Washing machine drain hose into sewer line

[rh71]

My washing machine drain water is backing up and from the past it was a clogged sewer line just past the check valve. But while investigating the clog, I notice the piping (following the washing machine's rubber hose) is corroding and will need replacement.

I'm a basic DIYer and it's not easy to accurately size the pipes (measured circumference of larger end was ~4.25" - it's reinstalled now so I can't measure diameter), but it's obviously a smaller pipe coupled to a larger pipe which then goes into the check valve -> sewer line. My question is - is there something more modern from like a Home Depot to replace this whole connection with or am I looking at doing a coupling still? Or even a check valve specifically for washing machine lines into sewer line...

6 pics below:

 

[Geofd]

Looks like a combination of brass and maybe galvanized pipe cut it all out and use pvc,if you if you have fixtures in the basement there should be a back water valve on the larger pipe,so if you or the city the city has a backup, sewerage won't flood your basement thru your lower fixtures most times when that the case there is a clean
Out in the yard

 

[MicEd69]

So, it appears that your washing machine pump is "hard piped" to a higher sewer line, and the washing machine pump is being used to pump the machine discharge up to the sewer. This is soooo not to code!

And it appears that your sewer line is screwed piping. WOW.

It looks as though the sewer line does angle downwards, so I'm wondering if this mishmash of piping was used to inappropriately move/install some fixtures away from the main sewer connections. In older houses, the sewers were usually cast iron, so this may have been a DIYer pre-PVC/ABS.

You should really consider tracing down where this line goes and see if you can redo the entire line with PVC from where it enters the primary sewer which I can assure you isn't screwed pipe. Hopefully you can then install a washing machine standpipe per code. The basics are shown below, with all the drain piping to be 2" pipe. And depending on your local code, the 30" max standpipe dimension may be 42" max.



If this is not possible, the to make this installation safer and to code, you will need to install a laundry sink, discharge the washing machine into the sink, and then pump the sink drain up to the sewer line.

 

[rh71]

Thanks for the advice so far. I snaked the line and while it worked better, the washer still gave me a not-draining error code though it eventually completed, so it's basically a slow-drain issue. As the washer runs into the back-up, I can hear gurgling sounds in the kitchen sink directly upstairs too. That doesn't happen when water is draining just from the kitchen including with the dishwasher.

Any ballpark plumber's estimate to re-do the whole line (pictured below) with PVC? I'm not in a position to spend thousands right now so if I'm looking for a quick-fix while still maintaining easy access to snake the line from here, I'm thinking I'll just replace the section I originally mentioned up to the washing machine check valve and none of the yellow pipes.

A few more pics below - you can see the washer drain line meets up with the kitchen line from above so all the elements potentially clogging it up would be from the kitchen/dishwasher drain.

3 pics:

 

[MicEd69]

A gravity drain for a washing machine needs to be 2" because the rate of flow from a modern washing machine is relatively high. As your drain is through what appears to be 3/4" and 1" pipe and a check valve, that will create a backpressure on the pump and cause slower flowrate from the washing machine. And as you are getting a code for low flow, you obviously have a newer washing machine.

If you replace everything with PVC, it will require that the sizes of the piping to be increased for proper gravity drainage of your sewer lines. That's probably a pretty large job, just seeing the parts that you've shown, and a plumber would be required to install it per code.

 

[rh71]

^ My front-load Samsung washer is about 8 years old so I suppose it's on the newer side. 1 question I had on it - I can hear the pump working but then there are other times when the pump is off - I can hear water flushing around behind the washer like there's storage of some sort before it gets sent up the hose. What am I hearing?

I pulled and tested the old check valve and noticed it was leaking water back toward the washer side so I had to do a quickie replacement of the whole setup. All I could find locally was a 3/4" check valve and brass pipes so that's what I've replaced the current setup with. Thanks for the insight for the larger pipe requirement - I'll have to get quotes to do it right in the near future.

New setup:

 

[MicEd69]

there are other times when the pump is off - I can hear water flushing around behind the washer like there's storage of some sort before it gets sent up the hose.

Is it just the normal washing machine sound while it is washing the clothes? If it is when the machine is off or in between cycles and the machine is quiet, it could be water draining back into the machine due to the leaking check valve and/or the water from that column of water going up to the existing sewer connection draining back into the machine. Just a guess.

 

[Geofd]

I'm not sure I would keep that check valve ,if it ever rusts closed I think you will have a mess plus the pump is going to strain with your reduced pipe size ,if you have to use an ips PVC check valve with a couple of nipples out of that, and yes there is always water in you machine under the drum if you open up were the pump is you will see a fiberglass tank under the drum

 

[MicEd69]

I'm not sure I would keep that check valve ,if it ever rusts closed I think you will have a mess plus the pump is going to strain with your reduced pipe size ,if you have to use an ips PVC check valve with a couple of nipples out of that, and yes there is always water in you machine under the drum if you open up were the pump is you will see a fiberglass tank under the drum

The good news is that it looks like rh71 has used a bronze check valve. And with the kitchen sink draining into the same small drain line just past that check valve, without it there could be worse issues with the washing machine should the downstream line become plugged. But I agree that a check valve in this service is problematic.

And what I didn't notice before was that rh71 has what appears to be a sanitary or a gray water sump. If it is, and if there is a clear path to it along the wall from the washing machine, a new and proper 2" PVC drain may be pretty easily done, thereby eliminating that check valve, and making an easier true fix.

 

[dmmsr]

Thanks for the advice so far. I snaked the line and while it worked better, the washer still gave me a not-draining error code though it eventually completed, so it's basically a slow-drain issue. As the washer runs into the back-up, I can hear gurgling sounds in the kitchen sink directly upstairs too. That doesn't happen when water is draining just from the kitchen including with the dishwasher.

Any ballpark plumber's estimate to re-do the whole line (pictured below) with PVC? I'm not in a position to spend thousands right now so if I'm looking for a quick-fix while still maintaining easy access to snake the line from here, I'm thinking I'll just replace the section I originally mentioned up to the washing machine check valve and none of the yellow pipes.

A few more pics below - you can see the washer drain line meets up with the kitchen line from above so all the elements potentially clogging it up would be from the kitchen/dishwasher drain.

3 pics:

You do need to have it repiped. But for the mean time you did not clean it enough with the snake or used the wrong size cable. The kitchen sink and dishwasher will not discharge as much as the volume of the washing machine. Plus its closer to the partial clog. You Should use a 3/8" cable. Run the cable through the kitchen sink when you get into the main branch fill the washing machine and discharge it while running the cable more.

After getting it cleared find out how to pipe it yourself or get a few estimates.