New pipes won't drain

[Locke426]

Just moved in to an old house. The washer/dryer hookup is outside the house, right up against the wall of the kitchen where the kitchen sink is (it's a double sink, in case that ends up being relevant). I don't have hardly any plumbing experience but I've never seen a set up like this and I don't really understand why it would be this way. See the first picture. There are two pipes. The taller pipe on the left is where the washing machine drains to. The shorter pipe on the right is where the kitchen sinks drain to. When you run the sink, the water just overflows out the top of the pipe on the right and spills all over the deck behind and under the washing machine. I'd leave it the way it is but the water, mixed with food remnants and such ends up smelling awful. So, feeling capable, I decided I would just run pipe from the sink drain pipe to the washing machine drain pipe. See second picture. Now, the sinks won't drain. I'm guessing it's a gravity problem because the pipe goes slightly higher than the height of the sinks. Any ideas on the cause or how I can make it all good? Thanks in advance.

 

[Cwhyu2]

You have a stoppage among other issues.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[hj]

Your additional piping did not improve anything. The sink used to drain because it was overflowing onto the floor. You need a plumber to unplug the drain line, and maybe fix that piping so it is somewhat correct.

 

[Reach4]

I suspect that shorter white pipe was the vent line.

 

[JerryR]

Your additional piping did not improve anything. The sink used to drain because it was overflowing onto the floor. You need a plumber to unplug the drain line, and maybe fix that piping so it is somewhat correct.

Now it will overflow into the electrical box.

 

[hj]

IT cannot overflow anything as long as the pipe is higher than the sink rim.

 

[Locke426]

Thanks for the replies. I guess it shows my ignorance to anything plumbing that I didn't even know to expect a vent pipe. How difficult would it be to attempt to snake it out myself? Cost is a concern for me hiring a professional. Thanks again.

 

[WJcandee]

Power snakes are rentable at some places. But, and I hope the other members will correct me if I am overstating this, if you don't know what you are doing, losing a finger or two isn't beyond the realm of possibility. It's not that you have to be some kind of rocket scientist to use one, but most professionals learn how to use one through the apprentice system that exists in the plumbing bother/sister-hood. There are all sorts of things to watch out for from a safety perspective, and if you haven't been shown how to do it, then watched while you are doing it, and cautioned about technique, you could hurt yourself and/or damage a pipe. So having someone do it who is (1) trained; (2) bonded and (3) insured is important, so it isn't likely that they will hurt themselves or your house, and won't be suing you for injuries they suffer on the job, because they are covered by workers' comp. (This is why, by the way, nobody who isn't a family member gets on a ladder at our house to do anything whatsoever, unless they are a licensed, insured professional who can prove it; otherwise, the homeowner is opening themselves up to damage claims that could be ruinous if anyone gets hurt.)

 

[Reach4]

I don't know what the rest of your kitchen sink drain pipes are, but I have used a Brasscraft drain bladder to open a drain. Since it is on the end of a garden hose, it really cannot turn a corner. I cut a vertical section of drain line out in the basement to access the pipe, and then used 2 flex couplers on the cut piece to restore the pipe.

A hand snake might fit your situation better. Clogs often occur when a drain pipe transitions from vertical to horizontal.