Washer to existing sink hookups?
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Washer to existing sink hookups?
In my bathroom, there is a small sink with existing hot and cold hookups below. I want to put a washing machine in my bathroom, but the hookups are already connected to the sink. The sink is very old, and the cold hookup is connected with copper pipe, while the hot is connected with a newer flexible metal water line.
I went to Home Depot, and they told me there that I could either replace the old valves with dual valves, or I could buy a splitter to attach to the existing valve.
Can anyone recommend a course of action? Also, is this something I could attempt myself, or do I need a plumber to do it?
Furthermore, due to the layout of the room, the washer would have to be placed at a distance from the sink, probably 6 foot water supply hoses or longer would be necessary. Should I expect that to be a problem?
Lastly, is there a reasonable way for the discard water to be channeled directly to the sink's piping, as opposed to having it pour into the sink or tub?
Thanks a lot for sharing your expertise!
Tova
I went to Home Depot, and they told me there that I could either replace the old valves with dual valves, or I could buy a splitter to attach to the existing valve.
Can anyone recommend a course of action? Also, is this something I could attempt myself, or do I need a plumber to do it?
Furthermore, due to the layout of the room, the washer would have to be placed at a distance from the sink, probably 6 foot water supply hoses or longer would be necessary. Should I expect that to be a problem?
Lastly, is there a reasonable way for the discard water to be channeled directly to the sink's piping, as opposed to having it pour into the sink or tub?
Thanks a lot for sharing your expertise!
Tova
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If this is an old house with old galvanized steel plumbing then you might be getting yourself into a lot of hot water (literally) by trying to replace the existing shut-off valves. In the process of removing the old valves you could seriously damage the nipples between the valves and the piping in the wall and that could make for some trying times in repairing the damage.
On the other hand if the in-wall plumbing is copper and the shut-off valves are connected to the pipes coming through the wall by compression fittings then changing the valves would probably be quite simple.
The drain (from the washing machine) is another matter. Most washing machines built (at least in the US) during the last ten years or so require a two-inch drain all the way to the main house drain. Most bathroom sinks have a 1-1/4 inch trap that empties into a 1-1/2 inch drain. Add to that most bathroom sinks have a capacityof three gallons or less and it becomes clear that the bathroom sink probably won't be able to handle the drain water from a washing machine. The other recourse is to use the bathtub but even that may be a challenge. The drain hose from the washing machine needs to have the "hook" or bend, at about the same height as the top of the machine. If you simply lay the drain hose in the bathtub the washing machine will quite likely never properly fill with water. You will need to somehow fasten the hose at the proper height.
The supply water hoses are not as big a problem. You should be able to get longer hoses easily at the hardware or big box store. The worst case scenerio would be that you would need to purchase a set of short hoses and then couple them together. Such couplers are readily available.
Whether or not you can do all of this yourself depends on your level of expertise, the tools you have and your sense of adventure.
On the other hand if the in-wall plumbing is copper and the shut-off valves are connected to the pipes coming through the wall by compression fittings then changing the valves would probably be quite simple.
The drain (from the washing machine) is another matter. Most washing machines built (at least in the US) during the last ten years or so require a two-inch drain all the way to the main house drain. Most bathroom sinks have a 1-1/4 inch trap that empties into a 1-1/2 inch drain. Add to that most bathroom sinks have a capacityof three gallons or less and it becomes clear that the bathroom sink probably won't be able to handle the drain water from a washing machine. The other recourse is to use the bathtub but even that may be a challenge. The drain hose from the washing machine needs to have the "hook" or bend, at about the same height as the top of the machine. If you simply lay the drain hose in the bathtub the washing machine will quite likely never properly fill with water. You will need to somehow fasten the hose at the proper height.
The supply water hoses are not as big a problem. You should be able to get longer hoses easily at the hardware or big box store. The worst case scenerio would be that you would need to purchase a set of short hoses and then couple them together. Such couplers are readily available.
Whether or not you can do all of this yourself depends on your level of expertise, the tools you have and your sense of adventure.