laundry room nightmare!

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in2deep

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hi. im desparately in need of suggestions. my washing machine drain overflows onto my basement floor. i have snaked the lines and they seem clear. the 4 problems i see are this: 1) the pipes are only 1 1/2". 2) they drain into the main which is about 4 feet off the ground. 3) the washer is elevated on a plywood platform. its about a foot high. 4)the main drain line is about 5" away on an adjacent wall. so the current pipe is horizontal for a good 4-5'. was planning on replacing the pipes with 2" pipes and removing the platform and just leaving the washer on the floor. will that be too much height for the drain to flow properly? also will the 2" make that much of a difference in being able to handle the outflow of wastewater? do i need to do something about that long flat run of pipe? should i raise the standpipe? i'm sorry if this is not clear, butexplaining this is a lotter harder then i thought. a pic would probably be much easier. any help would be appreciated. thanks!
 

Jadnashua

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A picture would help. You'd need to check your owner's manual to see how high it can pump. Your standpipe needs some height to it as well. 2" would probably help. It does not sound like there is any vent in there either. Is there a trap?
 

Bob NH

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If you have room for a sink in the laundry room, put in a laundry sink and dump the washing machine into the sink. I did that with mine and it works fine. The 1 1/2" drain was installed 45 years ago and the new machines dump water at a higher rate.
 

in2deep

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ithanks for the replies. i was trying to post a pic or 2 to better explain my situation, however apparently the file size is too big. im not sure how to resize them. maybe some help on that too? as far as your replies: there is a trap, and i believe(im a novice, im sorry) there is a vent. i thought about putting in a laundry tub since there is room, but wouldnt i need to have a pump to get it up to the drain? any info on these questions would be great. thanks in advance.
 

Gary Swart

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Yes, you would need a pump to raise the water from a tub to the drain. As I see it, your washer not only has to pump the water up 4 feet to the drain, you need a stand pipe with a trap above that. This means you will have to be able to pump the water up at least 7 feet. I don't know what the limits are on washer pumps, it may vary from brand to brand. If your owner's manual doesn't have the information, try contacting the manufacturer's customer service. A platform under the washer might gain you a foot or so if necessary.
 

in2deep

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ok. i figured out how to resize a pic and post them.(i think at least) hopefully this makes what i was trying to say that much clearer. please remember that the horizontal drain pipe is about 4' off the ground and the washer is on a platform that is slightly more then a foot tall.again, thank you in advance.
 

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Redwood

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I can see why it doesn't work!

Next question is where does that Cast Iron pipe drain to!
 

Redwood

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How far away is the "Main Drain" from that 2" Cast Iron?
Around here many times lines like that go to a dry well.
 

in2deep

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the main line is less than 12' away. that cast iron pipe heads directly under a bathroom that also drains into it as far as i can tell. then that line carries into the main line heading out to the sewar system.
 

Redwood

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What would it take to extend a 3" pipe off the main over to that laundry area... That line has what going into it a tub, a lav sink, a kitchen sink and a washer? All that on 1 - 1 1/2" line sagged with 2 improper fernco couplings spells flooding to me!
 

in2deep

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running a 3" line to the main would be almost impossible. that pipe runs under the garage and bathroom. i'm hoping that if i replace all those pipes with 2" right up to the cast iron pipe going into the wall that i will see less of a problem. the laundry discharge doesn't overflow every time i do a load, so do you think that the upgrade in pipe size will work? the washer is kinda old and came with the house when i bought it about 2 years ago. so once i get this pipe situation hammered out i plan on replacing it with a newer model(hopefully one that uses less water so there will be less discharge).one more thing that i forgot to mention.in the first pic, there are 2 pipes that head up into the floor above it. that is into the kitchen. the pipe to the right is the drain to the sink. the pipe to the left is i believe a vent pipe. you cant really tell from the pic, but the vent pipe isnt connected to the pipe coming down from the kitchen. they just sort of meet there with no connector between them. i assume this should be a pipe that is connected, right? could a improperly connected vent pipe be part of my issue? and if so, if i properly connected the vent, upgraded to 2" pipe(where i can), and upgraded to a more efficient washer; do you think i can have a dry basement floor? thanks.
 

Jadnashua

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The newer ones tend to have a higher velocity output than the older ones. Also, you might try decreasing the amount of detergent you use, or switch to a low-sudsing type.
 

MACPLUMB

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Basement Washer Drain

#1 Their Is Nothing Wrong With Your 11/2" Drain Because It Is Copper,
#2 The Problem Is #1 With That Added In Clean Out Tee With The Bad Fernco's You Should Be Using No Hub Bands With The Solid Metal Shield, #2 You Don't Say What Kind Or Size Snake You Used
I Would Recommend A 1/2" Cable With A Electric Motor
In Other Words It May Be Time To Call In A Professional Plumber To Correct Instead Of Wasting Your Time And Money On Something
That Won't Work ! !
If You Have Overflow With A Older Washer Now It Will Only Get Worse With A New Washer,
You Do Not Ever Add Different Sizes Of Drain Pipes You Start With One Small Size And Keep Going Up In Size Not Up And Down That Just Leads To More Problems :d
 

in2deep

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i did use a 1/2 snake. like i said it appears to be a water volume issue not a clog or slowed drain issue. a new washer would have more water volume i guess, unless i got one of those hi-efficiency washers.as far as going up and down and pipe size, would i be? the only jump in size would be from the sink above the washer to a 2". then if i replaced all the 1 1/2 with 2", i would have all 2" going into the 2" cast iron pipe. i had a professional plumber take a look at it and his answer was to change all the pipe u see in the pics to 2".same as what i'm saying. thats it. and the cost was astronomical. thats why i'm here. looking for help and options. thanks
 

Redwood

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#1 Their Is Nothing Wrong With Your 11/2" Drain Because It Is Copper

Here my friend it is 2" minimum for a washing machine standpipe!
Also under many codes across these states it must run into a larger line without picking up the whole rest of the house first.

I don't know what code your looking at Jerry but I suspect it may agree somewhat with what I stated without exceptions made because it is copper.
 

in2deep

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i may be more confused now then before! l. at this point it looks like its coming down to 2 options. 1) i change out all the 1 1/2 for 2" pipe and keep the foot-high platform that the washer is on. 2) i leave the pipes alone and lose the platform and install a laundry tub with a pump. i'm leaning towards changing the pipes. maybe a tribal council type vote is needed. lol! i have a few days off next week and plan on tackling this then. any opinions on which option(or a 3rd option if viable) would be greatly appreciated. i thank everyone for their time on this. normally i'd have a pro take on a job of this magnitude, however i recently had my first child and all my cash is going towards leaky diapers not leaky pipes! :) thanks!
 
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