Lint filter for washing machine drain

[Shaun]

Curious-- why filter waste water?

[2 door]

Lint filter doesn't stay free of debris, guess what happens?

I'm also curious why you would want to filter waste water. Seems to me, it would be like wanting to filter toilet water. Sewers are there for a purpose.

[Harry Avant]

I would like to add a lint filter to the drain on my washing machine. I've found a few but all state they are for use with drains running into a laundry sink and NOT standpipe drains. My washing machine drain hooks onto the top of a three foot high plastic pipe since there is no sink in the area. Questions: why can't I use a mesh sock type screen in this situation and is there anything designed specifically for this type application?

[DD_BobK]

I would agree with the other two posts.....why a lint filter?

In my old laundry "room", recently decommissioned for some space allocation changes, I had a laundry sink where the sink drain had a "cross" feature.

The cross inadvertently "filtered" the washer water, actually it was a PITA lint catcher that sometimes caused the sink to over flow. The new washer installation location has a 2" (in the wall) standpipe and after nearly a year of operation, no overflows. I guess the lint is going merrily down the drain.

IMO your lint catching idea is a net negative.

The discharge rate of an "old school" top loading washer is something like 20+ gpm. My laundry sink acted like a storm water retention basin. Filling up part way as the washer emptied, then draining after the washer was done.

That mesh sock idea is a flood waiting to happen.

cheers Bob

[BQ340]

I don't think the sock would drain fast enough unless it's OD was much less than the standpipes ID. The only thing I've seen is inline traps like this type

but never used one so not sure how easy to clean & how often it is needed.

MikeB

[Nate Nagel]

uh, you don't want soapy goo clogging your drains? POs of my house didn't believe in them either, apparently, and I cleaned the deep sink with a putty knife.

nate

[2 door]

Uh, where does the OP say anything about a sink?

What's your deep sink, have to do with their waste pipe?

The previous owners could've had several problems.. Think outside a filter. Not enough rinse cycle, too much soap, malfunctioning washer, are prime examples. Having soft water, will cut your detergent in 1/2. Having to take a putty knife to clean soap, should've been the first hint there was a problem other than actually putting soap in the washer. Geesh!

[Nate Nagel]

He didn't.

The same stuff goes in both places.

I don't know what they did or didn't do, but I *do* know that a) the "sock" fills up every few months or so and b) I have not had to scrub the sink since.

I do throw a pot of boiling water in it maybe once a year or so whenever I flush the water heater, as the pipes are 60+ years old.

nate

[Bob F]

It cuts down on plugged drains significantly.

[mm]

I don't konw about the OP but I do it mostly so that the check valve in the sink drain doesn't clog open. If lint sticks on the valve flap, when the drain backs up after the stream floods, the valve won't be able to stop it. Despite my care, I think just a year after I put in the check valve, the drain did back up and the check valve didn't stop it.

By this time I had already started jambing a stick in between a rubber stopper and a shelf above it that was screwed to the wall, whenever I don't use the washer, but I took out the stick for a second and the water rushed in. Then I plugged it back up again.

I wish I could answer the OP's question but I can't. Someone says the sock woudln't drain fast enough. Maybe that's true, since in a sink the sock can drain from the end and the full lenghth of the sides.

[Jim Elbrecht]

-snip-

Significantly? I'm 60. I've been draining unfiltered lint into my drains for about 40 years. I've had one clogged drain. [that one was caused by trying to use a garbage disposal for some fibrous melon rinds.]

If your machine dumps into a utility sink I can see how a filter might help keep that trap clean. If it dumps into a standpipe, there is plenty of water pressure to keep *that* trap clean.

Jim

[willshak]

2 door wrote the following:

Not everyone has a sewer system. Septic systems have to be cleaned out on occasion. The least debris you put into it, the further apart the costly cleaning requirement.

[Bob F]

You have nice smooth pipes. Not everyone is so lucky. I have to clean the pipe from that drain significantle less often if a filter is installed.

[Nikki ll]

live in florida, have 2 septic tanks, one is for gray water which receives the kitchen sink and laundry discharge, the lines ( which Y together ) under the slab for the gray water is 2 inch PVC. every two years without fail I have had to have Roto Rooter or some other drain cleaning company clean out the pipe under the slab because of pet / human hair and lint. always over a hundred dollars, the last clean out the plumber said why don't you put ladies nylon hose over drain hose and clamp it on being sure to check it each week after laundry day. I am an elderly woman, sure was relieved I could do it myself and not have to write that big check every other year. He also said it would keep build up out of septic tank which is a greater expense to clean.

[Paul Drahn]

That story also means the PVC pipes were most likely put in backwards so there is a sharp end collecting the lint. Several years ago I had to have a septic system completely rebuilt because it was put in by a moron contractor. My neighbor doing the work pointed out the incorrect order of the 4inch PVC going to the septic tank.

Bet you have the same problem, but there is no way to correct it.

Paul

[nestork]

Nikki:

You can do a lot better than a piece of hosiery wrapped around the end of your washer's discharge hose.

Any place that deals with agricultural spraying equipment will sell "inline strainers" like the kind shown in the photo below:

Basically, you simply splice the inline strainer right into your washer's discharge hose, and clean it every so often. To clean it, you simply unscrew the cup off the bottom of the strainer and remove the cylindrical strainer screen. Clean the screen in a pail of water, or just let it dry out and brush the lint off of it with an old toothbrush when it's dry, put it back into the inline strainer and screw the cup housing back on.

The advantage of an inline strainer are many:

1. it has much more surface area than you'd get by simply putting a sock over the end of your discharge hose, so you wouldn't need to clean the strainer nearly as often.
2. the cylindrical strainers come in various mesh sizes and the wire mesh is made of stainless steel, so each strainer will last much longer.
3. You can buy replacement strainers as parts, so you can have one inside the inline strainer while the other one is drying out for cleaning.

You don't need to be a plumber to splice an inline strainer into the discharge hose of your washing machine, and anyone at the agricultural spraying store that sells you the strainer will also be able to supply you with the necessary fittings to splice the strainer into your washer's discharge hose.

If you choose the go the hosiery route, I'd use one whole nylon leg. Drop the nylon into your washer's standpipe, fold the top of the nylon over the top of the stand pipe so the nylon mesh is on the OUTSIDE of the stand pipe and put a clamp on the stand pipe and tighten it up to hold the nylon in place. I'd be concerned about using the nylon because if it tears, it could end up clogging up that drain pipe. That would never happen with an inline strainer. Also, if you get an inline strainer with a transparent cup, you'll be able to see how badly the strainer needs cleaning.

[DerbyDad03]

Not everyone has a standpipe. This device works quite well in a utility sink. This is what I use.

[John]

Just a .jpg --- Have a URL?

John

[John]

Never mind, found it. thx

[micky]

My washing machine doesn't have any lint filter, only a lint chopper.

I've never seen it, but I've certainly seen a lot of lint come out, chopped or not. I use another device because I don't want to clog the check valve in my laundry sink drain pipe.

Do you think this device you recommend will go more than one load without needing cleaning?

How many loads do you go, and do you have a separate cleanable lint filter in your washing machine.