Tip: Have a washing machine?

[Howard]

I'm pretty sure that if I just hung the drain hose from the washer into the vertical stand pipe leading to the sewer line, the water would just back-flow right onto the laundry room floor.

What?

 

[Muse]

That's essentially dryer lint you're burning, and as OP can testify, extremely flammable. That's proof why it's important to periodically clean your dryer tubing, clean the lint trap before each use and not to use the flexible plastic dryer vent tube (banned under most fire codes).

I grew up in a house where the washer dumped into a utility sink and it was a PIA to clean the sink drain or whatever Rube Goldberg device was attached as a filter to the washer hose. In my home for the last 25 years the washer dumps directly into a drain pipe to the septic system and we have had zero problems-and I bet the washer is used on average at least once a day.

You just inspired me to clean my dryer's lint trap. Thank you. I don't do it every time I use it. Maybe I should, or just about. I don't use my dryer much is the thing. I always hang-dry my laundry outside, just use the dryer for those occasions when the clothes are not quite dry and need a few minutes in the dryer to eke out some dampness.

How would I clean my dryer vents? I suppose I'd need to disassemble them, and that would be a PITA. Mine are galvanized steel. They make 2 right angle turns, one at the back of the washer, the other at the wall, about 6 feet away.

I don't see how other people don't have the back-flow issue unless they have really wide stand pipes.

 

[Muse]

What?

The water comes out fast. If the stand pipe couldn't accommodate the flow, it would just back up right out the stand pipe and onto the laundry room floor. If not now, when lint/sludge had built up to a certain extent. That's the reason for those laundry tubs. They are if nothing else, insurance against a back-flow problem. As Red Squirrel's story illustrates, it can save the day.

 

[Meghan54]

When I first bought my house.... along with all new things like face cloths, towels etc the first time I washed the face clothes about 50% of them completely disintegrated into lint.

You need to start buying better quality stuff and quit shopping at the Dollar Store or the flea market for your wash cloths and towels. I've never had a wash cloth or towel disintegrate into lint. Then again, I don't buy the cheapest crap I can find, either.

I've never heard of one clogging. If this is true, why doesn't the hose out of the washing machine clog with lint?

Me either. I've never had the washer's drain pipe clog with pet hair and this is living with four dogs and an assortment of cats--currently at four but never below two. And two of our dogs shed like no tomorrow....our Golden and our Lab. Our Chow mostly sheds when seasons change and she blows her coat, like she did a couple of weeks ago.

The drain pipe our washer's drain dumps into is an approx. 2 1/2" diameter pipe, the drain hose from the washer is 1 1/4" in diameter. I just cannot fathom the washer overfilling the larger diameter drain pipe from its smaller diameter drain hose. Maybe if the main drain/sewer pipe under the house had clogs, maybe. But then that would manifest itself with other drains in the house not emptying properly, like toilets failing to flush/clear properly or a tub's drain letting water back up into the tub when showering.

 

[Howard]

The water comes out fast. If the stand pipe couldn't accommodate the flow, it would just back up right out the stand pipe and onto the laundry room floor. If not now, when lint/sludge had built up to a certain extent. That's the reason for those laundry tubs. They are if nothing else, insurance against a back-flow problem. As Red Squirrel's story illustrates, it can save the day.

Have you checked your drainage piping for clogs? I have a hard time believing the stand pipe could back up during normal operation if it was clear.

 

[Muse]

Have you checked your drainage piping for clogs? I have a hard time believing the stand pipe could back up during normal operation if it was clear.

Well, I just looked in my data and see that the 10 year anniversary of my installing my (used) washing machine is a week from today. Three years after installing the washing machine I had the sewer lines replaced (trenchless). Here's the exact entry concerning the washing machine installation:
- - - -
It was quite a project installing the washing machine... but it's done! Well, almost... Yes! -- 02/23/2004
--------------------------------------------------------------
Just finished today and am about to do my 2nd load. First load was done before I installed a laundry sink/tub. I thought better of leaving the drain hose hanging directly in the standpipe. It backed up the first time (first load), and I borrowed a 25' snake from the Tool Lending Library. That was a tough job. My left elbow's been bothering me since the day we moved Mom into Claremont Gardens (around 2 weeks ago). Their auger is hand cranked and is kinda screwy. I almost bought another at HD yesterday, but decided against it. For one thing, it looked like it might break. Fact is I'm not apt to use it much and there's a chance I won't EVER need to use one again. Well, the machine drained after I snaked it but who knows when it will back up again? It's a crapshoot, so I drove over to HD to see what they had for a laundry tub. I had all the dimensions of the laundry room (relevant) on a piece of paper and they had a tub that might JUST fit for $20. I got it and a couple of fittings for the drain to connect it to my 2 inch P-Trap. It didn't reach when I checked it out (I thought it might JUST reach), but it didn't. I got some more fittings. Actually, I needed another trap, another 90 degree elbow and another adapter to fit on the standpipe and connect to 2 inch ABS (black). That was $9, and I wasn't sure if I could get it all apart. I had some ideas of how I could do it but the right way is a no-hub connector, so I got that yesterday and I just finished putting it all together. I'm sure I won't have trouble getting the machine and the sink out for when I want to paint or whatever. It's essential to be able to get that stuff out of there without too much trouble when the time comes. I'm satisfied that things are squared away now. If the drain clogs, I can snake it again, but that 19 gallon sink is a great buffer. There won't be any catastrophe!

