People love their washing machines up until the moment the appliances stop draining properly and leak water all over the floor. There are several reasons why washing machines may malfunction in this way, but the issue is usually because either the internal or external drain is blocked. Here are two tips for diagnosing the plumbing problem, which will get you halfway to solving it.
Find Where the Water Is Coming From
Finding out where the water is leaking from will help you narrow down the issue. If water is leaking from inside the machine, then the problem is most likely the drain tube. This is the part of the machine that moves the dirty water to the drain in the floor underneath the appliance. When this tube gets blocked, it causes the water to stay in the machine and eventually cause an overflow if more water is dumped into the appliance (e.g. during a rinse cycle).
Luckily, this is a pretty easy fix. Use the owner's manual or the manufacturer's website to locate the tube. Remove it, visually inspect the interior, and then clean out the tube if it's the problem. You can also completely replace it if the drain tube is damaged or too clogged to repair.
If the water is leaking out from the bottom of the machine, then the clog is in the floor drain. To confirm this, you'll need to move the machine and take a look inside the pipe. Water from this pipe discharges to the main sewer line. So, if the water is draining extremely slowly, then this is the source of the problem.
Determine Where the Clog Is
To figure out whether you can fix a clogged floor drain yourself or you need to call in a professional, you have to determine exactly where the clog is in the pipe. Wait until the water has emptied from the drain completely. Depending on how bad the clog is, it may take a while. Once the drain is clear, begin pouring water into the pipe.
If the drain fills quickly, that means the clog is fairly close to the surface. You can either use a chemical drain cleaner or a drain snake to clear the blockage. However, if it takes a long time for the water to back up into the laundry room, that means the clog is a lot further down and you'll need to have a professional handle the blockage for you, because the person will have better tools that can reach.
For more tips on diagnosing and dealing with clogs in your laundry room, contact a local plumber who can fix the issue.
