I recently added a second floor to my existing ranch home. I moved the laundry room up to the second floor. I kept my exisitng Maytag and installed a new guy grey (sp?)box and floor drain.

I started getting a leak onto my first floor when I ran the washer, and when I entered the room there was water all over it. I thought it was the washer, but after moving it and watching it a few times, I believe that the new floor drain is backing up. My thinking is that maybe there is some construction debris in this drain causing it to back up.

It only does it doing large loads, or when I have already done a load or two, which again makes me suspect that it is clogged. Does anyone have any ideas?

Why do you have a floor drain on the second floor? Does the floor drain have a trap primer?
It may be likely some construction debris is in the drain. You may have to snake it out. If the line is 2" and you have a powerful motor, the 2" is not large enough. The new code requires the first connection after the 2" trap to be 3" drain pipe for the reason of the new powerful motors.

Thanks... I'll give it a try. I appreciate it!

if the line is 2" and you have a powerful motor, the 2" is not large enough. The new code requires the first connection after the 2" trap to be 3" drain pipe for the reason of the new powerful motors
Doug, Not questioning code here but wouldn't a 2" trap choke the discharge down before it got to the 3" drain line?

It only does it doing large loads, or when I have already done a load or two, which again makes me suspect that it is clogged. Does anyone have any ideas?
Two possibilities come to mind. 1) a partial clog in the washer drain line **or** 2) the washer pump puts out more volume t6hen the system can handle. Snake the drain line and test buy cycling the washer. Good luck, Tom

The washer is a pretty old top load Maytag. I don't have the model # with me, but when I first thought that maybe the washer was leaking I tried to look it up on the Maytag website and couldn't find it.

This thing used to be in my basement, and it directly discharged into my sump pit so I never had a backflow problem before.

When I look in the floor drain, I can see standing water about 4" down. As my washing machine drains out the water (happens twice for one load) I can see the water in the floor drain rise up. If I stop the washer, the water goes back down to 4". I have to do this until the unit has drained out, then I'm fine.

Doug, Not questioning code here but wouldn't a 2" trap choke the discharge down before it got to the 3" drain line?
Tom, in the old old days an 1 1/2" trap and standpipe was used. then we switched to 2" trap and standpipe. If you remember last year in here a lady had a new washing machine by maytag that pumped twice the drain as an ordinary washing machine and someone finally figured out the 2" was not enough to service this new 'super washing machine'. the code was changed to accomodate the new machines. now a remodel or new contruction may have a 2" trap and standpipe but the first connecting piping must be either a tee or wye or combo connecting to 3". it is likely they will either switch the code to a 3" trap or cut back on the power of the new pumps. But yes, the 2" trap would choke the drain down. The theory is that the problem is not the trap but the piping shortly after that.

Two possibilities come to mind. 1) a partial clog in the washer drain line **or** 2) the washer pump puts out more volume t6hen the system can handle. Snake the drain line and test buy cycling the washer. Good luck, Tom


I agree with this