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Beowulf · Mar 14, 2005, 09:36 AM

The stand up drain for my washing machine spills over the top while draining. The house is on a slab and we are on city sewage. I have had the p-trap replaced (2") and have had all of the vents snaked. If I pause the machine while draining, the water clears immediately so I don't think that there is a blockage. It appears that the pump on my machine puts out more water than the drain can handle, so... do I need a larger stand pipe to accommodate the larger volume of water or what? My plumber is stumped, he just told me to do smaller loads which doesn't really work with 2 small kids. Any ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated.

speedball1 · Mar 14, 2005, 01:00 PM

Originally Posted by Beowulf

The stand up drain for my washing machine spills over the top while draining. The house is on a slab and we are on city sewage. I have had the p-trap replaced (2") and have had all of the vents snaked. If I pause the machine while draining, the water clears immediately so I don't think that there is a blockage. It appears that the pump on my machine puts out more water than the drain can handle, so...do I need a larger stand pipe to accommodate the larger volume of water or what? My plumber is stumped, he just told me to do smaller loads which doesn't really work with 2 small kids. Any ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Did it ever drain OK? If it did then I would be interested in knowing why it's not draining now. Having said that, I had the same problem with my 1 1/2"standpipe and trap. I worked around the problem without changing any pipes. I put a compression fitting on top of the standpipe that made the connection between the hose and standpipe water tight. No problems after that. A compression fitting is something you can install your self. just be sure it will compress down tight enough to make a water tight seal. My standpipe was 1 1/2" galvanizes iron. Yours may be PVC or ABS. It solved my problem and I hope it solves yours. Cheers, Tom

Beowulf · Mar 14, 2005, 01:52 PM

Thanks for the reply. The drain is PVC, I never had a problem until I bought a new washer this Christmas. That's what makes me think it is the washer. It is a much higher capacity than my old one and I think it may actually be too good for my house's old plumbing. Is there any danger of backflush or damage to the washer with a compression fitting? Does a compression fitting allow for airspace or is that even a concern? How do I fasten it to the existing pipe?

speedball1 · Mar 15, 2005, 07:24 AM

Originally Posted by Beowulf

Thanks for the reply. The drain is PVC, I never had a problem until I bought a new washer this Christmas. That's what makes me think it is the washer. It is a much higher capacity than my old one and I think it may actually be too good for my house's old plumbing. Is there any danger of backflush or damage to the washer with a compression fitting? Does a compression fitting allow for airspace or is that even a concern? How do I fasten it to the existing pipe?

I think you're right, your new washer pumps out more volume under more pressure.
You glue the compression fitting to the top of the stand pipe with PVC Cement. There will be no damage to your washer from any back pressure. Since the idea is contain the discharge, there is no airspace when the compression fitting is installed correctly.
Good luck, Tom

tommytman · Mar 15, 2005, 08:54 PM

I had the same problem. It turned out to be a partially obstructed sewer line... This was the series of events:

Washer backs up but only near the very end of the drain cycle. After some thought I decide that since I only have an 18 inch stand pipe that is 1 1/2 inch diameter I should bust into the wall, replace the washing machine supply box (Oatey quadtro box/they are really nice) and add a 3inch PVC stand pipe and all the rest in 2 inch pvc (the supply line valves were very old anyway so I figured I needed to do this at some point).

So I do this and make a reasonably nice access panel (not that it matters since you can't see it with the washer there) and also add a water outlet box for the fridge water supply (Oatey).

So it works well for 2 weeks and then the drain blocks solid. Called RotoRooter to clear the drain line/no more problem. At least I got a new outlet box... the RotoRooter guy did seem to think 3 inch stand pipe is mucho overkill... I agree.

If your drain is truly not clogged then it could be that the stand pipe is not high enough.

Note that when my drain was partially clogged I could discharge a garden hose into it without backing it up.

Did your plumber use an electric sewer cleaner?? Did he get it far enough through the line?

PS. If you experience a blockage and you have a comp. fitting on there the washer line will blow off and make a pretty good mess of things.

Post back if you have any other questions

Tom

speedball1 · Mar 16, 2005, 11:22 AM

Tommy says, " If you experience a blockage and you have a comp. fitting on there the washer line will blow off and make a pretty good mess of things."

That may be true but if you have a blockage it's going to back up all over everything anyhow. I've found that the added pressure and volume has kept my line clear by blowing out any future clogs out in the main. Mine has been hooked up that way for years without a clog, overflow, or backup. Cheers, Tom

amandadarling · Mar 20, 2005, 07:41 PM

Is it possible that having too many twists and turns in the drain pipe before it goes into the ground could cause the overflow? Mine is pvc, I think it's 2.5" diam, about a couple of inches high above the top of the washer where the dials are. It goes down a foot or so and hits a "U" type curve, then goes over to the right a ways and has one or two more "U" type curves before getting to the ground drain pipe. I wonder if there's a way I could send some digital pictures to show you. I don't know why there are so many turns in it, maybe they couldn't get the angle right to get it into the ground drain. This is in the basement of my very old house, but the plumbing is newer pvc. The kitchen sink upstairs and the washing machine are the only things that drain into this drain, and there is no overflow in the kitchen. Also, mine does not absolutely always overflow. I did put in a new compressor (?) fitting to attach the drain hose to the stand pipe, but mine has some air holes which the directions said to make sure are not closed. Of course the water is overflowing out of those air holes. Thank you so much, I've been reading the thread and all your time and attention is VERY nice!

amandadarling · Mar 20, 2005, 07:44 PM

I was thinking the only thing I could do is have someone install a laundry sink down there to catch the overflow, but I really have no need for one outside of catching the water - I'd like to fix the problem another way.

tommytman · Mar 20, 2005, 07:53 PM

Pictures would be nice. Once you have them click on "Manage Attachments" in the post reply section and attach the pictures I have no idea what 3 "U" type curves are for. Maybe Speedball can help.

You only need one "p" trap on this washer drain... "p" traps can look like "u"s I guess... but you don't need 3 of them... there is something I am not understanding about the set-up. Waiting on the pictures. If the basement is not finished it may be easy to correct the problem.

Tom

amandadarling · Mar 20, 2005, 08:14 PM

Thank you, yes I will upload some pics. I think they must be p-traps, and whoever installed this definitely used more than one! It looks to me like they were trying to get two sections of pvc pipe to fit together by using several curved connector pieces. Pictures to follow but probably not for a week, as I am away from my house right now.