How to fix a broken Waterpik hose 

There is an important step left out by all of the so-called DIY repair videos, especially the newer versions with the tightly curled original hose. When you take apart the hand piece, make sure you orient the curl in the hose to align in the holder as originally, AND insert a 2-1/2 inch snugly fitting stainless spring over the end of the hose that exits the hand piece, much like that on a garden hose. If a stainless spring is not available, a snugly fitting piece of neoprene tubing will work as well. This transfers the stress at the base of the hand piece over a greater area, and the hose will not be subject to stress, thus lasting indefinitely

When I was trying to re-attach the white plastic hose it kept breaking and was getting smaller and smaller. I find the plastic water hose is too brittle and breaks easily. I removed the entire hose from the bottom bottom hose barb and used a 3/16" clear flexible aquarium hose instead and it worked perfectly fitting on the bottom of the waterpick hose barb and into the head. The tubing is much more flexible and clear as well so I can see the water moving for extra entertainment while I clean! Thanks for the video it saved my pik!

Super helpful. My WaterPik, exact same model, broke in exactly the same place. I appreciate the video. It's good to know the repair process *before* I take the device apart. I am in the midst of repairs now.

I've found pouring some freshly boiled water over the tip of the hose before attaching it to the nozzle will make attaching it a lot easier and less likely to tear as it makes the plastic more pliable.

I've never been a big fan of using adhesives for this sort of job because they either seem to fail later on, or you always feel like you've gotta handle it super carefully to prevent it from failing, or if you have to disassemble it again then perhaps the adhesive you previously used is now making it crack/messy/etc. So what I ended up doing was drilling a hole through both halves of plastic about an inch and a half from where the hose exits the bottom, then simply running a ziptie through the handle to fasten it back together. Works like a charm! Thanks for the vid.

Thanks so much for taking the time to post this video! I had about given up on how to pry open the handle, but your confident instruction that you simply "have to break a few eggs to make an omelette" to get that handle open was the key! Thanks again.

His procedure works. Some hints: I first used a razor blade to widen the seam holding the two main parts of the handle together. Then, as @maranatha3333 stated, a wood chisel works well to cut/crack the seam. Don't cut the little alignment pins!!! Also, the stub of the tubing, and collar, did not come off the barbed flange easily. The solution was I dipped a portion of the part that still had the tubing and collar attached (not the entire part!) into boiling water (held with needle nose pliers, but use gloves!!!) for about 10 or 15 seconds and then pulled the tubing and collar off the flange with the needle nose pliers. I did the same thing in reverse when putting the tubing back on... I slipped the collar down the tubing then dipped the end of the tubing (not the flange) in boiling water for about 15 sec and then it softened sufficiently that it slipped over the flange easily. The collar went on the flange only half way but it did not seem to be an issue. After reassembly I held the unit together with a rubber band and some black electrical tape. It looks like crap but works like a charm. :-)

Good video, thanks! After watching it, I was able to repair the broken hose on my WaterPik (a different model WaterPik, but the hand piece is identical). One word of caution: I don't recall if the video mentioned this, but when you put the handle back together again, make sure the external speed control slider engages with the internal mechanism in exactly the same way as it did when you took the handle apart. When I tried my WaterPik for the first time after repair, I discovered that it was on "high" even though the speed control slider was at the minimum setting.

Thanks Andrew DIY. I didn’t have hose problem, but problem with button, would no longer engage. Thanks to your video I attempted and succeeded with repair. I couldn’t see, before your video, how to gain access to the interior of the handle portion, but was actually quite easy after your instructions. It took a little patience so as not to cause damage, but the 2 halves eventually separated. From there, I just cleaned and disinfected with bleach, then reassembled. I still ordered a new part as suggested by your second video posted a year later, but will only need as a back up. Thanks to your video, I was only without the waterpik for and evening.

Thank you!!! Update: The tricky part of this is opening the handle. Several videos tell you what to do, but no one shows it. It's tricky!

Thanks for taking the time to share your tips, Andrew. Opening using a box cutter (carefully!) worked fine with minimal damage. I was out of Krazy Glue, so I used two dabs of a solvent-based PVC glue instead and it holds well.

Thanks so much for making this video. Very helpful. The breaking open part (not shown in this video) was harder than I had imagined it would be. Also, when I reconnected the hose it soon broke again. Upon inspection I found that most of the hose that had been inside the handle (about a finger's length) was brittle, so I cut that part off. After that all was good. I closed using only a large rubber band.

Thank you! The button on my Waterpik got stuck down. This saved me from having to buy a new one.

