Washing Machine Drainage Issue

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Twowaxhack said:
but you seem to think it’s useless
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I never said that or implied that.

And I suppose there could be a 2" trap with a 1 1/2" standpipe, but that would be pretty weird don't you think? I suppose a plumber could have run out of 2" pipe, but did have a 2" x 1 1/2" bushing and 1 1/2" pipe for that installation. 🤣 I hope you wouldn't do that!

And as I said, clarified for your better understanding, "This all hinges on the size of the standpipe, P-trap, and drain line. If it is 2", then a good cleaning of the drain will probably make it golden. If it is 1 1/2", then all that does is bring them back to the "occasional back up" during certain cycles."
 
MicEd69 said:
I never said that or implied that.

And I suppose there could be a 2" trap with a 1 1/2" standpipe, but that would be pretty weird don't you think? I suppose a plumber could have run out of 2" pipe, but did have a 2" x 1 1/2" bushing and 1 1/2" pipe for that installation. 🤣 I hope you wouldn't do that!

And as I said, clarified for your better understanding, "This all hinges on the size of the standpipe, P-trap, and drain line. If it is 2", then a good cleaning of the drain will probably make it golden. If it is 1 1/2", then all that does is bring them back to the "occasional back up" during certain cycles."
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You said it would be a waste of money to professionally clean the drain. What experience do you have to make such a statement ?

No it wouldn’t be weird to find a 1.5” standpipe with a 2” ptrap. Often drains were roughed in with cast iron drains and traps but the washing machine box had a brass tailpiece that would slip into 1.5” copper and be soldered in. I’ve replaced 100’s of them as the metal box rusts away.

Plumbing was done many ways depending on when the building was constructed, who did the plumbing and the area of the country in which the home was built.


When a drain backs up the common sense thing to do is have the drain professionally cleaned before you start adding sinks to catch the backup or doing other silly things that kick the can down the road as the problem gets worse, not better.

There are countless washing machines with high speed pumps that are working fine on 1.5” copper drains. They’re scattered all over south Alabama and the drains were installed in the 50’s and 60’s. New owners with new machines are using these drains and they work if they’re clean.
 
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If I planned to sell the house in a few years like has been mentioned, I’d rather try to clean the drain and have it operable rather than disclosing the defect. That’s good business anyway you look at it.

What are you going to do ? Add a sink as a catch basin for the overflow until that stops working ? Then what ?

Maybe try cleaning the drain ? 🤣 Is the objective here to not hire a pro regardless ? Funny to me to hear all this advice excluding hiring a drain pro to just clean the drain.

It would be like having a tooth ache and giving all kinds of advice except for going to see a dentist…..🤣🤣
 
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Twowaxhack said:
You said it would be a waste of money to professionally clean the drain. What experience do you have to make such a statement ?

No it wouldn’t be weird to find a 1.5” standpipe with a 2” ptrap. Often drains were roughed in with cast iron drains and traps but the washing machine box had a brass tailpiece that would slip into 1.5” copper and be soldered in. I’ve replaced 100’s of them as the metal box rusts away.

Plumbing was done many ways depending on when the building was constructed, who did the plumbing and the area of the country in which the home was built.


When a drain backs up the common sense thing to do is have the drain professionally cleaned before you start adding sinks to catch the backup or doing other silly things that kick the can down the road as the problem gets worse, not better.

There are countless washing machines with high speed pumps that are working fine on 1.5” copper drains. They’re scattered all over south Alabama and the drains were installed in the 50’s and 60’s. New owners with new machines are using these drains and they work if they’re clean.
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As I said, clarified for your better understanding, "This all hinges on the size of the standpipe, P-trap, and drain line. If it is 2", then a good cleaning of the drain will probably make it golden. If it is 1 1/2", then all that does is bring them back to the "occasional back up" during certain cycles."
 
MicEd69 said:
As I said, clarified for your better understanding, "This all hinges on the size of the standpipe, P-trap, and drain line. If it is 2", then a good cleaning of the drain will probably make it golden. If it is 1 1/2", then all that does is bring them back to the "occasional back up" during certain cycles."
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Clarified for your understanding……the standpipe size doesn’t matter and the drain needs to be cleaned by a professional.

