My Washing Machine is Backing Up

Q.

My washing machine floods my floor with water when it is draining the tub water. The hose is in place in the drain pipe but the water fountains out the drain pipe. I have put a garden hose down the pipe drain, no water flows back. There seems to be no blockage. What could the problem be?

 A.

Drains require proper venting and your washing machine drain may not have one. Your bath, toilet, sinks, basins, all have vent pipes going up through the roof. When water needs to go down one of those drains, it just pushes the air that was in the pipe up the vent pipe. When you have no vent pipe, there’s no place for the air to go to get out of the way of the water, so it has to “push back”. Why doesn’t the air just go down the drain pipe to get out of the way? Because air is much lighter than water, it keeps fighting to “float” back up the pipe.

Q.

I have a washing machine drain line that over flows when the washing machine drains.  I have to stop the machine allow the water to drain off then allow machine to continue, On a full load, I might do this several times. What can I use to clear the drain?

 A.

Do not use lye drain cleaners or any sort of acid. There is a possibility that roots have penetrated your drain piping.  If so, new drain lines is the answer. Install a filter or a sock or stocking is a good DIY way to capture the lint.  Is it possible that you have created an air lock in the drain?

Q.

Our washing machine backs up, not into itself, not further down the line, but into the kitchen sinks! My wife has to stop the machine, wait for the water to gurgle down the sinks, and then restart the machine. This she does a few times until the washing cycle is done.

A.

The symptoms you describe scream, “Clogged drain.” This requires a plumber with a professional sized auger or sewer machine to properly clear the drain.