Very helpful. I have the same problem of the plastic tube splitting and spraying out water of my unit in Mar 2022. This clearly the result of the use of poor quality material used to manufacture this equipment. I tried to repair the split in the tubing with super glue and tape. This worked for a short time and started to leak again. I hoped that someone else had the same problem and figured out a repair process. My search led me to your video. You have saved me a lot of time trying to figure a repair process.

Thanks, this has helped me fix my Waterpik today. I used zip ties to put it back together and it holds pretty good. A 10 years old video still relevant today!

Thanks! Mine just broke in the same spot, and I gave it one look before jumping on RU-vid KNOWING someone has fixed this.

Thanks for taking the time to save US time and money!

Great video. Took about 5 minutes to do the repair (exact same problem) after watching it. On mine, that short little sleeve did seem to have a narrow and a wide end, with the narrow end going on first. Thanks for publishing your video!

Great vid, Andrew, thanks! I just fixed the same break the same way on my Waterpik WP-60 model, after getting tired waiting for the replacement hose-and-handle to arrive by mail! Then I considered making a repair vid to help others, and found yours, which does the job fine! A few notes: - Somebody on eBay IS selling just replacement hoses, cheap. Not original, but Tyvek, which might be even better. Around $3 hose, or $4 including the end fitting for the motor end. - The WP-60 handle has 3 pairs of snap-tabs holding the handle halves together. I didn't know where they were when I cracked it open, and they were abused enough that I put some dabs of CA glue on it afterwards (and leaving some tiny "loom" rubber bands, too!). - BTW, I think mine was originally glued (silicone?), as well as held by the snap tabs. - Mine was still full of black mildew gross gunk. I didn't try to seal it afterwards. - On mine, there was no need to snap the top ring (and spring) off. It's not clear to me that you had to do that on the WP-100 either. - I wish I'd done this years ago, before I did several ugly Goop and silicone and "magic tape" (stretchy siliconized rubber tape) repairs, none of which worked well or lasted long! - I also wish I'd done it before I ordered the replacement parts! :-)

Thank you for the helpful video. I had same exact line break. This saved my old Waterpik for more use. Thank you!

Thank you so much for this valuable video. I need my waterpik and was so disappointed when it broke. You saved the day! I just finished repairing my waterpik and I an VERY happy! Thank you SO much!!!

Thx for the insights. I was looking to see how the wand disassembled. I hoped it wasn't glued but you showed me it was and what to watch for. Thx again!

He makes it look easy, but it isn't because everything's under tension. However, you can make it easier by doing the following: 1) don't try and glue it back together, but bind it with strong adhesive tape from the outside. This is both easier in itself, and is easier to undo if you find you've done something wrong. And, of course, the next time you have to repair it when the hose breaks. 2) the spring into which the nozzle fits is a perfect pain to get back in. But guess what? You don't need it! Okay, your nozzle won't spring back out, you have to pull it while pressing the blue button at the side. But that's hardly a disadvantage. In fact, I find it an improvement.

This works. Tip: Before reattaching the hose, take the end of the spray attachment and use it to make the hole in the end of the hose larger so it will fit back on more easily. Also use a drop of cooking oil or olive oil on the attachment to help the hose slide on.

I took apart the handle without breaking any of the tabs. Use jewelers screwdrivers, and be GENTLE. No super glue needed!

Awesome DIY fix! Thank you for sharing how to get that dang handle open. Very helpful!

Thank you, very helpful. 2 changes suggested: use gaffer tape to hold it together afterward, and I drilled a hole in the side of the handle to allow a more natural drape of the tube so it lasts longer this time..

great tutorial. i just performed the whole operation. a small flat head screwdriver is all that is needed to break it open. it must be 'broken' open as you describe. watch out for the teeny tiny spring at the very top opposing the little blue button, when re-assembling, as it can get pop out and get in the way when putting the two main pieces back together. thanks Andrew.

Man I just love to see all the DIYers here and all the additional ideas. I thought when mine broke I'd either be on my own or maybe it's not fixable. Good surprise to see all you Innovative guys out there

Great video I thought the handle would be ruined with the amount of force required to open it,but your vid. made me not want to give-up! I made the repair and and have that waterpik clean feeling teeth again. thanks for the help.

I just bought a new Waterpik to replace my old one with the broken tubing.I will be taking the new one back for refund! One thought on reassembling the handle. I would use silicone rubber instead of crazy glue. You would have to leave it overnight to cure,but it will be much easier to take the handle apart in future. On second thought,maybe I will try Tripsister's tip of using 3/16" tubing. Very clever idea!

