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A Samsung washing machine will empty into a utility sink that is outfitted with a drain pump. The purpose of the drain pump is to elevate the waste water into an existing drain pipe in the ceiling. Said drain pipe is 20 feet from the washing machine. There is no drain in the room.

The Goal: prevent discharge water from flooding the room in the event of a pump failure.

The drain pump will be attached to a utility sink. I would like to size the utility sink so that if the drain pump fails and the washing machine discharges water, that the utility sink will not overflow. The leading sink candidate is a 36 gallon utility sink.

If the machine water usage is significantly larger than any tub, then a feedback (electric float) may be an option to shutdown washing machine should the pump fail.

If your experience indicates I am not asking the right question and you have a suggestion, please indicate and I can pose a new question. Thank you

In the absence of a technical specification, is there a rule of thumb to estimate the amount of water discharged in a wash cycle?

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  • Can you reword your question, seems confusing to me. Most washers come with a drain pump, if the pump fails the washer does not drain out. If you meant to have the washer drain into a sink/tub and second drain pump empties the sink, it would make more sense. A washer usually has a few fill/empty cycles so would need to know total water usage, so you drink your coffee in peace.
    – crip659
    Aug 7, 2022 at 11:45
  • @crip659 Thanks for the feedback. A washing machine is to be installed in a room that does not have a drain. The nearest drain connection is in the ceiling 20 feet away. Washing machine will drain into sink, which is outfitted with Laundry Tub pump.
    – gatorback
    Aug 7, 2022 at 11:52
  • As @crip659 suggests, most washers can pump their water up to at least ceiling height. However, close as I can tell, this washer's specs only allow 96 inches, relative to the floor.
    – Hot Licks
    Aug 7, 2022 at 12:24
  • A washing machine can only output the amount of water it consumes…
    – Solar Mike
    Aug 7, 2022 at 14:01
  • @HotLicks: very interesting! If it is truly the case that the was he can pump 96 inches, then the sink and the adjunct pump may NOT be necessary. Please provide the page number and the link to the washer spec that indicates 96 inches?
    – gatorback
    Aug 7, 2022 at 14:07

1 Answer 1

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The "Samsung - WF45T60**A*" washing machine is an "ENERGY STAR Certified Residential Clothes Washer" so it has an information page on the Energy Star website.

That states that the typical annual water consumption, based on 295 washes per year (see the pop-up on that page for the test information), is 3807 gallons.

So it will discharge about 13 gallons of water per wash.

You could allow twice that for a wash with the settings on maximum water usage (a full load, 5 rinses, and possibly set to "Heavy Soil"). Some space may be needed for the suds.

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  • Nice find! The volume indicated is 4.5 cubic feet. A 36 gallon utility sink is 8 times the indicate volume. This leads me to believe that a 36 gallon uiltity sink will provide enough capacity to avoid flooding if the pump fails. Did you arrive at the same conclusion? Thank you
    – gatorback
    Aug 7, 2022 at 14:05
  • @gatorback It does indeed look like a 36 gallon sink will suffice. I assume that the floor is waterproof, as there is always the chance of a leak somewhere.
    – Andrew Morton
    Aug 7, 2022 at 14:10
  • @gatorback Hold on a second - 36 gallons is 8 times 4.5 gallons not cubic feet. And 36 gallons is 4.8125 cubic feet. But bottom line, a 36 gallon sink should be more than enough to hold the discharge from a single wash.
    – MTA
    Aug 7, 2022 at 17:52
  • @gatorback Although it does not affect my answer, as MTA indicates, in their comment, 13 gallons doesn't appear to be 4.5 cubic feet. What conversion ratio were you using, and does this affect the volume you are expecting for the sink?
    – Andrew Morton
    Aug 7, 2022 at 18:05

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