Plumbing Question - Clothes Washer

[Peter H]

I'd like to install a second clothes washer in the basement my 22 year old house in the Greater Toronto Area. The washer will go in the furnace room and I'm planning on running the drain into the little floor drain ( about a 1 1/2" pipe), which is normally just used to drain away condensation from the a/c unit.

I'm wondering whether that little drain would be sufficient to handle a washing machine. I know that I'll have to build it up somehow so that the washer hose doesn't siphon off the water in the washer. I don't believe that there is a vent on this drain, as it's in the middle of the room.

All suggestions/comments would be appreciated.

Peter H

[hallerb]

I have 2 washers and 2 dryers:) its far more important to have 2 dryers since it takes twice as long to dsry clothes as it does to wash them.

so two washers wouldnt speed up laundry it will just collect piles of wet washed clothes:(

before using that drain try running a garden hose in it to see if it will take the flow. let it run for 15 minutes at full force. and you report its small long term that may cause lint clogs.

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, Does your local code allow that? I left GTA in '70, so I am wondering.

[benick]

Where does the pipe go ??? Into the sewer ? Storm drain ? Dry well ?? Here in Maine it illegal to drain it anywhere but the sewer or septic...You should find out what is allowed...

[jim]

If it handels the hose as was suggested then build it up to the 4 ft required should be okay but as someone said, it may glog and would be hard to clean .

[DD_BobK]

Peter-

Where does the floor drain drain to? The fact that it is in the middle of the room makes is a bit less than ideal. Maybe you can plumb in a sink or other "vessel" against the wall and then drain it via a large collapsible hose. The sink or "other vessel" would create the necessary air gap to prevent siphoning.

All of this is more than a bit "non-standard" perhaps you might consider a proper sink / drain setup? Including (at a minimum) a "mechanical vent".

I just demo'd my laundry room (1930), it had only 1 1/2" drain plumbing BUT the washer pumped out into a fairly large cast iron laundry sink which was mounted on a cast iron stand. The sink was nearly large enough to take the entire washer tub volume....filling up rapidly as the washer pumped out and the water drained from the sink. The washer pumped out and moved onto the spin / rinse cycle as the sink finished draining. The laundry sink thus acted a "retention basin"

cheers Bob

[hallerb]

you can also buy a sump pump, for washing machine drains.

it can pump the water any number of feet into a proper sewer

[Stormin Mormon]

A couple friends of mine find the same thing. Two driers is more pressing. Indoor clothes line drying is also useful. I don't even own a clothes dryer, use indoor clothes line all year.

[jamesgangnc]

These days new construction for washer drain is 2". That's to accomidate the larger home washers. If you have a more conventional one the 1 1/2" should work.

[Bob F]

I've repaird rot where a washer went into 1 1/2" vertical pipe. It would occasionally dribble water over the top.

Floor drains don't necessarily go into the drain pipe. They may just go to a drain field.