I have a bit of the same problem, I must say. I have an old house with old metal pipes and I have a newer top-load (not HE) washing machine. My plumber says my machine hose is bigger than my drain, and that's why it sprays water like a champagne bottle when it's draining water. We have a black rubber thing that is supposed to make the hoses fit together, but we've literally had to duct tape the two together, and even then it still leaks some. All this happens out in the garage by the way. So if I want it to drain properly, my plumber says I'll have to bust up the concrete to put the right sized hose in. :-(
Is there no other way?

Do you have room for a wash basin out there? i.e. a large utility sink you typically see in a laundry room. If sized correctly for your washing machine discharge, the sink acts as a buffer, holding the extra water that can not go down the drain fast enough. No need to bust up the concrete for this I imagine. Venting should also be relatively easy depending on how the existing drain is vented (if at all)

No there is no room for a sink unfortunately. This is one of those 1950-1960's single car garage- type houses. Literally, I have the water heater, the electrical box, a washer and a dryer all crammed underneath the stairs to the attic. :(

What's the size of the drain line the washer is dumping into. I am assuming less than 2 inches. Any easy access to a 2 inch drain line. Perhaps in one of the walls in the garage adjacent to the house?

I don't think so. Those pipes are those old 1.5 in (I think?). The wall behind the washer is made of those thick wooden planks, not that it matters. This bad boy feeds down into the floor, not the wall... hence my plumber thinking we're going to have to bust up the concrete. I can't be the only one with this type of problem. Who had the bright idea of making washing machines drain more water faster??

we have a black rubber thing that is supposed to make the hoses fit together, but we've literally had to duct tape the two together, and even then it still leaks some. All this happens out in the garage by the way. So if I want it to drain properly, my plumber says I'll have to bust up the concrete to put the right sized hose in. :-( is there no other way?
Your plumber gave you the only two options. However, All you need to do is find a coupling that's air tight. We have many a 1 1/2" drain work simply by closing off the washer hose and the standpipe and turning it into a closed system. In fact I have a 1 1/2" standpipe of my own in my 50 year plus home that I have closed off for over 10 years with no backups. Before you bust up the floor for big bucks try to make the connection water tight. Here are some of the connections used, (see images). Good luck, Tom

Before cutting up floor I would;

If the trap for this washer stand is below the floor, and it sounds like it is. I would ask the plumber to use some acid drain cleaner then snake the pipes. Plumber will have to purchase and use the drain cleaner and chances are that it will soften all the accumulated crude in the pipes and close the drain. Therefore count on having to snake the line. This may clear the pipes enough to allow the greater flow.

If the trap is above the floor have plumber cut out the trap, snake to the main and replace with 2" PVC trap and pipe, even if existing pipe is 1 1/2". Then use Tom's trap adapter to connect washer.

I'll take a pic of my disaster when I get home tonight. I don't know what a trap is, so I can't begin to tell you where mine is. I like the looks of the 3rd connection shown in the pic. I've never known clamps to actually hold. I've never trusted them. But now screws... screws I trust. :)

Okay. The first pic is the whole area in all of it's glory. Can you count how many fitting adjustments have been made? I can see 3.

The second pic is the one I have an issue with. The white hose from the machine fits into the black adaptor thingy and that plugs into the plastic black hose (that has no ridges or screw edges or anything. It's just a slick black pipe. Nice, huh?)

The 3rd pic is the source of my pain. The old metal pipe that goes into the concrete. Do you see how continuous leakage from the lack of fitting at the adaptor location has deteriorated the concrete and damaged the wood? It has a great moldy smell too.

All jokes aside. Please tell me what to do before this rots everything away.

Ps-----pay no attention to the electrical outlet RIGHT beside the leaky adaptor. :eek:

..

