There are two common options for connecting a washing machine outlet hose to the drains:
1) Hook the hose over a vertical stand-pipe2) Connect the hose directly to a spigot on the sink trap
I can see pros and cons of both methods but is there a 'preferred' method if both are available?
Andrew
If the trap in the standpipe becomes restricted or blocked you won't know about it until the machine pumps out all over the floor. If the sink trap becomes blocked it's much less of a problem, the waste water will flow up into the sink. For that reason I would prefer the sink trap option. Having said that, in 30 years that I've been using a standpipe I have never had a blockage.
Additional benefits are that the hot water discharged from a boil wash will help to clear any food grease deposited in the sink trap, and if one of either sink or washing machine is infrequently used then the trap is less likely to dry out.
The kitchen I'm putting in now has 2 sinks, washing machine and dishwasher - so one appliance will discharge into each sink trap.
Connecting to the sink sometimes causes regular regurgitation, fouling the sink.
A third method is to connect water-tightly to the low waste pipe, routing the machine hose to make a smell trap and prevent unintended draining, or if its not long enough, as is often the case, doing some of this in rigid plastic. No chance of flooding then, and no regurgitating in the sink.
NT
Well on advice from this group, I did this for a temporary arrangement, but I may do it permanently when I fit out the new kitchen. The back of the washing machine had various hose clips that could be used to hold the U bend, and it also came with a U-shaped bit of plastic for hanging over a sink. This could also have been used to form a U shape. You can get a washing machine spigot to fit onto a plain pipe. One for the wiki (if not in there already) ? Cheers, Simon.
Yes I've used both types in various configurations over 25 years, with both dishwashers and washing machines; but the only problems I've ever had have been the odd blockage with the spigot type. Agree that if there ever *was* a problem with a standpipe, it would be much messier!
David
pcb1962 presented the following explanation :
Ours did a month or two back, during the big freeze. It stopped the dish washer, the washing machine and the sink from emptying in the utility room with a solid block of ice.
I have a standpipe but never had a trap, nor encountered the need for one. The water goes down the standpipe, through one right angle bend, through the wall, another right angle bend and then a short pipe to the drain.
I suspect that if I used the sink drain and it was blocked, the sink would overflow if the washing machine was left on unattended.
Does this not make a trapless path for sewer gases into your kitchen?
Pete
Not if it discharges immediately above a gulley, which itself it trapped.
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