missmarisa
Jan 5, 2008, 12:54 PM
In our basement we have a small laundry closet with our washer and dryer. The washer has a 2"pipe that the rinse water drains into. The "rinse pipe" stands about 48" high. It then connects by a "J" to a 2" horizontal pipe. From the "rinse pipe" the drain travels horizontal about 30" off the floor approx. 6-8 feet before exiting out house (somewhere behind finished walls.)
Our main kitchen sink drains down from the above floor, and the pipe for the kitchen sink meets up with the drain pipe about 12" down from the rinse pipe (which puts it behind the dryer). The next room over is a small kitchen (we purchased our ranch because it is a mother/daughter...my 82 y/o grandfather lives down there). The kitchen sink also hooks into this drain line. All 3 items (2 kitchen sinks and the washer) drain into a drywell in our backyard.
There is another pipe about 6" over from the upstairs kitchen sink pipe. It is the same height from the rinse pipe, but it has a black cap on it and doesn't appear to be used for anything. It is connected to the drain pipe by a "T".
Our house is approx. 60 years old. There were plumbing upgrades roughly about 15 years ago by the previous owners when they finished the basement and upgraded the septic system due to a bathroom installed in the basement.
When the washer rinses our main kitchen sink gurgles, and water backs up into the basement kitchen sink. Lately, the rinse water has been coming out the top of the rinse pipe up during every wash load. When the washer rinses, I usually have to stand there and stop the rinse cycle for a few seconds as soon as I see the rinse water get to the top of the pipe, to let the water drain down (which takes a second or two) then turn it on again. When it is really bad, I'll have to do this a few times for each rinse cycle.
We had a plumber come out, but he didn't seem really interested in finding the cause... for a $75 "service" call, all he recommended was this stuff called Cess-Flo, which we purchase at Lowe's. That seems to help for a little while, but the problem starts back up again.
My husband and I are basic do it yourselfers. We tackle simple home improvement projects, but leave professional work to the professionals. I like to learn as much as I can because I don't want to waste my husband's hard earned money, either by calling in a professional to do something I could have done myself, or from being taken advantage of. As a Police officer, my husband puts his life on the line every day just to keep a roof over our heads... being responsible with his paycheck is very important to me!
Is there something we can do to fix this problem once and for all? If you think it might be a relatively simple fix, I'll gladly give it a try! If not, what would you suggest I ask a professional to look for? Thanks for your help! Any suggestions are helpful and greatly appreciated!!
Our main kitchen sink drains down from the above floor, and the pipe for the kitchen sink meets up with the drain pipe about 12" down from the rinse pipe (which puts it behind the dryer). The next room over is a small kitchen (we purchased our ranch because it is a mother/daughter...my 82 y/o grandfather lives down there). The kitchen sink also hooks into this drain line. All 3 items (2 kitchen sinks and the washer) drain into a drywell in our backyard.
There is another pipe about 6" over from the upstairs kitchen sink pipe. It is the same height from the rinse pipe, but it has a black cap on it and doesn't appear to be used for anything. It is connected to the drain pipe by a "T".
Our house is approx. 60 years old. There were plumbing upgrades roughly about 15 years ago by the previous owners when they finished the basement and upgraded the septic system due to a bathroom installed in the basement.
When the washer rinses our main kitchen sink gurgles, and water backs up into the basement kitchen sink. Lately, the rinse water has been coming out the top of the rinse pipe up during every wash load. When the washer rinses, I usually have to stand there and stop the rinse cycle for a few seconds as soon as I see the rinse water get to the top of the pipe, to let the water drain down (which takes a second or two) then turn it on again. When it is really bad, I'll have to do this a few times for each rinse cycle.
We had a plumber come out, but he didn't seem really interested in finding the cause... for a $75 "service" call, all he recommended was this stuff called Cess-Flo, which we purchase at Lowe's. That seems to help for a little while, but the problem starts back up again.
My husband and I are basic do it yourselfers. We tackle simple home improvement projects, but leave professional work to the professionals. I like to learn as much as I can because I don't want to waste my husband's hard earned money, either by calling in a professional to do something I could have done myself, or from being taken advantage of. As a Police officer, my husband puts his life on the line every day just to keep a roof over our heads... being responsible with his paycheck is very important to me!
Is there something we can do to fix this problem once and for all? If you think it might be a relatively simple fix, I'll gladly give it a try! If not, what would you suggest I ask a professional to look for? Thanks for your help! Any suggestions are helpful and greatly appreciated!!