be able to try if it's just the washing machine that is affected is installing a washer with a smaller diameter opening in the hose.

If the one the came with the hose looks like this:

_{(source: water-hoses.com)}

Then you can try one with a smaller diameter which will look like this:

_{(source: sapphireproducts.co.uk)}

A lot of shower heads these days come with a small washer and people complain about the low pressure - replacing the washer can improve the pressure so I imagine it would do the opposite in your scenario.