To outline the whole installation process and various problems:

1. The spigots both leaked, hot and cold, and I had to replace them.

2. The water flow from the cold was very slow (< 1 gal/min). Had to disassemble, ream, reassemble, disassemble further down, ream, reassemble. Tighten to slow leaks. Still leaked, disassembled and replaced 4 segments, reassembled, tightened, and tightened some more. In fact, it still leaks slowly, but I don't think it will be a big issue. I better look now, it's been 8 days: Hmm. around 6 ounces. That's TOO much. I'm going to tighten up that joint some more. I could swear the leak was slower before I tightened it last time. This worries me. I'm shutting off the water supply before cranking on that pipe. There's too many old components in there and something could easily snap!!! Never crank on pipes without turning off the pressure!!!
- - - -
Did it! Got that leak out, totally I think. 45 minutes later didn't see a drop forming. Will check in a week and see, but I think it's done. The washer's installed. Well, it vibrates too much. Have to address that...

 

[Mixolydian]

Never heard of this either. Every house I've been in, the washing machine is connected directly to the home's main drain.

 

[Muse]

Never heard of this either. Every house I've been in, the washing machine is connected directly to the home's main drain.

Well, my washing machine (don't know how others work) has a black rubber hose coming from it. There's no fitting on the end of that hose. It has to either insert (without a coupling) into a stand pipe or hang over the edge of a laundry tub. Is there another way it's done?

If the stand pipe becomes clogged to the degree that it won't accommodate the flow from the washer and there's no laundry tub in the equation you have a flood on the laundry room floor. As my last post testifies, when I first connected the washer there was a back-flow. I borrowed a snake and cleared the stand pipe to the degree that I didn't get back-flow but I wasn't willing to chance another one happening. I assumed that what happened already was apt to happen again when enough residue formed on the inside of the stand-pipe. How could I guess when that was going to happen? How to prevent it? Periodically snake the stand pipe? PITA... So, I bought and installed the laundry sink, which was designed specifically to address this problem.

 

[IronWing]

I draw you picture...

Drain water from the washing machine empties into same vertical pipe as kitchen sink.
Grease from kitchen sink mixes with lint and cat hair from washing machine in vertical pipe forming gross globular gunk, clogging pipe below junction with washing machine drain pipe.

Washing machine has a drain pump forcing water into drain pipe at a high flow rate.
Due to clogging, water backs up into kitchen sink, further allowing grease and hair to mix, making clogging worse.

Placing wash tub in the system allows the high flows from the machine to fill the tub instead of the kitchen sink and drain off more slowly and to also allow the placement of a filter sock to catch the hair/lint and keep the drain pipe cleaner.

 

[skyking]

I use a stainless screen in our kitchen sink to keep food out of our septic system. It would work perfectly in a laundry sink as well. It is similar to this:
http://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Stee.../dp/B009MDYWJ6

I turn it over and smack it on the edge of the garbage can. I don't have a laundry sink so somebody else will have to try it.

This one is 76 cents plus a 1.99 shipping. combine with another order to get free shipping?
http://www.amazon.com/Sinkware-5049-...m_sbs_indust_2

 

[Gunslinger08]

ITT: A lot of people who don't understand the other point of view at all.

If you live in a modern home, you have a drain somewhere behind your washer. It probably comes out in a little box in the wall beside your water lines. Your washer has a flexible drain hose that bends and slides down into the drain hole.

OP lives in an older home that probably isn't plumbed appropriately for the stand pipe drain, so he runs the flex drain hose to a sink near his washer.

 

[Howard]

ITT: A lot of people who don't understand the other point of view at all.

If you live in a modern home, you have a drain somewhere behind your washer. It probably comes out in a little box in the wall beside your water lines. Your washer has a flexible drain hose that bends and slides down into the drain hole.

