[hartschild]

My washing maching drain line overflows during every drain cycle. I snatched out the dry wall and noticed no aav. I cannot tell whether or not there is a trap under the slab or not. Did a walk around the house and also realized there isn't even one vent running out. only vents for the dryer, stove, and exhaust in bathroom. no extra flashing either that would indicate a vent sitting flush with the shingles. I thought about installing an aav off the washing machine drain, but #1 not sure exactly where to run it (due to not knowing if a trap exists) and #2 would this likely help. These are the pictures of what im looking at. any help is appreciated:whistling2:

 

[kenmac]

Did this issue just start ?? How long has the washer been there without any drain problems ?? May just have to rod out the drain

 

[majakdragon]

Washing machine drains collect a lot of lint. You probably need to clear out the drain line. As far as vents, I would be checking the attic to see if someone dead ended or cut off the vent before it exited the roof. This would not be a good situation.

 

[buddy builder]

i have seen a lot of washing machine drains put in with the p trap under the slab if it is not in the wall. if it is not in the wall it had better be under the slab or you will be smelling methane gas. a cleaning could help. i have heard from people who bought a new washing machine and the newer more powerful pump pushed water out faster and backed up. has the kid moved back home from college or mother-in-law moved in? the reason for the question is that sometimes extra use of washing machine is the difference between it draining right or not. you can also try washing clothes on the small or medium settings instead of full. this reduces the amount of water in which will reflect on the amount of water out. one of my apartments had a washing machine that worked fine on small or medium loads but backed up on high setting. thanks, buddy builder

 

[hartschild]

well as far as i know its always been a problem. fiance never mentioned it therefor found out when i moved in and started doing laundry. no. no extra amount of laundry being done.
did get on the roof and found a shorty stubout for a drain. so now im sure the ptrap is under the slab as it should be. I was thinking that there isnt anywhere for the trapped air to go. so naturally the air will win and push the water back up while trying to get out. i was going to put a t in so i can throw a aav in there. but i guess i'll rent a snake and see how that works

 

[majakdragon]

If you can get an extension tube for a shop vac, it will work better. If the problem is lint in the trap, the snake will go through it and the hole will reseal. Newer washing machines have a much more powerful pump and codes are changing to 2" instead of the old 1-1/2" for drains. Another solution may be an enzyme drain cleaner such as drain Care. Emzyme cleaners "eat" organic clogs.

 

[hartschild]

If you can get an extension tube for a shop vac, it will work better. If the problem is lint in the trap, the snake will go through it and the hole will reseal. Newer washing machines have a much more powerful pump and codes are changing to 2" instead of the old 1-1/2" for drains. Another solution may be an enzyme drain cleaner such as drain Care. Emzyme cleaners "eat" organic clogs.

true. however, it is a 2" cast iron drain. . . I guess i'll just try the process of elimination. try the drain cleaner, then if fails then an auger, then a surevent. and if all else fails, pull my hair out and just start throwing away clothes after wearing them. lol :thumbup:

 

[Termite]

Is there a wall behind the washer that might contain the vent? It should of course be vented but if it is old it might not be. It might be worth considering just re-plumbing the trap and riser and adding an AAV as you suggested.

As mentioned, lint makes clogs that are the consistency of mashed potatoes. You can snake them until you're blue in the face and it'll make no difference. If you do snake it, you may want to run water into it as your're doing it to try to free some of the material. I started using Roebic K7 (?) enzyme main line cleaner from Lowes routinely for the same problem you're having and it works very well to keep the line free of clogs.

 

[hartschild]

Is there a wall behind the washer that might contain the vent? It should of course be vented but if it is old it might not be. It might be worth considering just re-plumbing the trap and riser and adding an AAV as you suggested.

As mentioned, lint makes clogs that are the consistency of mashed potatoes. You can snake them until you're blue in the face and it'll make no difference. If you do snake it, you may want to run water into it as your're doing it to try to free some of the material. I started using Roebic K7 (?) enzyme main line cleaner from Lowes routinely for the same problem you're having and it works very well to keep the line free of clogs.

no. the drain line is actually in an outside wall. I went to Lowes and found the Roebic. Hoping that's going to work. pretty crazy that its a 24 hour process. but hey, its worth it if it works right (smile). thanks for the suggestion. i already started the process with it so now its just waiting time. thanks alot

 

[hartschild]

no. the drain line is actually in an outside wall. I went to Lowes and found the Roebic. Hoping that's going to work. pretty crazy that its a 24 hour process. but hey, its worth it if it works right (smile). thanks for the suggestion. i already started the process with it so now its just waiting time. thanks alot

okay, the Roebic did not work. so now im just gonna get in there and try to vent it and see what happens. this stinks. i was really hoping to do laundry today without babysitting the drain.............

 

[lonsplumbing]

aavs

I believe in the code you cant use them on washer drains.