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I have two washing machines and they are placed one next to each other (this is the only way I can position them due to the space).

The first one is connected to the drain pipe under the sink normally with it's default hose and it's length (which I think is 1.5 meters or 5 feet), but the other one is placed a bit further so I needed an extension besides the default integrated hose (which like I mentioned is I think 1.5 meters), the smallest drain hose I found was yet another 1.5 meter one, so when connected it totals a bit more than 3 meters long hose (including the connecting adapter) and I was wondering how bad can this be for the washing machine, or more specifically for its pump or microorganism growth inside.

Is there anything I need to take care for or any other tips besides just finding a less lengthy hose? For a shorter hose, I think it can be found in a 1 meter variant (3.3 feet), but for that I will need to order that and maybe wait for a month to come.

Edit:

Forgot to mention that due to the length, the hose curves and this is how it all looks:

enter image description here

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3 Answers 3

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Length doesn't matter, going uphill matters

Waste water from anything in your house - sinks, washing machines, dishwashers - doesn't just go 5 or 10 feet. It goes hundreds, typically thousands of feet before it gets to any treatment facility. (OK, if you have a septic tank then the distance is much shorter, but even then, typically a lot more than 10 feet). The main thing is to remember what an HVAC guy once told me (he didn't think highly of "regular" plumbers):

Plumbers just have to know three things:

  • Hot on the left
  • Cold on the right
  • !@$%& runs downhill

If your washing machine had to pump uphill - e.g., if it was in the basement and the only available drain was on the floor above the basement - then the distance would matter as the pump would need enough power to pump up to the drain. In normal installation, the hose only goes up a couple of feet - e.g., to the top of the washing machine - and it is, quite literally, all downhill from there.

I also doubt that, under typical circumstances, a drain hose would be a breeding ground for microorganisms. The exception would be if there is any standing water, which would likely be the case only if there is a loop or flat area of the hose because it is way too long.

If a hose is too long in a practical way - e.g., ends up looped in some fashion, then cut it. If the hose is rubber that should be easy. If it is some other material it still should be possible to cut it and clamp the end in place.

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  • Thank you for your response, of course this makes total sense, like I mentioned in the other comment, I use amazon.de/gp/product/B00CVV04IE and it is right on above knee level from a 6 feet person, however I go about 15 cm higher than that to make a slope by curving the nozzles of the drain pipe and the drain hose going upper. Something that I completely forgot mentioning, is that there is no entanglement, but there is this curvature that forms cause the length is a bit excessive and it looks like this: imgur.com/hFHJCop
    – appwizcpl
    Commented Jun 21, 2019 at 22:21
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    So will this curvature be a breeding ground? Logically I think not, but I might be wrong somewhere. Of course if I were to have a shorter cable, I could just skip the whole curvature.
    – appwizcpl
    Commented Jun 22, 2019 at 10:56
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I have had to cope with similar issues.

The solution that worked for us was to install the p-trap or anti-smell traps (2" diameter) designed for washing machines, 2 of them onto a 2" drain pipe with a suitable slope.

Then both machines had their own waste pipes into one of the p-traps and even if both emptied at the same time there was never an issue of overflow.

link to an image just to show the type of trap I describe

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  • I actually use this for both, it has like a plastic split too inside the pipe: amazon.de/gp/product/B00CVV04IE The height is not much, like right above knee level on a 6 feet person, but I actually try to make a slope which is a bit higher, I will link it in the above comment.
    – appwizcpl
    Commented Jun 21, 2019 at 22:01
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A frequent installation pattern is to have a washing machine discharge into a stationary tub. Discharge hoses came with a hook moulded into the end. Sink rim was typically 3 feet off the floor.

Stagnant dirty water will foster some bacterial growth. If you are using the washing machine on anything like a regular basis (> 1/week) it shouldn't be any worse than the P-trap underneath any sink. If the washing machine is doing it's job, then the last shot of water through there should be pretty clean rinse water. Not much food for the bacteria.

* Do check your splice between the two hoses. If that comes undone, you will get an entire wash cycle of water on the floor.*

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