How to fix washing machine drainage connection?

[leon42]

Hi all,

I've recently moved into a new house and have ran into some issues with setting up my washing machine. When I first setup the washing machine, water wasn't draining properly due to the outlet drainage connection being setup incorrectly. 

Originally, I thought that water wasn't draining properly because of the elevation and required pressure to discharge the dirty water into the pipe network however I believe it's related to the discharge rate of the washing machine and bottle-necking that is occurring at the spigot connection. See Figure 1 for the current configuration.

Figure 1: Full washing machine and drainage configuration

For example in Figure 3, the outflow drainage pipe has an inner diameter of 2 cm and connects to a spigot with an inner diameter of 1 cm underneath the sink. If we assume that the washing machine discharges for a specific amount of time per cycle, then the spigot is throttling the flow rate and causing water to build up in the machine.

I have tested that the pressure isn't an issue through having the pipe drain to a bucket at the same elevation as the top spigot.

Figure 2: Current Drainage Setup

Figure 3: Pipe configuration and sizing

If the spigot is the issue, what do you recommend doing? Getting another pipe connection with a bigger spigot diameter? Find a connection that will feed the drainage pipe into two of the spigots instead of just one in order to maintain the outlet flow rate? 

Thanks in advance.

[MitchellMc · Accepted solution]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @leon42. It's brilliant to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about connecting a washing machine.

That's a normal setup as far as barb size goes. I've never seen an issue with the barb being too small, so I'm surprised the problem is due to the spigot. I would have thought that the washer would just take longer to drain. Obviously, there are considerations about the motor being burnt out if it is overworking itself.

Working from the simplest solution, can I get you to check that the spigot has been drilled out? If no washer has been hooked up to it before, it would not have been drilled out by someone. Check both spigots in case the lower one has been, and you are hooking up to a blocked spigot. If it has been drilled out, check that it is to the full 10mm diameter. If it were only partially drilled out, that could explain slow-draining times.

If it has been drilled out fully, we'll need to troubleshoot further.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell
 

[AlanM52]

Hi @leon42,

Does the laundry sink drain properly, fill with some water and pull the plug.

If any doubt check the trap - and spigots.

Check both spigots with something like a screwdriver or at night place a torch on the sink drain and check both of them for light.

Cheers