On 27 May 2006 12:24:13 -0700, "Doug Lassiter"
wrote:

We have a GE "extra heavy duty large capacity" washing machine that has
worked beautifully for more than a decade. Unfortunately, ever since we
got it, the drain line has been problematical. The washer drain hose is
stuck into a 1.5-inch ID pipe opening in the washer wall fixture behind
it. If the seal between that drain hose and the pipe is not good, the
water will overflow out the opening and spill down the side of the
wall. (Yeah, we don't have a lot of wallboard left under there
anymore.)

Now, that same drain pipe is also fed by the dishwasher and kitchen
sink, and there is no such trouble with them. Water drains out of the
sink pretty quickly, in fact -- for a sink. As you might guess, without
any overflow line (see below) the washer pump also fills up my sink. So

The normal way this problem is avoided is by having a laundry tub that
the hose empties into. The water in my tub gets up to 15 inches deep
I think while the washer** is draining, and I think that is typical.
So you have your kitchen sink and it's doing the same thing. I think
you are lucky your sink is doing this. Otherwise the washer hose
might be pushed out of the pipe.

*which I think is one notch larger than some, but isn't heavy duty,
let alone extra heavy duty. What does that mean: it can wash a lot
of heavy denim at one time. I think.

It's not bad like when the woman upstairs, in an apartment no less,
put Drano into her sink, and it backed up in my mother's sink and
ruined her dutch oven that she had for 40 years. Just don't put
drano in your laundry and everything will be good.

it seems that at least between my washer and the kitchen sink, the line
is OK.

A plumber has come in to clean out the drain pipe, and nothing much
changes. I finally attached an overflow line on the access port fixture
on the outside wall of the house (conveniently behind the washer) that
allows this water flow from the washer to shoot out into the garden.
NIce, and kinda spectacular, but ...

I've been told by a neighbor that I'm supposed to NOT have a perfect
seal between the drain hose and the sewer pipe, as there has to be air
pressure relief. (The plumber didn't think this was an issue.) But this
is certainly not the solution to the problem because if the seal isn't
good, as I said, the water just spills out faster!

So it seems that I have a washer pump that is too powerful for my
drain. What are my options? I guess I could constrict the drain hose a
bit to slow the flow, but I'm concerned that might be stressing the
pump. Would it? Actually, I'm probably already stressing the pump with
my seal.

I don't think you are because it has the kitchen sink as an outlet.
Just don't plug the sink when doing the laundry.

Would a constriction on the hose help? I'm not a repairman or
anything, just a guy with one washing machine and three others in
earlier years. But when you squeeze a lot of hoses, it just spurts
out faster in the opening that is there. That doesn't seem to match
the laws of pressure from high school physics. They would seem to
imply your plan would lower the output. Someone more clever than I
can resolve this.

If you were designing something from scratch, I think one would put a
restriction in the pump inlet, but that's deep inside the washing
machine and I definitely wouldn't mess with it.

I think you should regard your kitchen sink as a laundry tub.

Then you're done and it won't cost you a penny. Besides the fact
that I see no other choice.

Does it ever get too high for the kitchen sink?