Cracked Washing Machine Overflow Tray

My son and his wife moved into a house with a second floor laundry room.

To prevent washing machine overflow from pouring onto the first floor ceiling below, the washing machine sits in a large plastic tray which has a raised lip around the perimeter and a floor drain connected to the bottom which empties into a drain / waste PVC connection. The washing machine laundry tray looks like this:

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The front edge / lip of the tray has been broken, leaving no protection against water overflow.

The obvious solution is to buy a new tray, temporarily remove the washer, install and plumb the new tray, and then (with two muscular people) lift and set the new washer down onto the new tray. This is a few hundred bucks using local contractor parts and labor.

One cheaper alternative is to find a way to reconstruct the broken front lip of the tray. Since the rest of the tray and all the drain plumbing is intact, this seems to be a much more attractive option.

Any ideas as to how to accomplish this?

Many thanks,

Smarty

Reply to
Smarty
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Would 'peel & stick' flashing tape adhere to the plastic? T

Reply to
tbasc

What is this "few hundred bucks" business?

Buy the tray ($30 from the ad you posted, less if bought locally).

Two boards, two bricks as fulcrums, two small people, and two minutes. You're done.

Reply to
HeyBub

Fiberglass cloth and resin.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

I sincerely wish this was a "two minute' solution as you describe. The laundry room is barely large enough to install the washer and dryer, let alone using bricks, boards, and fulcrums to temporarily re-arrange things to re-install a new drain and a new tray. I rejected the total tray replacement do-it-it-yourself approach for that reason. I also rejected the total re-do of the tray, drain, etc. since the only damage is at the front lip and it would seem that some method ***SHOULD*** be available to form a new front lip which would avoid the other issues entirely.

I am going to research the ideas of using a strong flashing or other seal / gasketing material as well as the fiberglass cloth and resin approach suggested, both of which seem could solve my problem. I am also thinking that there may be some type of trim used as a threshold in stall showers which possibly might be cut to the right length and then caulked in with a good RTV/ sealant.

Thanks for the replies so far. Any other suggestions are certainly very much appreciated and welcomed.

Smarty

Reply to
Smarty

A normal human being can tilt most residential size washers on two legs and otherwise manipulate it where you could replace the tray with the help of another non-muscular person.

Reply to
Meat Plow

The drain plumbing (a PVC strainer cap cemented /"welded" in a 1.5" inch PVC pipe) lies underneath and is covered completely by the washer, and would need to be removed until the new tray and its new drain are cemented in place. Tilting the washer up on two legs doesn't really help, The washer has to be taken off of the old tray, and then the old drain would be removed, the old tray would then be removed, the new tray installed, and then the new drain cemented. There just isn't any practical way in this closet-sized space to prop up the washer on two legs while all of this is going on, nor are there two additional people available to hold the washer up and keep it up during the plumbing work and tray replacement.

If the room were larger the washer could indeed be moved aside, and the lifting and moving could be accomplished by two people fairly easily. Since the clearances around the washer, the dryer, and the tray are just a few inches in this closet, the contractor suggests (and I concur) that they do the removal in the obvious way, namely, to take the washer out of the room entirely, and move it into a neighboring bedroom until the plumbing repair is done.

My question, as before, is thus.....how to fix a broken tray without removal of the tray, removal of the washer, replacement of the drain, etc. The front lip is cracked and broken. We are talking about putting in a water-tight lip on a 29 inch long plastic tray...........

Why is question so hard to address as originally stated and then subsequently restated????

Many thanks,

Smarty

Reply to
Smarty

On Sun 01 Jun 2008 01:00:39p, Smarty told us...

Well, Smarty, you did receive one very good suggestion... Fiberglass cloth or tape, and resin. When it cures it will be watertight.

Reply to
Wayne Boatwright

Okay, you don't have room to lever the washing machine up - how about this:

You mount a block an tackle to a joist and winch up the washer. Then you can work under it until everything's just so.

Lower the machine back down to the repaired drain pan.

You can leave the mounting hook in the ceiling to be used as a clothes-hanger for things that have to air dry.

Reply to
HeyBub

I think I'm gonna' go with the fiberglass approach. It's still a bit unclear as to how this stuff bonds to the existing plastic, which may be polystyrene or nylon or some other polymer. This is where the next bit of research will be needed.

Thanks to all for the suggestions and alternatives.

Smarty

Reply to
Smarty

Let us know how it turns out...

On Mon 02 Jun 2008 06:36:07a, Smarty told us...

Reply to
Wayne Boatwright

I will, and thanks to all for your help!

Smarty

Reply to
Smarty

Can you fashion some sort of lathe?