The coupling at the very very bottom is nothing more than a hunk that was cut off something long ago still laying there. I think it got cut off a pipe and the coupling above it in the pic is too big to slide it over to dispose of it. I took a close-up of the joint you have in question. I'm not about to start peeling off tape to see what isn't broken. This connection is only about a foot off the floor. And it ain't leaking. I sure don't want it to start. :o


To me, it looks like the house pipe has been attached to another metal pipe that has then been attached to the black plastic pipe. I don't believe that the 2nd metal pipe is very long because the black pipe is able to be pretty flexible.

Here is what I would do.

Purchase
A piece of 2" PVC pipe about as long as the black flexible pipe,
a piece of 1 1/2 PVC pipe about 4" long,
A 2" to 1 1/2 PVC reducing coupling,
A 1 1/2" adapter,
A shielded rubber coupling,
PVC glue and primer

Glue all of the PVC together as shown.

Remove the 1 1/2" galvanized pipe which is inside and taped to the black pipe coming out of the floor.

Attach the glued up PVC pipe to the iron pipe coming out of the floor using the shielded rubber coupling.

Put washer drain hose in the adapter and tighten.

You now have a 2" washer stand pipe.

You da bomb Harold! Thank you so much. :D
That looks like an actual solution!

I'm literally going to print out your instructions and take them to the hardware store. You have parts and names and sizes. I think you MIGHT just know what you're doing, dude!:cool:

If I were a betting man, I would bet that this drain is not vented. Do you know if it is? Do you have access to an attic above this area? If so, do you see any black or white pipe coming up in the wall behind washing machine? As far as having a p-trap, there is none visible. There may be one under the concrete slab. If not, then I don't believe this would be considered up to code if you care, in which case, you should add one. This is a questions for the experts here: Would venting this line (if not already vented) help with increasing the flow?

I don't know if it's vented, but I'm betting probably not. The wall behind this one is my living room (no plumbing) and like I said before the attic stairs are what's above my washer and dryer.:(

How could I find out if it's vented besides busting through the concrete, yanking out the wall or climbing on the roof? Would the vent be in the attic or on the roof?

What exactly does a vent do anyway? And what does it look like?

Tom,
That's your adapter I'm showing. Is that just a 1 1/2 trap adapter or is it a special adapter for the washing machine hose?


Well, its been working up until now, just leaking, right?

If you want to cover the venting aspect do this;

Change the reducer to a 2 X 1 1/2 X 1 1/2" sanitary tee;
Put a AAV in the top and the trap adapter in the side port

What's an AAV? Kind of an indoor vent? Water can't spew out of it, can it?

Air Admittance Valve

Lets air in, doesn't let water out.


i think you MIGHT just know what you're doing, dude!:cool:

Not me. I make this stuff up as I go along

How will the straight edge of the washing machine hose fit into the adapter? Like I said, the hose is smooth. It won't be able to screw. Will I need to get a different type of machine hose too?

The adapter has a compression ring in it. It clamps down around the hose.

how will the straight edge of the washing machine hose fit into the adapter? like i said, the hose is smooth. it won't be able to screw. will i need to get a different type of machine hose too?

No - you can keep the same washing machine as long as the adapter is sized correctly for your washing machine hose's size. The adapter pictured is a compression fitting, so it is made for "smooth" tubes like yours. No threaded tubes necessary.

As for knowing if you already have a vent, aside from busting up the concrete or wall, or going into the attic to see if there is a vent line in that wall, there is really no way to see if it is vented. You could go onto the roof to see if a vent is popping through (which I'm sure there is) but there is no way that I know of to know for sure if it is connected to the washing machine line.

The AAV approach should be fine as long as there is no code in your area against its use.

First of all let's peek up in the attic to see if there's a pipe coming out of the washer wall. If it's there great! Close off the washer hose to the drain pipe.
If you do not have a vent I would install a AAV next to the trap. Good luck, Tom

But I can't peek up in the attic to see what's in that wall. It is solid wooden planks all the way up! :(

OK! Then go outside and look upon the roof over where the washer is and look for a pipe. Cool?

