I have a problem with my new washer backing up and wasting water on the floor.
A little info about the setup. I moved into this home about 2 years ago and at the time i had a front load washer and had no problems(I assume because it uses less water), that washer stopped working so i bought a new top load washer. now when i wash clothes the water, while draining, backs up and spills over onto the floor. you can hear the pipe fill up with water and then it will overflow then gurgle and then drain some more then repeat the process.
so far i used a snake and snaked the whole line all the way to the septic tank. I removed the two clean out caps that are outside the kitchen window in the ground between the house and septic tank and seen that when i put the snake down the washer drain it came through the 2" clean out so i am assuming the 2" pipe drains into the 4" pipe at some point between the clean outs and the septic tank.
You have a 2" which is good but it sounds like it's still not taking water fast enough. How long a time from when the washer starts pumping out water until it backs up? How long will give you an idea where the obstruction lies. If it happens quickly then the problem is close. The longer it takes the water to backup the further away the restriction is located.
I doubt you have a clog.
Typically a front end washer uses less water (due to smaller load size) than a top loader. A top loader tends to be bigger and can take more wash and therefore more water. Your discharge pipe and drain just aren't big enough to handle the water discharge. I'm only guessing here but I think top loaders may have a more powerful pump.
My son has the same problem and we are in the process of adding a stationary sink to make for a "reservoir" of sorts. I never did like those discharge pipes for a washing machine. In the event of a clog the drain should be able to handle the capacity of the washer. Hence the stationary tub.
Could definitely be a vent issue. If there's no vent nearby, the water could be struggling to drain (like turning a soda bottle over).
My first guess would be a clog, but it sounds like you've snaked the 2" pipe well enough, so I'd consider locating the vent or adding a new one if needed.
You showed the 4" clean-out. Where is the main stack in relation to the washer?
I doubt you have vent problem. You didn't before the new washer, and no other sinks or appliances are slow draining.
Again I think the volume is greater than the drain can handle.
Vent lines can clog but I have never seen it happen. In a case like this it's usually a partial clog or something wrong with the way the piping was run like not enough fall in the line or a second trap.
I have fixed the problem. I decided to snake the drain again but used a bigger attachment(last time I think it was 1” and this time 1.5”)this time and I guess it was just partially blocked and the smaller attachment did not free it up up cause now it drains without backing up.
I'm glad you got it. Sometimes you just have to stick with it when cleaning drains. Usually I go at least 4 or 6 passes but grease and other clogs can sometimes take a lot more.
I am repiping my house from boly b to pex. I am on my last fixture on the second floor. It is a bathtub with no shower. The diverter valve has pol b connections that appear to be soldered onto the threads. I was hoping to re-use the diverter. Any way to remove the poly b connections and replace with pex connections? Photo attached.
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So, my sump pump check valve just got stuck in the closed position. It's brand new, just installed today. It worked just fine, until about 5 hours after the installation. Btw, the pump goes off about every 45 minutes, so it's gone off successfully a few times during that time. When I noticed it was stuck, I turned the pump off and on again a couple of times and it suddenly became unstuck and worked. I'm writing this about an hour after this situation and it went off 1x successfully since then. Fingers crossed it continues to go off successfully.
What could cause it to become stuck?
Here is some info that seems important based on what I've found online :
- The check valve is installed just above the floor
- There is about 4-5 feet of piping above the check valve
- There is a weep hole drilled about 2-3 inches above the connection to the pump, about 45 degrees, angled down.
- I'm using a quiet check valve purchased from Lowes. It's clear so I can see through it and actually see the valve opening and closing (or in this case, staying closed).
From what I've been able to find, everyone that has this problem doesn't have a weep hole. But I have one. Could it have gotten clogged within just a few hours after install? If that's what happened, how do I prevent it from getting clogged?
What other issues could have caused it?
Any help would be much appreciated! Thank you!!!
04-04-21, 10:57 PM
