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Washing machine drainage issue

4K views 10 replies 3 participants last post by  slicnic911 
#1 ·
Hey, I've been doing a lot of research and it seems like this forum consistently came up on searches and has some of the more helpful and knowledgeable members.

That being said, I would like to hear advice on the plumbing to my washing machine in my 1968 home. The drain pipe overflows when the machine dumps its water. It is a 1.5 inch copper pipe I came to find out after removing the drywall. The insulation and drywall is ruined because the water box was rusted out at the bottom. The valves leaked when I moved in and a combination of that and the recent drain overflows were heading me down a moldy road so I figured I better go all out and stop putting band-aids on the issue and completely fix it.

The drain is maybe 8 feet from the kitchen sink which has the closest vent. As you can see, there is no trap. I guess the main part of my question is what do you recommend for replacing the copper drain pipe? 2 inch PVC with a trap? How would I fit a trap between the hot and cold lines?

Also, should I raise the water box? The drain is currently 34" high which seems low by modern standards. You'll also notice the connection off the cold water that supplies the ice maker. Is there a better way to do that than how it's set up now?

Thank you so much for any help you can provide and sorry for such a long message! :)

Machine Room

 
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#2 ·
are you on a slab or is there a crawl or basement underneath? we used to put the top of the drain at 39 inches above the floor. the trap can be put under the slab or you can redo the waterlines to accomadate a trap in the wall. you need 2 inch all the way. years ago the high capacity washing machines would output almost a full 1-1/2 pipe when they pumped out. 2 inch has been required for years. you do need to put a vent there somehow. they have the automatic vents nowadays so you wouldn't have to pipe it anywhere.
 
#3 ·
We are on a slab. How would I know if there's a trap, just check for standing water in the bottom? I thought 2 inches would be the way to go. A vent can go inside the wall?

I will obviously be replacing the box. Are there any suggestions on that (brand, size, material...)? Thanks again!
 
#4 ·
if you pour a little water down the pipe you should hear it hit the water in the trap. have someone go to the far end of the house and flush a toilet. if there is no trap you should be hear the toilet flush. i cant imagine a house passing inspection without a trap there.
 
#5 ·
OK, I think it passes the trap test. I could hear that the toilet was flushed but not to the point that it sounded like the pipe is unobstructed.

Two questions:

Is the adapter on the right valve the best option for getting water to the icemaker?

To correct the root issue (drain overflows) should raising the box and widening the drain pipe to 2" do the trick? If I raise the box, you can see it will interfere with the outlet. Would it be best to raise the outlet also or move to the other side of the stud? Thanks!

Room Machine Plant
 
#9 ·
Danny, I definitely appreciate your help with this problem. The house is under 1400 sq ft so I think it is expected that the sound could travel through the pipes to the other side of the house. It was more like I could hear the pipe vibrations but not the actual flow of water that I would hear through an open pipe. Thinking back to middle school, sound travels through both solids and air (or something like that :wink:).
 
#10 ·
I suggest that you rod the line under the slab before re piping the drain.

In older houses like that I've added a 3" riser pipe (using bell reducers -top and bottom) to add a little reservoir for the first big blast from the machine.---I don't know if that's code,but the drains never overflowed.---Mike---
 
#11 ·
Here's what i've done so far. sweating went rather well after I got the water out of the pipes. For me, the compressed air trick was MUCH more effective than the shop vac trick. Interestingly, the first time i did it i had the hot water valve open and it soaked me. Are the hot and cold systems usually tied together?


Machine
 
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