washing machine plumbing

teulk · 19 Apr 2007 at 15:13

Is there anything wrong with this - ive had two washing machine engineers say it is wrong - but they have only seen the waste pipe going into the end of the pipe and not the pipes under the sink

where the arrow is the pipe goes through the side of the cupboard and ive simply pushed the waste pipe from the washing michine into the end of it - Ok so what is wrong with it then (apart from the state of the cupboard - needs a damn good clean). The pipes were like this when we moved in and have used this drainage setup for the past 10years without any problems. The washing machine engineers were called out for problems that werent related to the drainage

Bill101 · 19 Apr 2007 at 15:43

I think the washing machine waste should be a tight push fit, you can buy bottle traps (the white bit under your sink) with an extra inlet that you can fix the washing machine waste to. If any of your pipes get blocked then the water is all over your kitchen.

teulk · 19 Apr 2007 at 15:59

Ok now thats what i thought as he mention something about buying something that fits onto the trap - that is what my girlfriend said as i wasnt in both times the engineers called. There is only one problem tho - the waste pipe from the washing machine is not long enough to reach the trap, can i buy an extention for the pipe and join it so it reaches the trap ?

VIRII · 19 Apr 2007 at 16:37

teulk said:
Ok now thats what i thought as he mention something about buying something that fits onto the trap - that is what my girlfriend said as i wasnt in both times the engineers called. There is only one problem tho - the waste pipe from the washing machine is not long enough to reach the trap, can i buy an extention for the pipe and join it so it reaches the trap ?

Yes you can buy a longer waste pipe or an extension.
Ideally you'd change the U tube/ trap under your sink for one with a spigot on it to push the washing machine waste hose onto.
The problem with your current set up is that blockages will cause washing machine waste to go all over the floor, you'll also be more likely for nasty smells to develop as the end of the waste pipe is open to the air. The U Tube stops smells from further down the waste coming back up the pipe.

a1ex2001 · 19 Apr 2007 at 16:40

What you have is a bit of an old school solution and I believe the only problem with it is that it should be vertical where the washing machine goes into it. Traditionally you just dropped the end of the waste pipe in and it curved over and down to the base of the machine. These days everyone is going for the push on closed systems I have one with two nozels one each for dish washer and washing machine.

Trigger · 19 Apr 2007 at 18:15

Yes it is wrong

There is no trap on the drain for the washing machine so all the smells out of the drain will go back into the kitchen