OP lives in an older home that probably isn't plumbed appropriately for the stand pipe drain, so he runs the flex drain hose to a sink near his washer.

In the homes I have seen, the washer drain hose goes into a stand pipe which is connected to the drain pipe underneath the wash tub.

 

[Fayd]

Or just don't put your cat in the washing machine.

how else do you wash the cat?

 

[Scarpozzi]

I have a black rubber hose that goes from my washer to the drain. My drain to sewer is 2" PVC....haven't had a problem in 5 years. (As long as we've lived here)

 

[kranky]

Our home was built in the 70's, and the washer has no special drain - it drains into a big laundry tub like the OP's. We use a cheap nylon stocking over the pipe from the washer into that tub to catch lint.

 

[Red Squirrel]

You need to start buying better quality stuff and quit shopping at the Dollar Store or the flea market for your wash cloths and towels. I've never had a wash cloth or towel disintegrate into lint. Then again, I don't buy the cheapest crap I can find, either.

Everything is made cheap these days, you don't really have a choice. Unless there is some kind of local "face cloth" store where they're actually made here, but typically the only place to find that kind of stuff is Wal-mart and other big box stores and it's all made in places like Pakistan. We're at war with them, I don't think they care about the quality stuff they give us.

 

[Muse]

Our home was built in the 70's, and the washer has no special drain - it drains into a big laundry tub like the OP's. We use a cheap nylon stocking over the pipe from the washer into that tub to catch lint.

That sounds exactly like Ironwing's methods. I'd never heard of that, don't remember how, but I think I encountered the metal screen socks at Orchard Supply Hardware 10 years ago, have been using that pair ever since.

As I say, I got the tub because the first time I ran my washer's drain hose into the stand pipe I got a backup. I snaked it, didn't get a subsequent backup, but figured the tub was a good idea, and to help insure I wouldn't need to snake occasionally, bought the metal screen socks. Never thought of nylons, you guys with ladies are lucky!

As I said, I had my sewer lines replaced by a trenchless outfit some 3 years after I installed the washer 10 years ago. Now, it's entirely possible that the sewer line replacement resolved the problem that caused the initial backup. I just don't know. They did go in there and do something, they tore up the concrete, replaced it. Anyway, the sink is in there, I will continue to use it and filter lint going into it, now that I have it all set up.

My vertical stand pipe is steel, the outside diameter is around 2.5".

 

[skyking]

There is a P trap in the wall on all those "modern" installations that CAN plug up with stuff over time. The OP's wash sink is a very handy sink to have in a home, IMO. We had one growing up and all the nasty stuff got washed in there. It could fit a big bucket for hot water for a car wash, etc.
I put a deep sink in my garage with a small water heater for that.

 

[boomerang]

you guys with ladies are lucky!

Oh yeah, I keep having to remind myself of that.

 

[twinrider1]

So....modern homes don't usually have laundry/utility tubs? Are first floor laundries really common now, enough that they don't plumb the basement for them?

 

[HeXen]

6" sewer pipes. I don't have flow or clogging issues.

 

[Fayd]

So....modern homes don't usually have laundry/utility tubs? Are first floor laundries really common now, enough that they don't plumb the basement for them?

well, homes in california don't have basements, for starters.

 

[BUTCH1]

I've never heard of one clogging. If this is true, why doesn't the hose out of the washing machine clog with lint?

The water is moving quickly as it's getting pumped out by the washer so I doubt the problem would arise there, possibly as it makes it's way to the sewer line it might have time to settle. When I bought my house it had an old Crown "filter-flow" washer in it, those models (GE made some that had it too), had a lint basket that sat on top of the agitator, as the machine washed it pumped water from the tub bottom up to a fitting that sprayed the wash water through the lint filter, I thought it was a very good idea and the lint trap always caught a great deal of lint that the dryer didn't have to deal with. Sadly the washer's main control knob with all the switches on it went bad and a new one was $85 so I tossed out the washer, I still wonder why though manufacturers gave up on this idea, maybe it caused the pump to fail early in life as it was always running during the wash/rinse cycle as well as during pump-out duty..

 

[B-Riz]

Our house was built in 1941.

It has a concrete utility tub sitting on steel angle iron.

The washer is next to it and the drain hose dumps into the sink.

Pic below was taken before moving in.

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[IronWing]

Our house was built in 1941.

It has a concrete utility tub sitting on steel angle iron.

The washer is next to it and the drain hose dumps into the sink.

Pic below was taken before moving in.

[/URL][/IMG]

That's what my parents' 1956 house had. In fact, based on the construction details visible, it could have been the same builder. Do the window wells fill up with every heavy rain?


Edit: take it back, my parents had poured basement walls.