Clogged washing machine drain

[Weisass]

I would love to avoid a plumbers trip... any advice? I didn’t think buying a snake was necessarily worth it.

[Sibley]

Well, either buy a snake or call a plumber. Keep in mind that if it's bad enough, you may still need a plumber, ie the big snake that isn't cost effective for a homeowner to buy. Do not pour the drain cleaner down the drain. When every single plumber, even the ones who aren't cleaning out the drain, says not to use them, there's a reason.

Also, if you don't have a lint trap on your washing machine drain, that would help prevent future issues. Not sure how those work with the in wall drains though, mine drains into the utility sink. It catches a lot of lint and cat fur.

[Sunder]

Advice really depends on the drain material, design, and what's blocking it. Drain cleaners have their place but don't always work. On older drains it can damage them.

Likewise snakes/augers don't always work either for many reasons. Bad angles, "self healing" clogs (the snake cuts a small hole through the clog, but it collapses as the auger is pulled out).

If you already have a high pressure cleaner, a hydrojetting attachment is cheaper than an auger and not only works more often, they completely unclog the drain. If you don't,  well sorry, good high pressure cleaners aren't cheap.

Unfortunately, you may have to try a few things to find out what works for you. I'd start by testing how much water goes down to see how far the clog is. If it's not far, you might be abe to dismantle the pipe and clean it by hand. Next I'd try the bicarb and vinegar trick. If I was sure I had a modern pvc drain, I'd give drain cleaner a go. If none of that works, auger or hydrojet, then finally, a professional.

[secondcor521]

Do you mean a washing machine for clothes?

If so, mine clogged up a little while ago.  I ended up removing the hose from both the wall and the washing machine, the latter of which in my case involves taking the washing machine halfway apart.

I then used warm water, agitation, and air pressure from blowing the water out with my mouth like the hose was a bugle, repeating many times until the gunk was cleaned out.

I then reassembled the hose and washing machine.  I also cut the part that went into the standpipe (in my laundry room wall) shorter.  The owner's manual says that you don't want the hose to go too far down into the standpipe, because if it goes too far down, you'll get a siphon effect and the water won't drain and it will both (a) smell, and (b) clog.  Mine did both before, and now it doesn't do either.

Why the washing machine guy who installed my washing machine who probably worked for the store that sold me the washing machine didn't install it correctly is anyone's guess.  Ah well, that was 14 years ago.

...

If you mean some other sort of washing machine, I dunno.  Haven't had bad problems with my dishwasher yet.

[former player]

Possibly a silly point, but just checking that you have checked the drain filter in the machine iteself?  The instructions for use booklet (also probably available on the internet or via the machine's maker) tells you ho to do this.

[secondcor521]

Possibly a silly point, but just checking that you have checked the drain filter in the machine iteself?  The instructions for use booklet (also probably available on the internet or via the machine's maker) tells you ho to do this.

Excellent point.  That gets clogged up on my washing machine about 10 times faster than the actual hose.

[Weisass]

Thanks all. Points of clarification:

It is my clothes washer.
The drain pipe on the basement wall is clogged, not the part that comes off the machine.

[Cranky]

I think you should call a drain company. IME, they are a lot more efficient at clearing a clogged drains n than any home remedy will be.

Last time me washing machine drain was clogged they extracted a bingo dauber from the drawer n. I don’t play bingo and we’d lived in the house more than 20 years.