In case others had the same problem I did. When you pry it open, be careful not to lose the itty bitty spring that is connected to the small top button at the top of the handle which keeps the pik in place. It is so tiny I didn't even see it and can barely see it in the repair video. But when looking closely to the video, I could see what looks like a tiny spring. Be careful yours doesn't pop off on you when you pry it open. Apparently mind did and I have no idea where that little spring popped to. The video doesn't mention anything about the little spring...so apparently his didn't pop off. So watch out not to lose that teeny tiny spring, otherwise your pik won't click into the handle and you will have water all over the place and still unable to use your waterpik. I am going to go llook for my little spring now. :)

Thanks so much Andrew... I had exactly the same problem and just decided to take a peek to see if any DIY video existed before just cracking it open. Yours popped up on top... one and done :-)

Thanks for the great instructions ... I fixed mine exactly as you showed in 5 minutes or so!

Thank you for this video! You just saved me another $20 replacing that stupid handle assembly. What a poor design! I contacted Oral-B about this and they simply gave me the "we'll pass it to our design team" response. But a word of warning to others attempting this: prying apart the handle is much more difficult than it looks! It's like they welded it in place. Even removing the plastic collar over the tube was difficult.

What damages it in the 1st place is hard water. Use bottled water instead with a little mouthwash mixed in. Once a month run some vinegar through the water pik to clear the hose of hardened water.

Hi Andrew. Thanks for making such a great video. It totally saved me the headache of fixing one of these for my friend. Great job

Good video and it helped me. The mold that was inside that handle was unbelievable as well. Thank you very much

Thanks for the video! I fixed my waterpik after watching.

My hose was too old, I followed the directions, but everytime I cut the hose and tried to put it on, it cracked. I even tried warming the hose up so it would not crack, but still did crack, I will just by the replacement part. Thanks for making this video.

Thanks Andrew, was about to give up, but when I saw I just need to be a bit more force in opening it and to start at the same entry point the rest was a breeze. I had already purchased a replacement handle and hose in the past (FOR THE VERY SAME THING) and didn't want to again. I think they purposely use a semi-brittle hose knowing it won't match the work-life of the pic motor in hopes the majority resign themselves to go out and buy another! Sure, some will buy the handle/hose for less but either way I think it's bs. Too bad the handle disassemble and re-glue job is probably (because of the glue) a one time option or I'd just buy a different hose altogether elsewhere and replace it with the new handle/hose purchase. That would put this reoccurring problem to rest. Going to retrain myself on how to hold the handle to avoid placing undo stress at the hose's entry in an effort to get a few more miles out of it. Thanks for taking the time on the video. It saved me a few bucks and a little satisfaction as it allowed my pic to defeated death yet again!

I repaired mine, but while cracking it open, I literally ended up cracking it in many places. I somehow managed to reattach the pieces and luckily the outer shell is not entirely essential. The tips found in the comments on heating the hose and using a spring were useful.

Thanks a lot!. Your video has helped me very much for a fast repair of my Waterpik

Thank you so much the exact thing happen to mine. I’m almost a month without it and I miss is greatly. I feel like my mouth goes thru a lava wash or Cruz thru!!

Worked like a charm! Thanks for the tutorial Andrew.

Thank you, this was very helpful. I took it a step further and reinforced the the area of the house that's prone to breaking with a small piece of thin metal (soda can) wrapped around the hose and glued. You may need to enlarge the openings in the plastic handle to allow for a thicker part to fit. Hopefully it won't break again any time soon!

I used to add mouthwash to the water, until is got all gunked up with sticky residue on the inside where the pump is. Thankfully I was able to clean it off.

Thanks man! I had to cut it with a blade all along the line.

My first Waterpik was good for 15 years. But, I can only get about 3 years of good use out of my newer Waterpiks.

It does matter which way the collar goes on. One side is smaller than the other. If you need to get a hose to go over the original hose, a 7/64 vacuum/windshield washer hose from an auto parts store works perfectly. I got mine from Auto Zone for $1.75.

Thanks for the helpful video. BTW, I found that a wood chisel is a good tool to carefully pry the halves of the handle apart.

To prevent this from becoming necessary, I theorize doing your flossing over a basin with the water flosser behind the basin instead of beside a sink would help. I think the handle being directed towards the flosser is what commonly causes the break.

Thank you! Such a simple fix and I couldn't find it elsewhere. i really appreciate that!

