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washing machine drain hose problem

ray hickethier
ray hickethier Member Posts: 26
I just bought a home and it has a plastic box recessed in the wall with the hose connections and a 2" pvc drain going down off of it. How can I connect up to that without making it "permanent" and yet keeping it from over flowing in case of a backup? 

Comments

  • SWEI
    SWEI Member Posts: 7,356
    It's supposed to overflow in case of a backup

    What's the problem?
  • ray hickethier
    ray hickethier Member Posts: 26
    washing machine drain hose problem

    It will ruin a finished basement if unattended and not sealed to the washer.
  • SWEI
    SWEI Member Posts: 7,356
    Fix the backup

    You wouldn't want the sewer contents to end up in your washing machine.
  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 24,560
    If you really

    want to do it right, there should be an air gap between the hose and the drain pipe -- at the very least, the hose should fit loosely in the pipe (you can keep it from wiggling about with a strap or clip of some kind.  That way, when you do have a backup it won't get into the washing machine -- you'll know about it.
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
  • RobG
    RobG Member Posts: 1,850
    Drain Hose

    As Jamie said, just make sure that the hose is secure into the standpipe and you will be fine. In thirty years of plumbing I have yet to see a standpipe overflow. The washers pump dumps the water down so quickly that debris does not get the chance to get caught in the pipe. I have seen the washer hose blow out of the standpipe and flood a house. Just make sue the hose is securely in the pipe.

    Rob
  • Zman
    Zman Member Posts: 7,611
    Solution in search of a problem

    The supply hoses present a much greater risk. The stainless braided ones are a good idea.

    Even if (very unlikely) the waste line were to plug, it would only dump the contents of one load. A burst supply hose will flood the entire basement.

    Even if you were to successfully seal the drain line, The waste water would just find another path. You would likely see it squirting out a sink or shower drain elsewhere in the house.

    Good supply lines and a securely attached drain hose and you should be all set.

    Carl
    "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough"
    Albert Einstein
  • ray hickethier
    ray hickethier Member Posts: 26
    washing machine drain hose problem

    Thank you to all that responded. Your info is very helpful!
  • bob young
    bob young Member Posts: 2,177
    fernco clamp

    Fernco HG-1 Washing Machine Hose Grip Connector  Click for larger image and other views 

     

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  • Bob Harper
    Bob Harper Member Posts: 1,083
    best practices

    I recommend a single lever control on the hot and cold inlet water to braided stainless steel FloodSafe hoses to Sioux or Oatey water hammer arrestors at the water inlet valve. The washer should sit in a pan that contains a simple battery powered wet alarm wired up somewhere central in the occupied space where it will be heard. The drain should discharge across an air gap into an approved receptacle such as a standpipe with trap and vent or a utility sink. I would install ball valves upstream of the single lever control so its easy to replace the valve body. 
  • Jean-David Beyer
    Jean-David Beyer Member Posts: 2,666
    Who! Boy!

    The only things that were done right for me were to have one of those single handle turnoffs for the hot and cold supply to my washing machine, and steel braided hoses instead of the rubber ones that came with the washer. No pan, no water hammer arrestors.



    My washing machine is a front loader, and on top of it is my dryer. The kitchen cabinets completely surround them. If I even I wanted to turn that valve off,  I would have to unscrew some trim, remove the clothes dryer, and then pull out the washing machine. The only accessible valves are the one at the output of my water heater (for the hot) and the main valve for the house (for the cold). I hope those hoses last as long as I do.
  • Condoman
    Condoman Member Posts: 93
    Watts

    Our laundry is on the first floor in a new addition put on the 1959 home.  I used a Watts Intelliflow shutoff retrofitting the single control shutoff to use this surface mount unit.  They are not cheap, but when you consider the cost of an overflow it is a deal.  And you get a water sensor to boot.



    The Intelliflow senses when the washer is on and only then will the water flow.  Combine this with metal jacketed hoses and you have great protection.
This discussion has been closed.