1

We just moved into a new rental house, and have had some immediate problems with the washer.

Yesterday, during the 2nd load we'd run, the drain hose detached from the standpipe and unloaded the whole load's worth of water onto the floor. Here is a picture of what it was hooked into (not very pretty): enter image description here

That's a bunch of duct tape attached to a PVC pipe.

I'm wondering how should I proceed in diagnosing and fixing what the problem is here.

Aren't you supposed to leave an air gap in this connection? It seems like the previous fixer tried to make it air-tight. Could that be the problem?

Or could it be blockage in the drain pipe that could cause some buildup of pressure? Or maybe the hose just...fell out? (Seems unlikely with all the duct tape)

Any ideas on how to diagnose what's happening and proceed would be greatly appreciated! It would be awesome to get back to washing our clothes.

Thanks!

Improve this question
2
  • Start with removing the duct tape, the hose should fit into the stand pipe on its own. The tape may keep it from going in far enough. Since I can not see the hose end if the stand pipe has an elbow you need to make the hose go past it.
    – spicetraders
    Commented Dec 5, 2016 at 23:41
  • 1
    Two questions: Where does that pipe go? Is there a trap between the opening and the sewer? - Will the pipe take the discharge from the washer without being sealed up, or will it back up and overflow if you leave an air gap?
    – A. I. Breveleri
    Commented Dec 6, 2016 at 2:19

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
1

It's possible that it just fell out. Repeated heat/cool cycles plus the force of the water exiting the hose could have broken the bond to the duct tape.

The duct tape could be serving two purposes.

  1. To hold the hose into the drain pipe. Judging by the amount of tape this may not be the first time it has happened.
  2. If there is no trap in the drain line, the duct tape could be a DIY attempt to block sewer gas from escaping.
Improve this answer
1

When washing machines start to pump water out, there is usually a "kick" in the pipe. This is probably what dislodged your drain, especially of the whole load of water wound up on the floor.

I'd suggest you strip off all that cruft so that you can actually see what the drain pipe looks like. You want to hook your washer drain in so that it won't kick out.

Really, you can probably do it with some wire (like picture hanging wire, or a wire clothes hanger or garden wire) and either a couple of wall hooks, or, if the drywall is still dry, just bend the wire over the drywall (except picture hanging wire, which you'll have to secure to something like a wood scrap and drop in the hole).

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.