my washing machine drain overflows during the first rinse and the kitchen sink backs up as well, please help!?
i live in a 40yo home. been there 2 years. up until a month ago, no problems (except for the crap water pressure). we have a whirlpool duet machine that pumps out water pretty quickly in the first rinse. recently it has gotten to the point where the draining water (near the end of the rinse) backs up the pipe and overflows just a bit on to the floor. unfortunately it is wrecking the wall also. at the same time, we have a double sink and the right side is backing up a bit as well, but not bad. enough to tell they are related. the left side of the sink might as well, but it has the insinkerator attched, so it would have to back up much more to notice. i have put baking soda and vinegar down the machine drain and both sinks. then i ran hot water directly into the pipe. when i ran it highest you could really notice the back up in the sink, otherwise it is mild (but annoying). i attempted to snake the machine pipe, but only got about 5-7 feet it seemed. can you please help with some suggestions of what i can do. thanks so much.
samcca082009-05-05T08:49:52Z
Favorite Answer
look i had the same prob. Your not gonna fix this with Drano or Baking soda. It's clogged too far down the line. As you know, all the pipes intersect somewhere outside your home....the drainage....what you need to do is locate that line (if you have a septic tank it will be from the house to the tank.) and find the access "cap". It will be white, with a square on top...just sticking out of the ground. Might have to move around some leaves. Open this cap and you will be able to see inside your line. You can either snake it from there, or use what I used...which is awesome... called Hot Power, or Liquid Fire. It's some bad stuff but will eat right thru the clog. You can get it at a hardware store and if they don't carry that name they should have something similar. Drano is for babies. Get something with some bite. Good luck
It sounds like a partially clogged drain. You're on the right track with the snake. Do not start pouring chemicals like Draino down the drain. They do not work. Either they just go down the drain and away or sit there and create a potentially dangerous situation. Can you get to the trap under the sink? If so remove it with a bucket underneath to trap collect any trapped water and then snake the line. That's the way to remove the clog. After it's working again go to Wal-Mart and buy a mesh strainer that fits over the washer drain hose. This will help prevent future clogs.
RE: my washing machine drain overflows during the first rinse and the kitchen sink backs up as well, please help!? i live in a 40yo home. been there 2 years. up until a month ago, no problems (except for the crap water pressure). we have a whirlpool duet machine that pumps out water pretty quickly in the first rinse. recently it has gotten to the point where the draining water (near the end of the rinse)...
I had the same problem once, they snaked the heck out of the drain and found a sock stuck way up in there! Solved the over pour and the clogged kitchen sink!
you need to snake the pipe further to clear the blockage. you can try draino cleaner first but sounds like you have either a broken pipe down the line (5-7 ft.) or a major blockage. if possible can you have the washing machine drain in to a wash tube (if you have one) instead of directly into the floor drain? this will slow the water flow into the drain a little.