Parents moved into new ranch style house, and bought new washer/dryer. Drain for washer is what looks like a 1" copper stub with a 3/4" conversion fitting on it. Its about 6" off the ground.

plastic bendable hose drain for washer has a rubber gasket-type fitting around it which fits in 2" PVC pipe.

I go to home depot, play adapters, and get the 2" PVC pipe and convert it down to 3/4" copper. The pvc pipe length is about the height of the maximum capacity washer, and all the adapters are closer to the bottom.

Get the contraption together, and pour some water down to make sure it drains, it does.

Turn on washer. It drains, then I witness something in the laundry room which people drive across the country to see... there she was, Old Faithful spewing water out of the top of the PVC pipe.

I think it's the down conversion from the 2" PVC to the copper causing this, and because the washer drains so rapidly, all the backups from the conversions caused it to overflow? Or perhaps a slow drain or something?

(it also seems like the dishwasher, sink, and washer all share the same p-trap underneath the kitchen sink, because there is this one house coming out of nowhere from the general direction of the diswasher, not sure about this one though and its implications on anything)

Anyway, suggestions would help. Perhaps a direct connection from the washer drain pipe directly to the copper in the ground?

Otherwise I'm out of ideas and about to tell them to call a plumber. Thanks

Will happily take pics if requested.

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Newbie; amateur handyman wanna-be

That sounds like what I would have tried. How close is the washer hose itself to the 1'' copper stub? Usually you have a flexible hose with a rigid end that hooks over the drain pipe. Can you remove the end, and slip the hose over the 3/4'' adapter and down to the copper pipe? If it is reasonably close, you could just put a hose clamp on it and make a water tight joint. Likely the 1'' pipe opens up to a larger pipe in a short distance and the pressure from the washer pump would force the water down into the bigger pipe. If there isn't a vent close by, there could be problems.

Maybe the 3/4'' adapter is the restriction. Remove it. Connect a longer inch pipe to the copper stub with a compression fitting, and run the drain into that.

If all else fails, call the builder. The builder is obligated to make the house work.

A 3/4" drain simply will not work on a washer hookup.  The washer pump discharges with too much volume and pressure for a 3/4" line to handle it.   Typical washer drainage hookups consisting of a 2" vertical stand pipe approximately  36" long extending   two inches above the flood rim of the washer that the washer hose fits into and  a 2" trap connected to a vent pipe.  As for sharing a common trap such as you discribe, Section 701.1 of The Standand Plumbing Code states, "Plumbing fixtures, excepting those having integral traps, shall be separately trapped by a water seal trap, placed as close to the fixture as possible."   Choking down a washer drain to 3/4? Three fixtures sharing the same trap? ( However, the dishwasher may share a sink trap and that hose you see under the sink is the dishwasher discharge line. ).   Call the contractor and have him make the plumber put things right.  And while the plumber's there ask him if he will turn me on to some of the same stuff he was smoking when he put the job in.   Cheers   Tom

I have a 2" PVC standpipe that is 33" tall. It feeds into a 2" P trap (cast-iron) connected to a 2" T. The top of the T is the vent pipe, and the bottom is connected to the sewer line. Using a garden hose, I can open it at max, with no overflow. I ran a snake into the cast-iron P trap (and as far as we could get it in--probably the T) and found no visible grease, debris or other blockages. When my washer drains, however, the PVC overflows (after some time of draining). When we stop the water being pumped out of the washer, the water drains. It just does not take the water at full flow coming from the washer. Our initial thought was that we did not have enough drain capacity, but we have read other posts that suggest that 2" standpipe and 2" line is sufficient. Any suggestions what might be wrong and how to fix it (other than a new sewer line)?

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Originally Posted by Serg

I have a 2" PVC standpipe that is 33" tall. It feeds into a 2" P trap (cast-iron) connected to a 2" T. The top of the T is the vent pipe, and the bottom is connected to the sewer line. Using a garden hose, I can open it at max, with no overflow. I ran a snake into the cast-iron P trap (and as far as we could get it in--probably the T) and found no visible grease, debris or other blockages. When my washer drains, however, the PVC overflows (after some time of draining). When we stop the water being pumped out of the washer, the water drains. It just does not take the water at full flow coming from the washer. Our initial thought was that we did not have enough drain capacity, but we have read other posts that suggest that 2" standpipe and 2" line is sufficient. Any suggestions what might be wrong and how to fix it (other than a new sewer line)?

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Hi Serg,

Ya got to quit choking down your washer drain.
You said, "the bottom is connected to the sewer line. Using a garden hose."

You have to have 2" all the way to the sewer line. The washer pump
discharges with too much volume and pressure for a garden hose to handle it.

" we have read other posts that suggest that 2" standpipe and 2" line is sufficient".
And so it is but that means 2" all the way to the sewer./

"Any suggestions what might be wrong and how to fix it (other than a new sewer line)?"