OK, I looked out on my roof today and I do in fact have a metal pipe sticking out of it. However, it is on the exact opposite end of the house as my washing machine. How does that affect things, if at all?

Do you have a attic? How many pipes do you see coming out out of your roof? Let me know, Tom

Just one pipe.
I do have an attic, but it has no lighting and there is nothing but insulation along the floor. I ain't climbing up there. Lol

Hey Fab, How old is your home?
In addition to all the dust and insulation up there are all your vents that are revented back into one vent out the roof. That's where all the vents live. Tom

Can you rephrase what you said above? I can't understand the sentence.
The house is from the mid 50's-60's

In addition to all the dust and insulation up there are all your vents that are revented back into one vent out the roof. That's where all the vents live.
I asked the age because some earlier homes didn't have vents. But yours does have them.

In addition to all the dust and insulation up there are all your vents that are revented back into one vent out the roof. That's where all the vents live.
Sometimes our contract calls for all the vents to be tied back,( revented) to a single main vent that exits the roof. This makes for a great looking roof line but makes it impossible to snake from the roof. You have to go up into the attic with a sewer machine, locate the correct vent and cut it loose and snake it. After you have to couple the vent back again. Sorry! I should have made that clearer. Tom

Yes, you have a problem. The pipe is too small to accept all that water being discharged from W/M. I don't see trap either. As suggested above, you could install plastic service / mop sink ( Home Depot, cost: about $40.00 ). The sink would collect discharged water and drain it at its own pace. If you go with the sink, don't forget to install trap and AAV vent for proper draining.

I said before that I can't get a sink out there. There's no room for one.

Yes, sure, space is always a problem in single car garage. I would than investigate little more. What's on the other side of the garage wall ?

Milo,
Um, I promise I'm not getting smart here. But I think you're only seeing one page of posts about this subject and we're already on page 4. you can read what other folks have been posting as suggestions. I've even got pictures of my disaster. Lol

Sorry... Ok, I read all the posts. You got list of good advices from our Experts. Did you install Harold's drain / vent set up ? Did it work ?

Close off the system as I suggested in a earlier post. Houses built in the 50's and 60's were trapped and vented. My house was built in 1954. The problem is back then the washer traps and stand pipes were all installed in 1 1/2" an d today's more powerful washer pumps simply overpower the lines. I closed off mine two washers ago with no problems. I can't ever recall getting a complaint back about backups from all the people that I have advised making the system a closed one. Let me know how it works for you. Good luck, Tom

My plumber came this morning and snaked out the line with one of those fancy snakes and he ran the washer twice and it didn't spew, but he also said that a "real" run has soap (and therefore probably suds) in the water and that slows things down. He wouldn't let me pay him yet until I try it "real". If it does spew, he said he'd come back and change out stuff. He said it does have a trap right under the washer so he said the AAV version wouldn't work. He also said that my garage floor is at a lower level than my house floor, so he could cut through that wood to do a new pipe and totally bypass the metal one altogether.

I showed him the beautiful diagrams from our handy dandy "widget maker" and he really liked them. He said we'd do those instead of cutting the wall if I wanted. But he also said that the metal pipes are problematic anyway because of the fact of water going through something that inherently rusts. That that alone causes stuff to drag and potentially block the line because it isn't smooth.

he also said that the metal pipes are problematic anyway because of the fact of water going through something that inherently rusts. That that alone causes stuff to drag and potentially block the line because it isn't smooth.
While it's true that plastic drains better then cast iron that's no reason to tear out your cast iron pipes if they are draining. I hate plumbers that play on home owners fears about "what may happen on down the line" and then sell a repipe job.
My cast iron washer line is draining just fine after 55 years. Did you close off your system as advised? If not, remember that you have a 1 1/2" system that should be closed off to insure no backups. Regards, Tom

I don't think it is a fear play. He just knows he'll be paying me more visits with the iron pipe. He won't be ripping out anything. This will bypass the metal pipe. The dishwasher and sinks and tub will still use the metal pipe. He said he'll do whatever I want him to. But first I got to see if his snaking worked with soap in the water to determine the next course of action if there is one.:p
Keep your fingers crossed.

