Hose to flush out p-trap/drain

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BethM

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Hello,
I appreciate your advice on this! I am buying a condo in Chicago. I had an inspection several weeks ago when we discovered a tube/hose that was in between the stackable washer/dryer. We did not understand what the hose had to do with the washer/dryer, neither did the inspector. The realtor of the seller told us that it needs to be flushed sometimes. Fast forward to last week and we found out this about the hose:

The sellers' agent said the hose has nothing to do with the washer and dryer. There is a drain/p-trap in the laundry area which occasionally smells like sewer gas. The drain is not easily accessible so the previous owner did this as a way to keep the drain clear and eliminate the smell of sewer gas. The owners randomly pour water into the hose. My realtor asked if it should be done monthly or weekly. They just said they randomly do it. I was told I probably won’t need to do it unless I notice the smell of sewer gas. None of the other unit owners have this. My realtor said: I’ve never seen a condo unit with a hose do this. Maybe the previous owner was a little sensitive to the smell or just very proactive?

Just wondering if this makes sense or if this is a red flag that something could be wrong? I do the walk through this week because the closing is scheduled for Friday. I am wondering if anyone else has heard of something like this. Thank you!!
 

Reach4

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It sounds like a standpipe for the washing machine, but that would have the drain hose from the washer typically. How does the water from the washer get to the drain pipes?

If there is a stand pipe you are not using, you can add water to make up for evaporation. You could also plug the top with a test plug, or even a sturdy plastic bag and rubber bands.

Is the pipe you are describing like one of these?
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BethM

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It sounds like a standpipe for the washing machine, but that would have the drain hose from the w asher typically. How does the water from the washer get to the drain pipes?

If there is a stand pipe you are not using, you can add water to make up for evaporation. You could also plug the top with a test plug, or even a sturdy plastic bag and rubber bands.

Is the pipe you are describing like one of these?
index.php
Thanks for replying! Honestly I do not know, the washer/dryer are stackable and in a closet so I did not go behind them to see what's what but I can do that during the walk through if necessary. My dad is pretty handy so he could probably check it out. All we saw was this clear hose/tube and we were so confused as to its purpose. Just wanted to see if this seemed like a bad situation or if anyone else had something comparable.
 

Reach4

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It does not sound bad on the surface. I am not a pro.

This clear hose does not match what I was suspecting. Tell us more... what do you see? Is it a half inch internal diameter flex hose and you just see an open end? I could see somebody running a flexible hose around the front of the washer to let them "prime" a seldom used trap easily. So it might go to a floor drain. Or maybe the laundry standpipe, and they were not using the washer much. Neither of these is really scary. Some people may have a washer and not use it for various reasons.

It sounds like the seller is willing to provide info via the seller's agent. You could ask for more info.

How often would you need to pour some water? Once per month would probably be enough depending on humidity. If you did not do that, a smell may be the only problem.... If you want to check for something scary, ask a neighbor (or neighbor kid) about cockroaches.

How about taping your smartphone to a meter stick or yard stick, or using a selfie stick to see what you can see?
 

BethM

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"I could see somebody running a flexible hose around the front of the washer to let them "prime" a seldom used trap easily".--this is exactly what it looks like, a flexible clear hose that rests in between the washer and dryer and then I guess they must inject water down into it occasionally. Please god hope there are no cockroaches!

I guess the seller just did this because they were told to do it by their previous owner and the current seller lived there for 3 years so they were just doing as they were told. Not sure they can give me any more info.

I think once I am there later this week I will try to get back there and see where that hose is leading to, good idea about using a selfie stick
 

hj

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There must be a floor drain under the washer without a trap primer to keep water in it. Pouring water down the hose refreshes the trap seal until evaporation lets sewer gas come back in.
 
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