[wombosi]

i have an older washing machine (maybe 10 years old) in my basement which i installed.
due to the location of the main drain, i had to tap into it high up, right against the floor practically.

it pumps the water out, but for some reason the clothes feel really wet and heavy at the end of the cycle. do you think it's just not pumping it all out because of the height, or do i have another issue going on?

thanks.

 

[LookoutRanch]

Height matters. That's most likely your problem.

You can test your hypothesis by moving the hose to a lower (standard height) position and directing the water into a bucket in the final minutes of the spin cycle.

 

[hayewe farm]

You probably have the water in the discharge hose flowing back down into the tub because of the longer column. You can correct this in one of two ways. 1] install a pipe for the discharge at the right height or 2] install a check valve in the bottom of the hose.

 

[Chemist1961]

The answer may already be sitting in your tub. Is there a lot of residual water when you empty the clothes. Centrifgual force should spin the clothes as dry as possible. If there is too much up hill pressure the water could remain in the tub itself and theh clothes are simpley settling back into it. When a load finishes are the clothes at the top damp, but at the bottom soaked?
Do some nylon low absorbent clothes. These retain less water and normally spin almost completly dry in the cycle or bettter yet run an empty load . If there is still a lot of water in your tub you have a pump or drainage issue. You could also check your pump for blockage and your hoses.
There can be a lot of residial junk building up there so the extended uphill climb cannot be helping. I have seen pumps rot out and crumble at the hose connections form phosphates and other junk collecting in them.

 

[wombosi]

thanks to all.

it does seem to be a dryer load when i do all my lightweight fleece stuff.
\when i do jeans, my bathrobe, etc... everything is soaking wet.

how would a check valve work?
there is currently no other way to install the washing machine in the basement without pumping it up as high.
the drain pipe runs downhill and leaves the basement toward the bottom near the floor, but it's all solid cast iron with nowhere to connect. someday i will have this redone in ABS and then the issue will be over, i think.

would a newer washing machine fix the problem in the meantime?

thanks.

 

[hayewe farm]

A check valve, similar to what is installed on a sump pump only lets water feed in one direction. If the pump is capable of pushing the water out past the valve the valve closes when the pump stops and prevent the water from running back in.