![]() A laundry sink is only required to have a 1-1/2" trap and drain line. You then discharge the washing machine into the sink. You could discontinue the use of the laundry standpipe and install a laundry sink beside your washing machine. The second option is much simpler although sometimes less desirable. Understanding that the code now requires a 2" line for a laundry standpipe, the option would then allow us to increase the line to 3". An even better option would be to opt for the exception in the Plumbing code which allows us to increase a pipe diameter by one nominal trade size. The preferred solution would be to replace the existing line with 2" PVC. We are then left with two options as a permanent solution.ġ. This was further complicated by habitually cleaning tools and buckets and discharging the residue into the drain, which no doubt has by now caused a severe buildup of foreign matter in the pipe which cannot be removed even with a powered auger.Īt a minimum the line will need to be cleaned with a good heavy duty powered auger with the proper sized cutter head, and even that may prove to provide marginal relief. This is further complicated by the fact that the pipe will rust slightly as it ages which in turn further increase the friction loss. In its new state the interior walls of cast iron pipe are comparatively rough, which means a high coefficient of friction. While cast iron is a fantastic material for DWV piping it has one minor drawback. This problem is further complicated because the original pipe is most likely cast iron. In the final analysis I think what you will find is that the size of the line itself may be marginal for the discharge rate of modern laundry appliances, which in itself would result in a minor backup as the machine pumps out. To the untrained eye this may appear as a minor change but in fact a 2" line has nearly twice the volume of an 1-1/2" line. In the mid to late 80's the appliance industry began using a higher volume pump in washing machines, which in turn prompted the plumbing industry to change the standard size of a laundry standpipe from 1-1/2" to 2". The house is 55 yrs old which tells me that the line in question may be an 1-1/2" cast iron drain line. I have had SUCH problems with different service people in the past couple years, that I am hesitant, almost afraid, to call another. I got some help from the This Old House site (google search), but I am really trying to avoid calling a plumber, if I can. If I flush a toilet, is the basement floor going to flood (is there only one water path out of a house?)? I've been afraid to run any other water in my house, as I don't know where the water all goes. We also had a contractor doing plaster a few years ago, and he totally plugged our utility sink with plaster (they ended up replacing it) so I bet that may be in there, too. I am pretty certain that my clog is dog hair - we have three very shedding dogs and the basement floor gets washed often, I am sure hair is always going down the drain. Will any hardware store (worth its salt) have a power auger to rent? We do not have a Home Depot, Menards, or any other large chain home building store for 100+ miles. Is that where my clog is, or does the pipe bend and my auger is not? I have a manual auger, but I can only get it about 3 feet down the clean-out plug - I have no idea what that means. How do I know how far "downstream" a clog is - is that dependent on how long it takes for the drain to flood out as my washer empties? I just found this - I hope there is someone out there to help me. We have a snake but it didn't do much good when we tried it when we bought it. My thought was yours - rent the drain auger. My husband was thinking of putting some enzyme down there as he's been doing that with the sinks and it works well. We can redo plumbing we can see/access (love MAPP gas) as we've been replumbing parts of the house with copper but this isn't something we can see. We're hoping it's not the down-pipe as that could get very $$$ and we're aready spending a small fortune redoing the house. When we moved in, we had a couple of the drains snaked via the warrenty company (took 4 plumbing companies so we ditched the warrenty and learned to DIY most of it). I keep a stocking on the hose to catch the lint. I don't think it is lint but it could be other stuff as we are DIY in the house and my husband does pour excess stuff down the drain or we're thinking maybe hair (I have very long curly hair).
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