And it’s likely that even if the entire drain is 1.5” that a good cleaning will restore its function as it HAS worked in the past, even if it backed up sometimes.

I’d bet that it’s NEVER had a proper drain cable ran through it’s length.

Again, adding a holding pond aka laundry sink is not the proper approach……ever.

How many drains have you cleaned professionally ? How many laundry drains have you installed or repaired ? I’m just curious why you think you know so much……because it obvious that you don’t.
 
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Well, the standpipe appears to be 2" .. though all the pipes behind the wall are original circa 1960. Also the standpipe comes out at an angle from the wall and is only exposed far enough to get the feed from the laundry down.

If what you are both saying is true and I could in fact get it working again with a good cleaning, it would certainly be worth it to avoid having to install a sink,

I didn't think corrosion could be cleared from existing pipes like that .. only organic debris like hair or lint. It would be great if I could get it done in the way you suggest. I assume they would have to go through the cleanout because the first guy to attempt cleaning couldn't get past the trap.
 
SoapySoutar said:
the first guy to attempt cleaning couldn't get past the trap.
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And that tells me it’s highly likely that’s where the restriction is.

A 2” trap is easy to navigate with a drain cable unless it’s closed up with rust…….
 
MicEd69 said:
If it is 2", then a good cleaning of the drain will probably make it golden. :D
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When a person is experiencing washing machine drain trouble, the first recommendation shouldn’t be installing a laundry sink to act as a holding pond. But that’s exactly what you recommended in post #12.
Put that in your pocket and reference as needed.
 
Twowaxhack said:
When a person is experiencing washing machine drain trouble, the first recommendation shouldn’t be installing a laundry sink to act as a holding pond. But that’s exactly what you recommended in post #12.
Put that in your pocket and reference as needed.
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From my post #12 - "And as others have stated, I'm betting on a buildup of debris in the trap and pipe that is limiting flow through your drain."

My response in post #12 of, "If your standpipe is 1 1/2", and as you "would occasionally back up when using different cycles", your best solution would be to install a laundry tub sink.", was in response the OP's comments in #9 and #11. They said that they had a "professional evaluation" done and they were thinking a laundry tub would be their "next best short-term idea". My comment was meant to suggest an easier way to install the laundry tub rather than using a floor cleanout. A laundry sink is actually a great selling point for a home and is an easy way to "filter" the wash water before it goes into the drain line.

But Twowaxhack, you are totally correct. The "professional" who evaluated the situation may not have truly "evaluated" the situation properly. And professionally cleaning the line, by someone other than the professional who was there before I would suggest, may very well resolve the issue. And it may even eliminate the problem of the occasional overflow during some of the machine cycles that have occurred from day one.

I do wonder if the OP knows that piping size is measured by the internal diameter rather than the outside diameter.
 
MicEd69 said:
From my post #12 - "And as others have stated, I'm betting on a buildup of debris in the trap and pipe that is limiting flow through your drain."

My response in post #12 of, "If your standpipe is 1 1/2", and as you "would occasionally back up when using different cycles", your best solution would be to install a laundry tub sink.", was in response the OP's comments in #9 and #11. They said that they had a "professional evaluation" done and they were thinking a laundry tub would be their "next best short-term idea". My comment was meant to suggest an easier way to install the laundry tub rather than using a floor cleanout. A laundry sink is actually a great selling point for a home and is an easy way to "filter" the wash water before it goes into the drain line.

But Twowaxhack, you are totally correct. The "professional" who evaluated the situation may not have truly "evaluated" the situation properly. And professionally cleaning the line, by someone other than the professional who was there before I would suggest, may very well resolve the issue. And it may even eliminate the problem of the occasional overflow during some of the machine cycles that have occurred from day one.

I do wonder if the OP knows that piping size is measured by the internal diameter rather than the outside diameter.
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The correct recommendation is to have a professional clean the drain.

Not to install a sink as a holding pond.

I do not need to write a short novel to explain that. It’s common sense actually, it’s a shame common sense isn’t common anymore.