Thanks for the video. I managed to get mine apart, the newer model have a sort of rubber cap at the bottom end, which comes off as well, once the 2 halves are broken apart. But then, when trying to get the small end of the tube off the valve, the little party of the valve, what's the tube slides on, broke off. Now i have nothing to slide the tube back on anymore. 😭 I guess i need to buy a new one. So, be super careful, when trying to get the smaller end of the tube off the valve....

He showed exactly what I needed to know about how to fix my Waterpik.

CrowCaw...hey, thanks so much for helping. For the life of me I could imagine how to get inside the waterwand!

Great! It was precisely what I needed! Thank you for sharing!

Thanks for letting me see how to open it up, that really helped me with mine and I am going to get a clear flexible hose and replace mine.👍 Thanks

Thanks for the tips! One more waterfik fixed.

Great no-cost solution! But so far unable to separate the 2 halves. Will try soaking in vinegar.

I did the same process but it was too late, the hose was so dry that it kept splitting until there was no hose. It gave a few months extra dough. Nice video.

This worked great for my Ovanni water flosser which doesn't offer replacement parts.

Thank you. mine broke and I thought about tossing it but after realizing how much they cost, decided to try and fix it.

Thank you Andrew for the video. I was able to fix my waterpik hose

IMPORTANT CORRECTION... That short white collar that goes over the hose over the fitting DOES have different ends! The slightly smaller end must got towards the plastic fitting to HOLD that hose on to the end! There is a LIP at one end of that collar and it must face the end of the hose to clamp it on. Hard to press on, but that way you know you are doing it right.

Every time I pushed hose back on it split! Ended up ordering replacement part on-line from waterpik store in USA for just under $14. including S&H (which was less than Ebay or Amazon that both ship from China!)

Thank you. Had exactly the same problem, sorted out the way you explained.

Thanks, very useful. One thing, be aware when opening the handle that the spring from the button might go flying - I nearly lost mine!

Thanks for the video! I fixed my waterpik after watching!!!!!!!

The main reason this breaks is because there is no strain relief I'm going to try this and put some heat shrink tubing on the protruding end bend point

I thought I was the only one using my waterpik to clean weird shit other than teeth 😆

Just when I have tender gum and need the waterpike and the tube broke. Thanks for sharing the video.

Thanks, I was hoping not to have to break it open, but I guess I have no choice. I know there is a nasty bunch of black mold in the handle. I tap it after using and sometimes it comes out... so I inject Hydrogen peroxide into it and try to clean it out as much as possible... but I really want to get in there and clean it out. As far as I can tell it is not in the hose part. I do use a capful of Listerine in each tankful. Perhaps I will drill a few holes in the handle to give it more air and allow it to dry better. I may also get a clear hose from the hardware store... if I can find one strong enough and replace the white hose... just to be sure there is nothing black coming out of the pump. If the glue used does not work, there is always some great epoxy's you can get at the auto store... Permatex plastic weld. Comes in black, white, and tan.

Very easy fix with the encouragement to pry it open without damaging anything. A replacement hose and pick handle can be ordered for $18 with 5-8 day shipping. If you are really urgent one day shipping is $45. Something this light and small could be mailed USPS and arrive in 2 days and for less money. Whatever, I prefer the simple satisfaction of repairing things and getting more life out of them. Far better than a consumer rush to a big box store. So thanks for the video and like minded repairing ethic. So it's off to blast those popcorn kernels now that the cyanoacrylate has set.

I purchased a replacement wand / hose assembly (WyFun Oral Hygiene Accessories Standard Water Hose Plastic Handle for Waterpik Oral Irrigator Wp-100 Wp-450 Wp-660 Wp-900 Sold by: VinYBan) . After the simple procedure of replacing the new parts I also noticed a dramatic loss in water pressure at the tips. After looking at some RU-vid videos on how to dissemble the old handle to make repairs. My hose was to brittle and super glue melted the hose. I then took another look and compared the old and new assemblies to see what could cause the loss of pressure. The part that has the ears for screws has a much smaller water inlet hole than the old one. I simply removed that part from the original hose and put in on the new hose. Wa-La , Pressure restored! Look out for the little flexible flap that sits between the water outlet and the water inlet part.

After seeing how brittle the hose was I ordered an entire replacement off the web for $10

Good job, man, thank you. Only you don't have to bother removing the plastic collar, it can stay there without interfering .. ha-ha !

Thank you. I was able to save my one from destruction during disassembly :)

I had trouble prying the case apart so here’s what I did: place a small flat head screw driver on the seam at one end and gently tap tap tap with a hammer. Get a second larger screwdriver and keep working it down leapfrogging over each other. Be careful and work smart/safe

Great job on video. I love my water pic and was horrified when the hose broke this past week. me too, thanks!