I'm beginning to question the veracity of your plumber. It appears that snaking the line was the solution. He should have done that before even considering breaking up the floor. True old iron pipe accumulates crud faster than PVC but you don't go tearing down the world to replace it unless you have to.

The AAV has nothing to do with the trap. It addresses a venting issue if you have one. It was recommended only because you were unable to determine if the line was properly vented. It doesn't hurt anything if it is not needed and it is not that costly.

If you use the AAV, I don't care if you have a vent or not, the AAV will take care of that question. If you seal the piping, I don't care if you have a trap. With the AAV and the pipe sealed up the water that remains in the washer hose will act as a trap.

The pipe coming out of the floor is 2". The galvanized pipe that is stuck inside of it and taped up is 1 1/2 ". How do I know? I read the label. That 1 1/2" galvanized effectively reduces the washer stand pipe to 1 1/2". What's more I don't know how far down into the 2" pipe the 1 1/2 pipe goes. It may very well be jammed all the way down to the first turn and be further restricting the flow. By changing the piping as shown you increase the piping back to 2".

If your plumber starts rerouting pipes he is probably going to have to tie into galvanized pipe, which is usually a bit of a pain. He may also have to address proper venting of the new piping.

Go to Home Depot or Lowe's and purchase the pipe and fittings. Cost should be $15 to $20 plus the AAV. You can cut the pipe with just about any saw. You may have to buy full length of pipe, but I think HD will sell you 2" pipe in 4' lengths, which is more than you need. If this is beyond your capabilities, find a handyman and give him $20 or $30 dollars. Just about anybody who does any kind of repairs can do this. Doesn't take much skill.

You ain't building a Swiss watch here, so it's time to "git 'er done"

I don't know what I said that makes y'all think I've got a screwy plumber, and maybe I don't understand all the terms he uses, so maybe I'm relaying them to you wrong, but he has only snaked my pipe. He is waiting to hear from me to see if that worked. If it doesn't he is more than willing to make the closed system or to go through the bottom plank of wood (which I think is rotted anyway) to do a plastic pipe instead of fooling with the metal one since that wouldn't involve hurting the concrete.
You have my best interests at heart and being able to come to you in this forum to make sure I'm not being taken advantage of is great. I appreciate you. But I promise that he isn't being screwy.

My regular plumber referred me to this gentleman because he only has a simple snake that merely bumps a block out, not one that reams (?) the line entirely. He is the one that was afraid we'd have to bust concrete "in order [for me] to have it the way I want it" and he didn't want to do that (and neither did I honestly) so he had me go to this guy.

Maybe it's just because we are just old curmudgeons. When things don't sound logical we get off balance. Like when you have a quarter is one pocket and nothing in the other.

I'm not putting a "down" on your plumber but if he didn't make that a closed system after he snaked it and told you to use it then he didn't "go the extra mile".Making the system a closed one would have been one my first moves after snaking. Just my opinion. Tom

My boyfriend did a load of his whites and there is foam on the floor. So I guess he's coming back.

I didn't mean to make y'all mad or I hope you don't think I was getting smart. That's what I don't like about the typed word. Meaning and context get lost or misinterpreted.

I'll get back with you about what the next move is.

Fab sweetie!
I'm not mad and I'm not angry. I just have no more to offer. I've made my recommendations and they evidently have fallen on deaf ears. I can do no more. I wish you good luck with your washer problem. Bye-bye! Tom

No I've very much appreciated everyone's recommendations. I've heard (and mostly understood) what everyone has said I think. And I think I'm implementing what was suggested. I don't want you to think I'm "deaf"