Washer Drain Problem (from a plumbing illiterate)

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JKMemphis

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Please forgive the ignorance that I have about plumbing. I look forward to learning from you.

I own a house built in the 1950s. It would appear a past owner tapped a washer drain pipe into some existing water pipe. That water pipe is MUCH smaller than normal. I think a plumber has said maybe half an inch? The whole pipe from the outside is not a lot thicker than my thumb.

There are other issues (it is placed down at floor level and there is no stand pipe at all) but the size of the pipe seems to be causing a lot of water to back up/stay in the washer and it tears up the pump in the washer. We have already replaced the washer once and the pump in the second washer one time and it is torn up again. There is no water left in the washer when the cycles are done but all clothes are sopping wet.

A plumber is saying that we will need to do multiple $$$ of jack hammering (on a slab) and repiping to replace the really small pipes and get things configured correctly.

Does this sound right? Are there no other options? Thanks for any advice you can give.
 

Cacher_Chick

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If there is no drain above the floor which is of a suitable size, then the piping will need to be accessed below the floor. If you are on a slab, this will mean cutting or breaking out concrete to access the building drain under the slab. Without seeing the layout of all of the existing plumbing, there is no way to say how big of a job this will be.
 

FullySprinklered

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My first inclination is to have my wife call for an ambulance while I clutch my heart and roll around on the floor gasping for breath.
However, you might be able to trailerpark the situation with some kind of surge tank that would absorb the hasty outflow of the washer while the effluent slowly dribbles out the 1/2inch drain. That would mean running the washer drain maybe into a laundry tub so that it could drain out through the smaller pipe more slowly.
If the plumbing inspector shows up, lock the door.
 

Jadnashua

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It might be possible to dump the washing machine outlet into a sump, then pump it to your sewer verses doing everything via just gravity drainage. These come in various sizes and head capability (the ability to raise the water). It might be possible to pump the outlet from the pump somewhere above verses breaking up a lot of concrete. Functionally, it will work fine, but gravity is more reliable.
liberty pump.jpg
 

Gary Swart

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Modern washers empty water very rapidly. There are code regulations regarding pipe size and p trap just to touch on a couple biggies. From your description, you have a really mess. You seem concerned that concrete may have to be broken out. I would say it will have to be broken out, but don't get too concerned about that. Professional are available to quickly and cleanly cut the necessary concrete. A qualified plumber can make a code compliant drain connection. Not overly complex, but not a DIY job for a novice or a handyman.
 

Dj2

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Your plumber is probably right, but you should get a second opinion.
I still don't understand a drain pipe the size of your thumb.
 
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