It would be helpful to know the resistor's value, either from the color code (if not discolored by overheating) or direct measurement. For some models people report this as 47ohms, 1Watt, but from the video yours might be different. This resistor limits the inrush current to the initially stationary motor and discharged capacitor, protecting the diodes among other things. As noted in the video there is no bleeder resistor to discharge the capacitor - with an intact motor and thermal fuse this isn't necessary as the capacitor will discharges through them, but if the fuse or motor goes open circuit the capacitor can hold full voltage and be dangerous for a long time. Something like a 100,000ohm 1/2 or 1W resistor across the capacitor would form a 10 second time constant which would discharge the capacitor to a safe voltage within 30 sec. while adding minimal additional current consumption. A 200,000ohm resistor would double the time constant but still be reasonable. The resistor should have a voltage comfortably greater than the circuit voltage, perhaps 250-300vdc. It's always wise to measure and/or discharge capacitors, but not by short circuiting them with a low resistance as the sparks can do physical damage (hot flying molten bits of metal) and the heavy transient current can damage electrical components, potentially the capacitor itself.

If the tip that attaches the nylon part to the hose breaks off like mine did, or the handle is moldy and grubby inside, replacement handle assemblies are readily available from the WaterPik store for $10-$17. This includes a new hose.

Worth a try but the step of how to remove the pressure fitting wasn’t shown and in trying to pry mine off with a screwdriver, I broke the part the hose would attach to. It looks replaceable at the base but I haven’t checked the price or availability of a new hand piece with hose. I’m starting to understand the benefits of making a one piece unit - heavier to hold but no hose stress.

Yea!!! You save me time and money too! Just broke mine yesterday I knew it was possible, this exactly it, next time I'll buy the aquarium flexible hose.

Wow thank you!! I love my waterpolo and have only owned it for like 2.5 years! They make quality poorer and poorer!

thanks you saving me $10 for buying a replacement

Their were so many parts that fell out once I got the handle open it was too over whelming. I believe this is a newer model with unrecognizable parts. Had to order a new one again. This is planned breakage. It’s always the hose and I’m very careful with it.

Thank you for writing to me. I already tried to use a piece of a spring from a pen, but it didn't work. I was unable to find the original spring and didn't realize that it popped off when I opened the pik. I knew I followed the directions to the video properly, but when water was all over the place is when I figured something must be missing. When studying the video more carefully is when I noticed there was a tiny spring there, and when I reopened it is when I noticed it was gone. I never found the little spring. It must have gotten vacuumed up. I haven't used my waterpik for a long while now and miss it. I found a link where I can re-order the handle and hose. Next time, when that one breaks, I will be more aware of that tiny little spring and be careful not to lose it.

My wife thanks you, I just fixed hers. Thank you

OMG! JUST BUY ANOTHER ONE!!! They sell the hose apparatus on Amazon!!!

Thanks a lot!! Very helpful!!

Thank you! Of course the next question is: how to get the cord back to its tidy curl when it gets out of whack! (ideally w/o having to detach it at one end)

The video helped me a lot but I did find the hose was brittle most of the way up

Thank you I have a same problem and now I think I can fix it.

Thank you!

Informative ...unfortunately the waterpik company no longer allows common folk to purchase repair parts

Thank you for the video! You're a lifesaver!

My hose cracked lengthwise ...unit is exactly 10 years old. Also the valve at the bottom of the reservoir just flushed out and down the drain so looking around ....the entire hose and assembly is only $16 ...a new reservoir is $10 -$15 ...will use your method until the new ones arrive ....had to chop a couple of inches off the hose. Use mine as a pressure washer to blast the polygrip out of my mouth. I lOVE not having teeth -bye bye $70k and years of pain in the dentist's chair -wish I had them out when I was TEN!! NORMALLY don't use glue but if I go out to eat I have to make with the Polygrip and NOTHING gets that stuff out of your mouth. It's a blessing and disgusting ...but a waterpik with hot water and it's a cinch!! Wonder why it isn't advertised as one of the uses ...lol probably they don't want to be associated with toothless situations. My Dad is 94 and had to have all his teeth taken out -after years of capping and dedicated flossing and brushing ...I bought him a combo waterpik with the sonic brush for Father's day ...he loves it!! Those Sonic brushes are EXCELLENT for jewellery, silver tableware etc .and also for dentures using dish soap before soaking. Cheers ...xoxo

Thank you for this!

Excellent. It works with my slightly different model of WaterPik.