I have a couple probs I need help on:
1) When my cloths washer empties, it fills pipe so fast that it spills over on to floor. This waste pipe is not vented. Does it have to be vented in order to drain or do I have a clog. I have poured draino down it a couple times.2) How do you hook up a dishwasher without a disposal? Can I just hook the dishwasher to air gap and air gap to drain(1 1/2" drain pipe with
5/8" tee)?Thanks for help.
Derek
First, your standpipe for the clothes washer needs to be 2" in diameter and it needs to be vented, yes. If you don't have it vented, forget it. It will never drain properly without a vent.
If you don't have a garbage disposal, you can buy a 1-1/2" tailpiece for your kitchen sink drain. The 1-1/2" tailpiece will have a little side inlet where you connect the dishwasher hose. You will need to supply your water from the hot side. I prefer sweating in a tee and installing a separate stop valve for the dishwasher. You'll need to buy a "dishwasher ell" (1/2" thread x 3/8" compression) to connect your water line.
When you drill a hole in the cabinet for the drain, drill the hole as far to the top as you can drill it. Specifically, the code requires that you attach the hose to the underside of the countertop. In my area, our inspectors allow us to drill a hole up towards the top instead of physically attaching the hose to the underside of the countertop.
At the very least, you need to pull a homeowners permit and get this thing inspected. If you don't get it inspected, good luck getting insurance to pay in the event something goes wrong and you flood the place.
Thanks Blackbeard, is there a way I can vent it without having to tear my wall out? The standpipe is 2" and is stubed right through the floor about 32" high and has a trap under floor before it "Y,s" into main. I was told they sometimes use a vent, I think it is called a studavent, for kichen islands. Is there a way I could incorperate that into washer drain?
So I dont need an airgap for dishwasher? is this something they just use for disposal/dishwasher combo?
As far as permit I am in a millhouse and have very little money. It has been leaking and has caused damage so anything I do will only help. I take it you are a plumbing inspector, regardless it is very cool of you to take the time to answer everyones questions.
Thanks
Derek
Well it isn't exactly code, but if you can get underneath and cut in a tee between the trap and the main. Turn the tee facing straight up. Put a piece of pipe into the tee and bring the tee as high as you can bring it. On the top of that piece of pipe, install a studor vent. Make sure you don't jam the studor vent so close to the bottom of the subfloor that you don't have access. The studor has a male thread and will screw into the female adapter that is packaged with the device. The device will cost about $25.
This installation is not exactly to code, but it should help you with your problem. In my own house, I would replace the entire system - new washer box, upsize my pipe to 2" and take my vent pipe up inside the wall. If termination was a problem, I woudl install a wall box to vent the washing machine.
The old pipe you have installed now is probably 1-1/2" pipe. The plumbers around here run into this situation all the time. What happens when you use an 1-1/2" pipe is that the entire line gets overloaded from the pump on the washing machine. Because the pipe is overloaded (even if you have a wet vent from another fixture - something that is not allowed by current code), you end up cutting off your vent with all that water.
The new up-and-coming 2005 code is going the direction of requiring a full 3" line to serve a washing machine because the newer machine move such a large volume of water. With the newer machines, there are systems that have been installed to code that experience drainage issues because of inadequate air. We work on code issues every single day.
Plumbers and other trades bitch about codes and inspections. The truth of the matter is that these codes have been developed over millions of real-life installations where problems are reported through insurance companies, homeowners, contractors, and plumbers. I see the engineering getting better and better every year.
I'm trying to push through some code issues right now. My complaint is with commercial fixture installation. These guys in the field are piping their hot lines to code. But when you hook up a hot distribution line to a lavatory...and the lavatory is giving you
1/2-gallon per minute, we end up getting lots of complaints because the owners think the plumber has shorted them. They complain because they have NO HOT WATER. In truth, the hot water is there. It just takes forever and a day for the hot water to push all the cooler water out of the line to a lavatory...especially problematic with a 1/2 gallon per minute aerator.anyways - good luck with it.
"Derek"
The lack of a vent rarely causes a backup, but it causes other problems. Are you sure there's not a blockage problem? If you are, then it might be that modern washers pump out water faster than older ones. That's why codes had recently increased the drain to 2". Also, is the drain plastic, or some other material?
Mike, venting problems frequently DO and WILL cause backups. Especially on a clothes washer.
Increasing the size of pipe serving a clothes washer to 2" has proven a step in the right direction. However, it didn't completely resolved issues that have resulted from the newer style high volume pumps they are putting on these newer clothes washers.
The newest versi>
"Blackbeard"
I meant 2" to 3". My brain farts sometimes.
I just had one,,, A brand new washer, installed by Sears into 1 1/2 drain. it pumped so hard, so fast, that the hose pushed out of the 1 1/2 standpipe After 3 attempts to repair it to keep from coming out of the standpipe, Sears told her to call her plumber. On the end of the new washer waste hose was a unique adapter to hold it tight into the 1 1/2 standpipe. Extra ears, like rubber holds, to keep it into pipe. Im all for the 3" and all new construction i do specific for washers are now
3""Runningwater"
I think I've seen an adapter that goes inside the drain hose that purposely reduces the flow. At the time, I wondered if it'd affect the pump or cycle or something.
I bought the house with a 1-1/2" standpipe attached to a trap made up from galvanized elbows. As expected, my new washing machine caused the standpipe to overflow. Eventually I replaced the mess with 2" PVC but for awhile I got by with partially pinching the discharge hose with a C-clamp.
MM
I've never heard of anyone reducing the flow from the washing machine by pinching the hose. Sounds like it would work. However, I'd be worried that pinching the flow could put a strain on that pump and burn it out.
But what the hell. Sometimes ya just gotta go with what works. Clever solution by the way.
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