Welcome to the forum. Although you can post in any forum, the USA forum is here in case of local regs or laws

View the thread, titled "washing machine drain pipe overflow" which is posted in UK Plumbers Forums on UK Plumbers Forums.

My clothes washing machine drain pipe overflowed water when the machine was emptying, so I augered the pipe over 15 feet and I even had a plumber do the same while he was there for something else. But when I poured water into the standpipe to check it before using the machine again, the water came up to the top and stood there. So I augered it again and the same thing happened when I checked it again.

Then I noticed that if I simply put the 'snake' straight down the pipe with my hand until I reached the P-trap, the water level went down, if not all the way to the P-trap then at least close. This was despite the fact that there was no resistance and nothing on the snake when I pulled it out. Yet when I poured water down the pipe again, it still rose back up and stood. So I was baffled by that.

And then I noticed that the water level was stopping at the place in the standpipe where a pipe branches off at an upward angle towards the A/C unit. And so I poured more water down the pipe and somehow the water level didn't rise, it started going up the inclined pipe towards the A/C unit, which seemed to defy physics. I again pushed the snake down the pipe by hand with no resistance just to the P-trap and the water went down right away to at least close to the P-trap. So I am completely confused.

I would really appreciate any thoughts on this. I am still afraid to use the washing machine until I can add water to the drain pipe without the water level coming up, which is how I had checked it before when I had problems in the past without this strange result.

Thanks for any advice or information!
 
Where does the standpipe terminate? Has this been checked? Have you dismantled the p trap? The water going up the inclined pipe, if the othe water has nowhere to go then it will find its own level, so will go up the inclined branch pipe.
 
the standpipe goes into my floor and into cement before it even gets to the p-trap, so I cannot see or work on it. It is an old building apartment with copper pipes, though the standpipe is pvc.
 

Official Sponsors of Plumbers Talk

Reply to the thread, titled "washing machine drain pipe overflow" which is posted in UK Plumbers Forums on Plumbers Forums.

We recommend City Plumbing Supplies, BES, and Plumbing Superstore for all plumbing supplies.

Thread starter

Joined
Location
tn
Member Type
DIY or Homeowner

Thread Information

Title
washing machine drain pipe overflow
Prefix
N/A
Forum
UK Plumbers Forums
Start date
Last reply date
Replies
2
Unsolved
--

Thread statistics

Created
stephencc,
Last reply from
stephencc,
Replies
2
Views
1,956

Weekly or Monthly Email Digest

Back
Top