Yes, ditch the garden hose and run 2", (with no reductions inbetween)tothe sewer. You should also have a vent just after the trap.
Good luck, Tom

Thanks, Tom. I may not have been clear. I have 2" all the way to the sewer pipe. What I was saying about the garden hose was that, to test it, I sent water down the drain with my garden hose. It drains the water fine when I send water down full blast coming out of the garden hose. It does not, as described in my original post, when I send water from the washer. The one additional detail I can mention is that, sometime, when it is done draining (whether from the water hose or the washer), it makes a bubbling sound (kind of like a toiler after it flushes). Now any ideas?

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Originally Posted by Serg

Thanks, Tom. I may not have been clear. I have 2" all the way to the sewer pipe. What I was saying about the garden hose was that, to test it, I sent water down the drain with my garden hose. It drains the water fine when I send water down full blast coming out of the garden hose. It does not, as described in my original post, when I send water from the washer. The one additional detail I can mention is that, sometime, when it is done draining (whether from the water hose or the washer), it makes a bubbling sound (kind of like a toiler after it flushes). Now any ideas?

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OK Serg, Sorry for the confusion.
You have a partial clog of fiber and grease and snaking to the tee just ain't going to get it.
While the clog isn't bad enough to back up from your garden hose the washer pump discharges with much more force and volume and that's what backing you up. To fix this you must snake from the washer vent on the roof. Put out enough cable to get to the base of the vent and 15 or 20 feet more. After words cycle the washer throughto flush out anything left in the drain line. Good luck. Tom

Well, now I'm really at a loss. We snaked in from the vent pipe on the roof. We hit a little resistance that we cleaned out. The water flowed a little better after the cleaning, but, at the end of the day, still overflowed. The snake came out clean when we shoved it down the vent pipe. Based on the amount of snake we sent down, it went all the way to the bottom and at least 10 feet more. Any other ideas?

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Originally Posted by Serg

Well, now I'm really at a loss. We snaked in from the vent pipe on the roof. We hit a little resistance that we cleaned out. The water flowed a little better after the cleaning, but, at the end of the day, still overflowed. The snake came out clean when we shoved it down the vent pipe. Based on the amount of snake we sent down, it went all the way to the bottom and at least 10 feet more. Any other ideas?

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Yes, you stopped short of the clog. Ten foot might not be getting you out of the branch where the clog is. Remember what I advised. " put out enought cable to get to the base of the vent and 15 or 20 feet more. After words cycle the washer through to flush out anything left in the drain line." What size snake did you use? If a small diameter cable you might have just punched through the clog. Rent a sewer machine from your local Rent-All .
One thing about a clog. Unless you have a broken pipe you can make it drain again. One other thing. If I have a tough clog after I put out enough to get past the clog I cycle the washer while I run the snake. The cable bangs against the pipe walls while tie water flushes the crud out. Remember, depending on the size of your house you must put out enough cable to get out in the main. Good luck, Tom

Now I'm making some progress. I snaked into the main through a different access point and cleaned out some more crud. Now I am actually able to get the washer to drain w hardly any overflow. However, it still comes up to the rim of the standpipe, so I am not comfortable it won't overflow at some point. The problem I have (and the reason I went only an extra 10 feet when I was on the roof) is that I can't get the snake to go any further. I tried for at least 45 minutes to get it to go in more, but no luck. I am using about a half-in diameter snake. Is there any way to get further in there (without having to buy an expensive snake)? I am not familiar w the sewer machine you mention. What does it do? Finallly, do u know of any chemical (Drano type stuff) that might clean it up now that I'm so close? Thanks again for all your help.

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Originally Posted by Serg

Now I'm making some progress. I snaked into the main thru a different access point and cleaned out some more crud. Now I am actually able to get the washer to drain w hardly any overflow. However, it still comes up to the rim of the standpipe, so I am not comfortable it won't overflow at some point. The problem I have (and the reason I went only an extra 10 feet when I was on the roof) is that I can't get the snake to go any further. I tried for at least 45 mins to get it to go in more, but no luck. I am using about a half-in diameter snake. Is there any way to get further in there (without having to buy an expensive snake)? I am not familiar w the sewer machine you mention. What does it do? Finallly, do u know of any chemical (Drano type stuff) that might clean it up now that I'm so close? Thanks again for all your help.

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Hi Serg, You're using the right size cable for a 4" sewer line. If it were me I'd want to know just why I couldn't get a snake all the way out to the street. I'd want to know just where the blockage was. Do you think you ran into the block inside or outside the confines of the house? Have you opened up your cleanout and checked for standing water? What kind of a tip were you using on the snake? Until you know exactly what the problem is and what the blockage consists of you can't attack it with chemicals. Roots? Broken pipe? Who knows? But you're going to hafta find out. The first step is marking where the cable hung up and then measuring off along the path of the drainage to where it won't go any further. That's where my focus would be. At the point where it stopped. Good luck, Tom

First, let me say thanks for all the extremely helpful advice. Now, here are a few answers to your questions: I'm not coming anywhere near getting out of the house with the snake. In fact, by my calculation, I'm right in the middle of the house. I have opened up the clean out. When I snake in there, I get a bunch of black grease-looking grime on the snake up until I get to the point where it won't go any further. While no standing water is visible right at the clean out, when I snake in, at the point where it won't go in any further, there is some standing water noise. The tip of my snake is coiled (basically, like a spring but less tightly wound than the snake itself). Do these symptoms spawn any more ideas?

