Washing machine waste comes up kitchen sink?!

[DanielR]

New washing machine with old problem Rob, so perhaps somebody suggested the washing machine pump wasn`t doing it`s job,

Exactly but machine was also failing so thought maybe when it was replaced this problem would go away but if anything it's a bit worse.

It wouldn`t cost much to replace everything there and it just unscrews at muliple joints. Or place the bucket underneath and undo one/ two joint at a time to remove sections. Note every joint will have a rubber sealing washer, either cone shaped or flat washer.
Agree the long outlet pipe from right to left doesn`t look like it has a fall on it.

Do you mean the white pipe with the arrow pointing left? I just put a spirit level on it and it has an upward slope so the left side where it goes into the wall is higher than where it connects to the drop / ubend under the sink. Is that the opposite of how it should be?

 

[rpm]

Exactly but machine was also failing so thought maybe when it was replaced this problem would go away but if anything it's a bit worse.



Do you mean the white pipe with the arrow pointing left? I just put a spirit level on it and it has an upward slope so the left side where it goes into the wall is higher than where it connects to the drop / ubend under the sink. Is that the opposite of how it should be?

Yes. Needs to slope down and away.

 

[DanielR]

Ok so I think I'll be looking for a local plumber to replace the pipes and fix that issue too. Thank you all so much for your help!

 

[Welder]

Looking for some opinions on whether something is wrong with our plumbing under the kitchen sink plumbing.

Basically, whenever the washing machine drains we get a flow up into the kitchen sink of the waste water along with dirt from inside the pipe. We've had Homeserve plumbers out and they just used a water plunger and we've also bought and used one ourselves (lots of gunk does come out) but whatever we do the backflow keeps coming up. I think it's disgusting to have waste washing water coming into our kitchen sink (along with the bacteria from the waste water pipe) but is there anything to be done? Rearranging the pipes maybe? This is wrong that this is happening right?

Picture below to show pipe setup:
View attachment 39522

This is a typical washing machine/dishwasher install. It is WRONG.

Nothing to do with you, just bone idle plumbers or kitchen fitters and even worse, lazy manufacturers who fail to make the correct parts available...

All discharges - sinks, washing machines, dishwashers, ice machines etc - need a seperate trap. Why? Because over time they ALL start to stink as what's in the machine discharge pipework gets overtaken by bacteria. Unless there is a water seal, it's exactly the same as connecting to a foul drain without a water seal and you get bl00dy awful malodors.

 

[DanielR]

Exactly my opinion but between plumbers coming out and just plunging it and other people saying it was normal I doubted myself.

From a total layman's perspective it just seems technically wrong. Also we now have evidence of the health harm that can come just from ordinary traps e.g. March 5th: Study of hospital sinks show how superbugs can splash out of sink drains into surrounding areas | Home Hygiene & Health

It's quite horrifying really...

 

[WC1]

As rpm said take it apart and clean the trap and also the pipe that runs left towards the waste. Put some towels down but you'll catch most of it in a bucket. They are compression fittings and undo easily.

 

[DanielR]

Hi WC1. I appreciate the sentiment but it's too far gone for that. Even if I clean it in that way:

1. It will still quickly get the bacteria again because the person who uses the washing machine refuses to wash clothes like underwear at proper temperatures (because they mix all clothes together) so what's output is infested with germs.
2. The drain doesn't go down it goes up so you end up with a constant pool of waste right under the sink.
3. I would not get permission to even attempt to clean it myself and it's better I don't since my immune system, etc. is sensitive.

 

[Gasinspect]

take out the section with the two spigots and fitt trap directly to sink waste. That would correct the fall problem. Then put spigot connection on the now sloping horizontal run.

 

[Kevin123]

I had exactly the same problem. Fixed it by replumbing the waste system with push fit pipe and added an additional waste pipe into the system after the sink u bend. On this pipe I put its own u bend and fitted the dishwasher and washing machine waste. The smell has gone as it can't get past the sink u bend.