It doesn’t matter if the line is 1.5” or 2”…….clean the drain. I see now why I’m so successful in my business…….people don’t have a clue.
 
Twowaxhack said:
The correct recommendation is to have a professional clean the drain.

Not to install a sink as a holding pond.

I do not need to write a short novel to explain that. It’s common sense actually, it’s a shame common sense isn’t common anymore.

It doesn’t matter if the line is 1.5” or 2”…….clean the drain. I see now why I’m so successful in my business…….people don’t have a clue.
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You are the man Twowaxhack!
 
MicEd69 said:
From my post #12 - "And as others have stated, I'm betting on a buildup of debris in the trap and pipe that is limiting flow through your drain."

My response in post #12 of, "If your standpipe is 1 1/2", and as you "would occasionally back up when using different cycles", your best solution would be to install a laundry tub sink.", was in response the OP's comments in #9 and #11. They said that they had a "professional evaluation" done and they were thinking a laundry tub would be their "next best short-term idea". My comment was meant to suggest an easier way to install the laundry tub rather than using a floor cleanout. A laundry sink is actually a great selling point for a home and is an easy way to "filter" the wash water before it goes into the drain line.

But Twowaxhack, you are totally correct. The "professional" who evaluated the situation may not have truly "evaluated" the situation properly. And professionally cleaning the line, by someone other than the professional who was there before I would suggest, may very well resolve the issue. And it may even eliminate the problem of the occasional overflow during some of the machine cycles that have occurred from day one.

I do wonder if the OP knows that piping size is measured by the internal diameter rather than the outside diameter.
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Yes, the pipe as exposed at wall is 2" diameter measured by interior. No idea on trap or anything else. Not even sure that this qualifies as a 'standpipe" but it is where the feed for the machine goes and it has been working mostly OK up until this point.
 

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Great!

Then as Twowaxhack said, and as I said as well, if the standpipe, as well as the P-trap and drain line, is 2", a good cleaning of the drain will probably make it golden.
 
MicEd69 said:
Great!

Then as Twowaxhack said, and as I said as well, if the standpipe, as well as the P-trap and drain line, is 2", a good cleaning of the drain will probably make it golden.
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Well, the pipe at the wall is clearly 2" in diameter but I have no idea if the interior pipes are the same width (would I be able to tell by the original cleanout on the floor? I don't think that's quite as wide where it comes out.) But I believe Twowaxhack said that it would work regardless. The pipes inside the wall are original circa 1960.

The one person I had over to attempt a cleaning could not get past the trap so I suspect it is narrower (if that's possible coming from a 2" standpipe) so I will likely need someone who knows how to get past that or to have someone open the wall and put in a new trap if that's where the blockage is. Starting to wish Twowaxhack worked in California.
 
It would be VERY rare, and against code, for the standpipe to be larger than the P-trap. What Twowaxhack was saying is that the P-trap could be 2" while the standpipe could only be 1 1/2", hence his complaint in my initial response talking about just the size of the standpipe.

The cleanout is after the trap, so the size of the line there will at least tell you what the drain line size is at that point. And any drain cleaning person worth his salt will be able to get past a P-trap unless it is collapsed or plugged with something that can't be removed without damaging the trap, or otherwise broken and in need of replacement.
 
Any chance the trap is in a crawlspace under the house rather than in the wall?
 
Brief update on this thread: After contacting a pro drain cleaner and waiting for response I decided to try and auger the drain myself at the trap (I'd already passed a snake through the cleanout but it did nothing.) The other guy who came by said that he couldn't get the line past the trap.

I only have a 50 foot 1/4" auger .. never felt like I "passed" anything but it kept taking the line slowly, about 12 or 15 feet. Brought up some debris but I suspect most of the blockage is rust and the like. Anyway, when I tried the drain again with the garden hose it seemed to drain better and when I ran a load of wash it did not overflow for the first time in weeks.

I suspect it still needs a more thorough cleaning and that the problem will come back . but at least I know that the issue is at or near the trap (and thanks to the advice here I did not go forward with getting a sink in the room.)
 
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