Reply to
HeyBub

I found some 6 inch wide fiberglass tape advertised at West Marine along with a resin, and am planning on building up the damaged / cracked lip with a supporting length of (probably) aluminum channel / extrusion which will run across the full width of the tray, approx. 30 inches. Looks like a reasonable approach so far but have yet to buy any materials. I'm hoping to find cheaper sources. Will be visiting my son's house later this week to finish this up.

Smarty

Reply to
Smarty

buffalo ny: definitely buy a $12 water alarm with low battery alert. home depot, lowe's, or a sensor add-ons to home alarm systems. maybe buy a can of automotive bondo to form part of the support. also there is a new pair of hot/cold washing machine supply hoses that may also help in specific cases by shutting themselves off (in specific failures of the inlets). see the package at the store. also, spend some time watching the various cycles of the washer drainage speed for backups or blockages of drain, maintain the washtub laundry sink drain by removing lint with long needlenose pliers kept there permanently, remember some new washing machines really throw water out faster than old style ones. further incredibly excellent educational appliance reading, we love the samurai appliance repair guru and his sense of humor at::

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Reply to
buffalobill

What a fantastic set of suggestions!!! Thank you very much buffalobill for passing these along, and most of them are ones I would have never even thought of. Thanks also for the web link for the appliance guru, which I am about to start browsing.

Smarty

Reply to
Smarty

To Wayne and this newsgroup,

I was asked to let you know how things turned out, so here goes:

I got to my son's house only to discover that my daughter in law had cut the entire front lip of the tray off with a large pair of shears. She said it looked ugly and wanted not to have to look at it every time she did laundry!! I was therefore left with only one choice, to replace the entire tray, just as the original contractor had suggested. I removed the washer with my son from the room, a difficult but not horrible job, mostly awkward because the room is so small. The new tray was purchased at a local APWagner appliance parts distributor yesterday for $32.95. The drain work was done fairly easily, and the new tray was put in place. Lifting the washer onto the new tray was fairly easy, and then I used a carpenters level to get the washer nicely leveled. It seems to run fine and all looks good. I never got a chance to try the fiberglass repair materials which I am returning today.

Not the repair approach I was expecting or planning, but in the end a very neat and low cost solution! Thanks once again to all.

Smarty

Reply to
Smarty

On Sat 07 Jun 2008 06:06:40a, Smarty told us...

Thanks for the report, Smarty. In a way, it's too bad you didn't get a chance to work with the fiberglass and resin. It's kinda neat. But replacement with a new tray was really the best solution after all.

I know when I anticipate something like having to move a heavy appliance, I never look forward to it, but it often is easier than I thought it would be. I'm sure your daughter-in-law will be happier with the new tray, and no leaks for sure.

The last challenge I had was fitting an upright freezer into a confined area of our combination pantry/utility room. The space for it was meant to be a pantry with a door. I had the builder leave off the door, fittings and trim altogether, and I thought when I measured the model home that I would have at least a couple of inches of clearance on both sides. As it turned out, I had only a half-inch on each side. Since it's a very narrow room, the space between this recessed area and the opposite wall didn't allow for a person to be between the freezer and wall. It took two of us, one on each side of the freezer, to slide it into the space (while also connecting the power cord behind it), until there was enough room to push from the front. All in all, it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. :-) What probably will be difficult is pulling it back out if need be.

Cheers!

Reply to
Wayne Boatwright

Thanks for the reply Wayne. I'm actually happier with this solution now that it is finished than I would ever be with a patched tray. The issue of strength and manipulation in cramped spaces was really the big issue, and (as a guy well into his 60's with occasional lower back and knee problems) I wasn't looking for another 6 month round of physical therapy sessions. Thankfully my son is pretty husky and strong, and the process went pretty smoothly.

Your upright freezer battle sounds like a challenge. Pulling it back out may, as you say, be the real pain. Could rollers and an extension cord to lengthen the working distance allow you to move this in and out easier in the future? My side by side kitchen refrigerator freezer is on rollers, added aftermarket, which make it easier to clean behind it.

Smarty

Reply to
Smarty

On Sat 07 Jun 2008 09:26:14a, Smarty told us...

Yes, replacement was the *perfect* solution, and you don't ever have to think about it again.

I understand perfectly. I'm 63, had two stents implanted last year, and had a fairly serious back injury last Fall. I have to be fairly careful of lifting heavy things.

The rollers would be great, but if I were to use them, I would probably have to mount them on a piece of plywood and set the freezer on the plywood. Instructions with the freezer warn against raising the freezer above the floor. Apparently, the design is such that the amount of space between the bottom of the freezer and the floor is critical.

My refrigerator/freezer in the kitchen has its own rollers built in.

As to the freezer, I don't anticipate having to remove it on a regular basis, so I'm not too concerned. If I have to move it, though, it will be interesting. :-)

Reply to
Wayne Boatwright

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