I need some help, please. I have installed a new 2nd floor laundry room and I am about to connect the washer discharge drain pipe and the floodsaver drain pan to the existing drain pipe system. All of the drain pipe will be 2″ PVC. I am connecting an elbow to the washer drain and installing an 18″ long PVC pipe which will connect to the tee under the drain pan. The pipe will then go thru a P-trap and connect to the existing drain system. The 1st floor ceiling has been completely removed and there are 18″ floor trusses for plenty of access.
My question is: Is it possible that soap suds or foam can come up into the drain pan itself when the soapy water that is discharged from the washer cycle passes 4″ below the drain pan tee connection?
Are there any other concerns that I should take care of before I glue all of the connections?
Any and all help is really appreciated!!!!!!!
Replies
bump
It kinda hard for me to visualize what you are describing, but when I plumbed in my flood saver I kept separate from the washer drain.
I ran my flood saver pan drain down inside the wall and out by a basement floor drain.
If placed in a trap, trap would dry out and let sewer gas in house.
When washer spins it dumps a lot of water out real fast, could push up the pan drain and in the worst case overflow. Instructions say not to tie into washer drain.
And if trapped to pour in a oil to keep it from drying out.
I'm not the plumber, just the plumber's son!
Cameraman is right.
Avoid tying the overflow into the sewer system.
Have the overflow either dump into an unfinished basement or outside or into sump pump, etc.
1" or 1 1/2" line down thru, is how I would do it.
It is a violation of most or all plumbing codes to connect more than one fixture to the
same trap (except side-by-side sinks).
According to the Uniform Plumbing Code, traps for clothes washer standpipes must
be located between 6 and 18 inches above the floor, with the standpipe opening
between 18 and 30 inches above its trap.
I live in a house where the washer drain has not been plumbed correctly, so that
suds routinely back up and overflow from the standpipe, and also back up into
the kitchen sink.
Edited 2/8/2008 1:42 am by kreemoweet
Thanks for the bump and for the info. The more I looked at the drain pipe the more I questioned it. I don't mind taking the time to do it right the 1st time, I just hate doing it twice. Thanks again..........
In my locality, horizontal runs for washing machines now require 3" drain pipe. I'm not sure if that applies to overflow pans or not. We put in a floor drain.
The reasons for a floodsaver are two fold: first if you have a leak on the supply side, second if you have a clogged drain line and the stand pipe over flows. The second is the one I have seen the most, with that being the case I would drain the flood saver to daylight the same as one would with a pressure relief on a hot water heater or a pan under a hot water heater the only difference is you have a 2" pipe not a 3/4". If your drain is clogged chances are the floodsaver will do nothing except over flow. Up to 50 gallons of water are pumped out on a standard top loader in one cycle, you are not home that is a lot of water on your dining room table.
That is what I did straight out the side of the house to a roof eave just elbowed it down. Where it could be caught by a rain gutter or fall to the ground, The plumbing inspector had no problem even thought it was the way he would do it. Don't even need a trap in that case might want an insect screen to keep bees at bay.
Wallyo