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H E L P ..Leaking waste water pipe (water from washing machine) in The AnswerBank: How it Works
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H E L P ..Leaking waste water pipe (water from washing machine)

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MustangLady | 18:16 Tue 29th Sep 2009 | How it Works
7 Answers
I heard a gurgling noise coming from my washing machine whilst it was on last rinse and noticed water over my kitchen floor. My neighbour kindly came to assist to pull out washing machine and between us we tried to locate the leak. It appears the leak not from the machine itself, but instead water is overflowing from the top of the plastic waste pipe (attached to my wall) which the washing machine water pipe goes into. He pushed a hosepipe thru the plastic waste pipe to dislogged any blockages, he also unscrewed the bended pipe bit but there was nothing in there. I then put 'sink unblocker' down it to make sure anything down there dissolved. Leaving it for half hour, we tried again to put washing machine on last rinse, we could hear it going down the pipe but then within seconds it was overflowing from the top of the waste pipe again. It is also coming out pretty fast to the drainage system outside the house, so cannot understand why it is coming from the top of the pipe in the house? It's as though the water is flowing too quickly in the pipe and it cannot take the water so back-flows...we are baffled. My neighbour kindly tried everything he could and we cannot resolve it. The waste pipe from the washing machine goes half way down the plastic pipe so its not too short. It's same machine I been using for couple years and never had this problem before, it hasn't been moved or anything to changed that I haven't been doing before. If I called a plumber out, he would only do exactly what we did. The plastic pipe is not blocked as water is flowing thru it but somewhere there is a back-flow and it comes back out the top of the entrance. Anyone had this problem, any suggestions... we're baffled and haven't got the money to pay for a plumber to come out and do what we just did. HELP PLEASE !!!! ???

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It may be clogged with hair and fluff in the waste pipe that goes to the outside. It act like a sieve and allows a fair bit of water through to the drain outside but also can be enough to cause a bit of back pressure and flood. Get a drain snake to try rodding it out or a long piece of stiff electircal flex. Alternatively try to squirt a hose pipe up it from outside. The hose is how I cleared one a few years ago.
If it didn't do it before then something has changed (inside the pipe leading to the sewer).
It may be as mortar suggests.
Are you saying it doesn't do it on the main cycle (when the wash has finished, but before the rinse starts). That too has a lot of water to disperse down the sewer.
My guess is that there is a partial blockage quite a long way down the pipe, and it is backing up once a big volume of water goes down there. It could easily be underground, 3-4 metres from the position of the machine
Is the washing-machine adjacent to the sink?
if so you could shove a lot of water into the sink (full) then let it drain out to see if it backs up into the sink when drained - at least that way you don't get loads of water on the floor if it does happen.
If you can establish it is a partial blockage where I am suggesting, you probably won't be able to clear it with sink unblocker as it is too far and too diluted that far down.
You will have to use drain-rods from the manhole outside and shove them back up the 100mm pipe towards the downpipe area where this machine drains into.
Drain-rods are a cheap investment - about the same price as 20 minutes of a plumbers time.
Has mine 30 years now.
you still have a partial blockage in that wall pipe. don't waste time pouring liquids down there, contrary to the advertising blurb, they won't dissolve much at all. Get prodding and rodding!
Question Author
Thank you all so much. It has been resolved... my brother came over tonight and we thoroughly went thru every pipe and they were definately clear, then he checked the outside drainage again and noticed a plastic bag which had somehow got down the drainage system outside (maybe blown in on a windy day), it was letting water drain but not to the full ability, hence it backing up back thru my pipework. He has managed to retrieve the bag with a bit of prodding and pulling. I've tried my washing machine again and it flows lovely now no leaks !!!..again thank you all so much for advice.
Just as we thought, then. Glad you resolved it.
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