Washing Machine Floods When Draining

Washing machines are one of the more reliable appliances in your home. Nonetheless, issues still occur, usually when the machine is draining.

The average washing machine uses 15 to 30 gallons of water. So, definitely want that water out of your home as soon as possible. If that water isn’t drained, your bathroom will be flooded. Quite an exhausting thing to deal with, you don’t want that to happen again.

Well, that’s what we are here for today. A guide on how to fix a drain overflow on a washing machine follows.

A washing machine that floods while draining is a sign of a clogged drain hose or standpipe. You need to locate the clog and clean it out. This will stop the flooding.

Easier said than done, huh? Don’t worry, all will be clear in a minute. Keep reading.

How does a washer get clogged?

All that water that your washing machine uses is pushed into the drain hose by the motor spinning clockwise. So, if there’s a problem with the motor, the water wouldn’t be drained at all, it will just stay in the washer. Therefore, flooding will not occur. What I’m saying is, if the washer is flooding, the problem isn’t with the motor.

Dirt from clothes

But why does the clogging happen? Well, you put your clothes in the washer because they are dirty, some more than others. All that washed dirt can form a ball that won’t let water through. However, this is not so common. You would have to put really dirty clothes, for instance, muddy pants.

Materials from clothes

Clogging from the material of ripped clothes is by far more common than dirty clothes. As you may know, you can find your clothes to be ruined after washing. I don’t mean ruined colors but holes in the clothes. Usually, the thread from the clothes will be ripped and will form a ball, much like the ball of thread used for sewing. This prevents the water from flowing and pushes it back.

Items forgot in clothes for washing

We all know the struggle of forgetting things into our clothes when throwing them into the washer. God knows how many USBs I destroyed in the washer. While it’s unlikely that those items will end up in the drain hose, you give it enough tries, it will happen.

When one of those forgotten things ends up in the drain hose, it can cause a blockage. It certainly happened more times than you think but because of the object’s shape a clog didn’t happen. So, the item will have to be big enough and possibly round.

Small socks

Have you ever noticed that after washing, you end up with a single sock instead of a pair? Socks shrink in the washer, and the little ones can get sucked in the drainer. Although a lost sock is common, clogging rarely happens because of it. The material can let water through. Also, it would have to be big enough so it won’t be able to go through the hose.

The question still remains: How to unclog the drain system? Let’s get into it.

Locating the problem: drain hose or standpipe?

Before you can fix the problem, you have to know where the problem is coming from? The washing machine has a two-part drain system. The water in the machine first goes through the PVC drain hose, then, it enters the standpipe which is connected with the public sewage system or a personal sewage.

The drain hose is that plastic, elastic pipe behind the washer and connected with it. The standpipe is the big metal pipe connected with the drain hose. The blockage could be with either of the two.

To find out which is it, you have to run a quick test. Prepare towels and buckets for the flood to come. Turn on your washer on the draining setting. Then, observe how long will it take for the flood to come. Or, how long does it take for the draining to stop.

If it happens really fast, as soon as the washer starts draining, the problem is with the drain hose. If it takes some time for the draining to stop, the problem is with the drain pipe.

Once you have located the issue, you can move on to fixing it. Keep reading.

How to fix a clogged drain hose?

The first thing you have to do is turn off the washing machine. And then, disconnect the drain hose from the washer and the standpipe.

Straighten out a wire coat hanger, or try to find a similar object you can puncture stuff with. With the object you chose, go through the drain hose. Try not damage it. Look for a blockage. When you find it, try to take it out or try to break it up into pieces.

Once you’ve eliminated the blockage, you need to properly clean the hose. You do that with hot water. Boil some and pour it in the hose. You can do this more than one time. Then, take the hose and pour cold water through it. If the water comes out the other end without a problem, the clog is fixed.

This should work for you, if not, try using: baking soda, chemicals for clogs, and heating up the hanger. Be persistent, if there’s a clog, you will fix it.

How to fix a clogged standpipe?

Now, unclogging a standpipe is a bit more complicated. The standpipe is wide and made from metal, that means that the clog is quite hard and big. So, you would need something stronger than a coat hanger.

To do this, you will need a drain auger and a drill.

With the auger, enter the stand pipe, and look for the clog. Once you’ve reached it, connect the auger to the drill and start it. This will spin the auger and puncture through the blockage, it will tear it into pieces.

With a hose, spill water into the standpipe and see if it comes back up. If the water isn’t coming back, the blockage has been dealt with.

If you don’t have a drain auger on hand, you can try this with some kind of wire. Also, you can add chemicals for unclogging. However, the preferable method is the one with a drain auger and a drill.

That’s it folks. Hopefully, you won’t have to deal with a washing machine that floods anymore.

Related questions

Can I use Drano for unclogging the washer’s drain?

Drano works only in destroying dirt and similar kinds of debris. If the blockage is from a hard item, Drano will not work. Pour water in the drain after using Drano.

Can I drain my washing machine outside?

You can drain your washing machine outside but the draining point has to be safe. Be careful, to not cause troubles to your problems or the near environment. It’s best to consult with your local government.