[schun67]

Hi, I am wanting to relocate the laundry to the garage, but the problem is that the drain. The garage slab has a stamp that says that we cannot break the concrete--suspect that there is post tension cables in the concrete slab. I was wondering what is the best way to connect the drain. Would it be to somehow make a raised platform for the washer, then run the drain under it?? Please advise. Thanks.

[massplumber2008]

Hi Schun67...

I suspect you are right about the post-tension slab...

The good news (I hope) is that the washing machine drain doesn't have to go under the slab or even under a pre-built floor. You can run the drain and the vent above the floor along the wall as long as the washing machine isn't too far away.

Tell us how high off the floor the pipe would enter into the garage and how many turns and how far the total run may be...

Mark

[schun67]

Thank you for your reply. There is a sewer line running parallel to the garage wall that the washer is proposed to be at just couple feet away on the ground from the garage wall but would have to run around 9 feet inside or on the garage inner wall to get to that access to not break concrete walk way , OR--there is also a sewer line/drain from a bathroom sink on the other side of the wall also, which would be also around 10 feet away to the other side of the wall. Can a laundry drain be hooked up to the bathroom sink drain? This seems to be the easier way to go? Than to connect to the outside sewer line, which would need a cover to hide the laundry drain to sewer drain?

RE: the drain running inside the wall... I am thinking that because the garage wall is a shear wall that it would be best Not to drill holes in the shear wall and expose the drain pipe against the wall and hide it with cabinets? Or would it be best to place the washer as close to the direct access to the sewer drain as possible?

Please advise. Thanks.

Not quite understanding the height question.

[massplumber2008]

Hi Schun...

By your description I just have to say that you want to run the 2" drain and 1.5" vent so that it the shortest run and avoids cutting into the tensioned slab if you can. Any way you do that is good and saves money!

A laundry drain probably shouldn't hook into a sink drain if the drain is only 1.5". If it is a 2" drain pipe.. and it could very well be, then you can connect into the sink drain, BUT you will need to install it BELOW the sink trap... then run the pipe for the washer and install an 1.5" vent within 5 feet of the washing machine PTRAP. The vent can connect back to the sink vent at aminimum of 48" off the floor or it can run up and out the roof. Penetrate the roof using 2" pipe.

Finally, the height issue I was referring to was just a concern focused on distance. Here, since the washer drain needs to pitch at 1/4" per foot of pipe and say you came out of your house at 3 feet off the floor and had to run 100 feet you would have ended up at 5 feet off the ground and with a washer standpipe that wants to be 30" you would have been too high to drain the washer without taxing the pump... ;) Sounds like this is not an issue for you!

Back to you...

Mark