It’s a common household item, found in almost every modern Australian home, and it costs less than a decent sandwich.
But for one Melbourne family, a humble flexible hose, purchased for as little as $13.60 from Bunnings, became a silent destroyer, unleashing $100,000 worth of damage while they were away on holiday.
This shocking incident has prompted a dire warning from a veteran plumber, urging homeowners to check these often-forgotten fittings before they turn your dream home into a waterlogged nightmare.
Melbourne tradie Matt Kolivas, with a decade of experience under his belt, described the scene at the Malvern East property as “among the worst” he’d ever witnessed.
The family had just returned from a three-week break, only to discover their floorboards had sprung up from the foundations, a tell-tale sign of catastrophic water damage.
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“I expected nothing like what it was,” Mr Kolivas, from Diverse Plumbing and Roofing, told Yahoo News.
“Maybe some water on the floor, pretty standard stuff for water leaks.
“They did explain that it was going to be all over the floor when I arrived. But when I got there, you could see all the bows in the floorboards, and it had clearly been going on for a long time.”
Plumber Matt Kolivas said a burst flexible hose caused an estimated $100,000 in damage to a property in Melbourne. Source: diverseplumbingroofing/TikTok
The bust flexi hose was located under the bathroom sink. Source: diverseplumbingroofing/TikTok
Footage from inside the home is confronting: floorboards throughout the living areas and bedrooms are buckled and lifted, carpets are completely saturated, and one door is so jammed it won’t even open. The sheer scale of the destruction is staggering.
The culprit? A burst flexible hose, tucked away, connecting the water point to a bathroom basin.
These “flexi hoses” are popular with plumbers for their ease of installation, making them ubiquitous in Australian bathrooms, kitchens, and laundries. They’re readily available at hardware giants like Bunnings for a pittance.
“All the water got underneath the floorboards, which caused the timber to swell,” Mr Kolivas explained.
“Because the leaking water was the hot line, there was also steam, which caused it to rise as well.”
The leak cost extensive damage, lifting floorboards and carpets. Source: diverseplumbingroofing/TikTok
Homeowners are now urged to check and replace fittings, which cost as little as $13.60 at Bunnings.
The family now faces a monumental clean-up and repair bill, with Mr Kolivas estimating the total damage will exceed $100,000.
This isn’t just a quick fix; it means ripping out all floorboards, skirting boards, doors, and carpets, followed by extensive, costly restoration work.
Mr Kolivas’s message to homeowners is urgent: routinely inspect your flexible hose connections for any signs of wear, corrosion, or damage. Crucially, he also advises ensuring your property’s water pressure doesn’t exceed 500kPa.
These seemingly innocuous hoses are a leading cause of residential insurance claims across Australia.
However, homeowners need to be aware that insurers can, and often do, deny coverage if water pressure requirements – often buried in policy fine print – are not met.
“Flexible hoses are probably the number one (cause of claims),” Mr Kolivas warned.
“People need to check their flexible hose connections, make sure they’re not rusted or damaged, and make sure the pressure coming into the property is what it’s supposed to be.”
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