Washing machine drain problem

[Mr. Moody]

Hello,

A few days ago I noticed that when my clothes washer tries to drain, everything is fine for the first few seconds, but eventually a cup or two of water squirts out the top of the pipe. It's obviously not completely clogged, but simply draining too slow to keep up with the water the machine is sending down the pipe. The toilet occasionally is a little slow to drain also, requiring a second flush, but otherwise everything else is and has been draining fine in the house.

I've tried auguring the drain pipe for the machine, without any noticeable change, for about fifteen feet or so. I've also tried Zep "Drain Care Build Up Remover", without any noticeable difference either.

Two questions:

Should I try Draino or some other product? I have a septic tank system (recently pumped and in good health), so it would need to be safe for the tank.

Could this be a problem with the vent? The drain pipe does emit quite a bit of gurgling sounds when I shut the machine off and let the pipe play catch-up. I can hear gurgling for at least 15 seconds after the water has made it's way down the pipe and out of sight, but I don't know if that's unusual.

TIA for any ideas you might have.

[AlanBown]

Sounds like my old house. I raised the drain pipe up about 2 feet and it helped a little at the washer location. But the problem was still there. I finally poured a gallon of Ammonia down the drain and forced a garden hose attachment for cleaning drains down below the washer. Turned on the hose and let run for 15 minutes I could hear the blockage move when the pressure got high enough. I ended up replacing the washer shortly afterwards because the filter assembly was broken and it was not worth the effort to replace. I surmised that it was the washer causing the problem. Anyway the problem stopped. Let us know what you find

[stretch]

Some laundry detergents are a problem with slow drains. Tide is probably the worst. It may be a bad vent or a partial clog, but try switching detergents first and see if that helps.

Stretch

[Need Help]

To clear clogged or slow drains, I have used a device called 'Drain King' for years with great success. Looks like a Sex Toy, but really works. Available at hardware and plumbing supply stores everywhere. Here is a URL from ACE Hardware - my favorite guys.

Try it, you'll like it!

Peter

[I R Baboon]

NEVER NEVER NEVER use drano or the like. they are the worst things you can do to your pipes. i dont care what anyone says, they are evil products. hot water, bleach, and a good snaking are all you need. spend the $$ and get a nice snake at least 50' long. sounds like you have a blockage somewhere. id snake every piece of pipe you have access to. find your cleanouts and everything. id even go as far to call out the town and have them snake from the street to your house

[CHRIS MCLOUGHLIN]

[I R Baboon]

[Goedjn]

Remind me not to go to any of your parties...

[borgunit]

Also wanted to check..., is the drain vented to the air? Sometimes there is not enough air (if there is no vent) and air has to "bubble in" from the nearest air source (usually the drain itself) and you can get some backup as the air passes the water in the drain.

[Bob]

Here's my experience. The washing machine was at the back of the kitchen. The drain was clogged and wash water spilled onto the floor. After mopping up that mess I shoved the Drain King down the drainpipe and turned it on. Water seemed to flow freely through it, then I heard splashing outside. The drain was still clogged and the water filled up the vent and escaped onto the roof. I turned the hose off, the Drain King deflated, and I had another mess on the floor to clean up. The stuff that was clogging the drain got shoved further down the line and also clogged the kitchen sink. Three hours and $85 later, a rooter service had the line clean.

Perhaps this episode could have been avoided by running the Drain King as a preventive measure...