On Oct 31, 10:47*pm, Higgs Boson wrote:
On Oct 31, 9:30*pm, Erik wrote:









In article
,

*DD_BobK wrote:
On Oct 31, 3:17 wrote:
On Oct 21, 9:20 wrote:

My Whirlpool washer is less than 5 years old and has always performed
flawlessly. Just recently it has started toleakfrom the Left rear
corner, but in a strange way. Itleakswhen first emptying the
original soapy water, but does notleakwhen emptying the rinse
water. We have pulled it out and cleaned up the area that had globs
of soap on the floor. OP suggests that maybe I have been using too
much (liquid) soap. I don't think so, but am willing to entertain any
explanation. But why is this showing up now after trouble-free years?

We don't have a snake, but tried running a coathanger down the vent
to see if a sock or something is blocking, but it snags retty
quickly. Maybe the pipe bends? But if the vent pipe WERE clogged,
the rinse water would be leaking as well. ????

I am not in a great position to spend on a plumber, who might charge
me 1/4-1/2 of the washer's value, but will have to do it if NG doesn't
have any suggestions that we could implement at home.

Any input appreciated.

HB

***Thanks, everybody, for all the great suggestions.

I have been on the wrong track.

OP swears it was water backing up out of the drain. I was making
wrong
assumption that the leak was from the back L. corner of the washer.

To settle the matter I sat on top of themachineduring the entire
cycles
with a strong flashlight trained on the drain and my hand at the ready
on
the shutoff in the panel.

Sure enough, it drained OK for a few seconds, then the tone changed
and water appeared at the lip of the drain. I slammed the shutoff,
losing only a small amt. of water on the floor. Waited a few seconds
and resumed, same thing.

So it's obvious there is a plug somewhere down the drain. Earlier
attempt with a coathanger didn't go far (literally).

Choice of plumber or snake.

Found a helpful video on-line showing the drain being snaked by a
device similar to this one from Home Despot:

http://tinyurl.com/3c9exyo

Uses a drill to rotate instead of by hand. Costs $29.95. ===Anybody
have plus or minus comments about this snake?====

Earlier, exploring on-line, I found derogatory remarks, perhaps from
professionals? about any device below their (electric) heavy-duty
snakes, like anything from Lowe's, Home Depot, etc. is "junk".
Hmmm... if I have to spend a fortune to get a snake that meets their
standards, might as well call a plumber!

I bought one of these
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1...ProductDisplay....
1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
to do a "quick & dirty" attempt to clear an upstairs shower / tub
blocked drain for a former boss.

My neighbor *laughed & called it "a toy".

I laughed too when I successfully cleared the drain in a few minutes
including the time to walk upstairs, clear the drain, test the drain a
couple times and clean & stow the snake / auger.

Now he borrows it so often (he's still doing the neighborhood handyman
thing) that it lives at his house. *

Professional plumbers have serious tools to do serious work and avoid
expensive (ie, free) callbacks.

If you;re clearing your own drain & access is easy...try this simple
tool and see your results.

btw....that shower drain I cleared, used by long haired teenager, is
still clear after 2+ years.

Follow up with regular maintenance using Zep DrainCare.

cheers
Bob

I too have a similar snake... one thing to keep in mind, is that with
some drains it will go up the vent line (leading to the roof) instead of
down through the trap. Accessibility sometimes allows you to look in and
see.

Erik

***Uh, oh! *Accessibiity?? *How can I tell if mine does? *I looked up
the specs for my washer on-line, tried to understand the diagrams;
gave up in dismay. *Those things are so complicated!!! *Guess I'll
have to do trial & error.

Thanks for the heads-up.

HB

***Update: When last heard from, I was about to get a snake to see if
that would clear the (I guess?) clog. I got one for $15 something
that said Manual/Drill. Trying the Manual first, the handle didn't
seem to progress the snake, so I forced it down manually. Pulled up.
Nada. OP got on it and pushed it further -- about 10-12'.
Encountered "resistance" that was probably the trap. Tip came out
clean.

We now have to do the laundry this way: Whoever has the duty stands in
front of the washer with a strong flashlight focused on the drain
hole, monitoring as the water drains. When the tone changes and water
begins to show at the lip, we slam the control knob shut. Very little
water escapes. After a few seconds, we open the control knob and
repeat the procedure. Same with the rinse cycle. This is "effective"
but a PITA. There's got to be a better way!!!

Also, the washer is installed in a narrow cut-out in the kitchen wall
with barely an inch or so on each side. We got tired of pulling the
washer in & out of its home, worried about damaging something in the
guts. So we try to deal with it by chucking rags back there to sop up
the spill; hard to recover them.

This is crazy! We're still trying NOT to call a plumber. Not that I
don't love & honor my nabe plumber, but $$ is tight.

Is there a SAFE and EFFECTIVE drain cleaner we can try? Lots of
brands on the market. I don't want to **** up the (metal) drain.

Sigh!

HB