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Originally Posted by Serg

First, let me say thanks for all the extremely helpful advice. Now, here are a few answers to your questions: I'm not coming anywhere near getting out of the house with the snake. In fact, by my calculation, I'm right in the middle of the house. I have opened up the clean out. When I snake in there, I get a bunch of black grease-looking grime on the snake up until I get to the point where it won't go any further. While no standing water is visible right at the clean out, when I snake in, at the point where it won't go in any further, there is some standing water noise. The tip of my snake is coiled (basically, like a spring but less tightly wound than the snake itself). Do these symptoms spawn any more ideas?

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You're using a auger tip on the end of the snake. Change it to a spade tip and try to bore your way through the obstruction. What material are your pipes and how old are they? Regards, Tom

Serg,
Roto Router can clean that line for you with a sewer machine and they guarantee their work. I had the same problem as you and initially tore up the wall and replaced all of the clothes washer plumbing (supply and drain with a new outlet box from Oatey)... I even used a 3 inch diameter stand pipe to increase the volume because I have to use a shorted stand pipe due to a window... Anyways the real problem was a partial clog that I could not remove without a big sewer machine.

Tom

Thanks for the advice before I embark on my second weekend of trying to beat this thing! Do u have any idea of how much Roto Rooter charged? What does the sewer machine do?

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Originally Posted by Serg

Thanks for the advice before I embark on my second weekend of trying to beat this thing! Do u have any idea of how much Roto Rooter charged? What does the sewer machine do?

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I have no idea what Roto Rooter charges in your area but a sewer machine is a heavy duty machine the uses a 3/4" cable/snake. I haven't mentioned this before because I hoped you would break through the clog but it's begaining to look more and more like you may have a collapsed line. I had asked what material the pipes were made of. If you have a older home with cast iron or lead pipes then there's a chance that the reason you can't get a snake through is that the pipe has disintegrated to the point where it hangs up your snake. If it were me I'd want to know and the only way to tell is sending a sewer viewer, (camera) down the line to see what's hanging up your snake. Let me know what you come up with. Tom

It is an old house (built in 1951). I think the pipes are cast iron. If I had a collapsed pipe, would water be flowing as much as it is? What would I do to fix it if that is the problem? Would I need to replace the whole piping?

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Originally Posted by Serg

It is an old house (built in 1951). I think the pipes are cast iron. If I had a collapsed pipe, would water be flowing as much as it is? What would I do to fix it if that is the problem? Would I need to replace the whole piping?

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I figured you for cast iron. There's something that's stopping your snake from getting through unless you're attempting to snake against the flow and hanging up on a fitting. If it were a blockage of paper and solid waste you could auger through it. If the top of the xast iron caved in it would set on the bottom and still allow somr discharge to flow over it until it built up enough to make a solid clog. The cast iron laying on the bottom could prevent a worm from passing because the cable also sets on the bottom.
All this is off the top of my head but it's the only explanation I can come up with. If anyone else has a better one , I'm listening. My place, built in 1954, had a piece of cast iron from the top of the inside wall fall down in my 4" sewer pipe. I was lucky enough to shove it down to the clean out with a Ridgid K-60 Sewer Machine to where I could snag it out. That was 15 years ago and I haven't had to replace any pipe yet. (knock on wood) Your situation my be different I still say run a camera down there and see just exactly what the story is. Cheers, Tom

I wonder if it's possible that I'm going counter-stream. My understanding is that, in Houston (which is where I am), the sewer drains toward the backyard, but let me give you the layout: The only clean out that I have on this side of the house is roughly under the kitchen sink. Going from that point toward the backyard, you come to the washer drain with the 2" P trap feeding into a T, with the top of the T going to vent and the bottom of the T going to the sewer line. That's about 20' from the clean out. When I snake in from the clean out (toward the backyard), I get hung up at about 10' (about halfway to the washer drain). When I snake in from the vent above the washer drain, I get hung up at about 10' after getting to the T (presumably the snake from the roof is going into the sewer line and toward the backyard, so this theoretically is a different point that is downstream of where it gets hung up when I come in from the clean out--is it possible that the snake from the roof is going in the direction opposite when I come in from the clean out and therefore getting hung up in the same place?). Finally, when I come in from the drain line (i.e. through the P trap), it gets hung up at the T. Based on this description, let me know if u have any other thoughts.

BTW, where would I get one of those cameras?

Roto Router around here is about 80.00 bucks (regular hours during the week) if they don't have to get up on the roof to snake a drain line. The local guy around here is pretty good. The only guys I know that have cameras are people who fix drain lines.