Contractor installed this convoluted p-trap + elbow for the washer, and I’m not sure if it’s up to code. Can you confirm and more importantly explain why or why not it’s compliant?
I manufacture electrical outlet covers for a living…day in and day out, pressing the “make outlet cover button”, it’s incredibly technical. Anyway, you house just seems to be off by 25 degrees or so. I would just rotate it back to fix all the problems I see.
Not a plumber but I am an inspector. This will not pass in Chicago or Illinois.
No trap will form.
Yea. Looks like they created a S trap. It’s just gonna siphon and then let gasses back into the washed clothes.
You got a turdbo charger!
Poop-de-loop.
I’m no plumber, but I’ve done a lot of DIY around the house. I wouldn’t be concerned with the ptrap, probably. I’d be concerned with brand new plumbing with nonstandard adapters hanging over a bunch of exposed electrical.
Holy shit, I didn’t even notice the multiple abominations with electrical connections in that picture, I was mesmerized by the plumbing madness.
Lol. No. Gonna get syphoned out ever time a toilet flushes past that or every time it pumps. No air gap/ directly connected prohibited by codes in most places. I mean it’ll work until it doesn’t. The proper way to do this is with a laundry tub dumped into a proper vented container/basin pump. Or run a drain over from that other pit and put a 48" stand pipe with a 2" trap.
No, and the electrical outlets really don’t help.
So draining against gravity is bad. The electric outlet cover should be screwed into place and if that’s a dryer vent the lint will collect and clog creating a fire hazard. In sorry, but, that whole setup is janky.
Edit: oh jeeze you have a whole outlet hanging out too.
Edit: I saw your other picture, I too am no plumber, but, none of that looks right
Get that flammable plastic bullshit exhaust duct the fuck outta there.
I’m sorry but … what an absolute mess
You mentioned that your main drain is a bit higher than the floor of the basement. I have the same situation, my drain is about two feet off the floor of my concrete basement. The washing machine drain was placed to drain towards the lowest point of the main drain. Everything else in the house with a drain is in upper floors.
I’d rearrange the plumbing to build a drain as close to the four foot level as possible for the washing machine … instead of trying to build a solution 6 or 7 feet up in the air … you’re asking for trouble if you are making your washing machine drain up to a high point.
I remember once renting a place that was an old house with a brand new concrete basement … the main drain was close to ground level that went to a septic tank and field. Their solution was to install the washing machine in the basement, drain down to the floor level, then to a grey water pump unit in a big box that was 3x3x3 feet … and that pushed the water up to the main drain. I don’t think washing machines are meant to push water that high up and you will probably constantly have a bit of grey water backing down to the washing machine.
UPDATE thanks all for the comments, just a few clarifications and updates:
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all electrical work is work-in-progress, we’re finishing it up tomorrow, it’s still an active worksite. The old outlet and old bx wiring is being removed, we’ll only have the newer wiring (and of course all outletd will be in their gangboxes and covers will be on)
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the dryer vent will be changed and installed without sag when we finalize
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the 4" abs drain connects to the old one with a rubber fernco gasket, those do require hose clamps and they’re up to code (though the top clamp could be straightened!)
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the water lines are pex, they’re all good
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we don’t have a choice but to push the water up with the washer pump - the drain evacuates to the city sewer around hip level in that basement
The worries for me are really the 90° out of the sump pump and the other 90° into the drain column, shouldn’t that be a downward Y? And the double S p-trap, is it creating some risk?
Glad to hear the dryer vent is being changed, that actually worried me most. It’s wasn’t the sag, but the extra length, the sharp bends, and the duct material.
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Not a plumber but, I have to ask. …
The black snakey pipe that does a loop is the drain line? And the washer drains into it from far below against gravity through that thin flexible hose? And it is held on with a hose clamp at the end? I’m no expert, but I wonder about those things…
The hot and cold inlet lines also, I’ve been told always fail eventually and that you should use the metal ones instead.
And is that silver ducting the drier vent? If so, that’s a problem too.
The hot and cold inlet lines also, I’ve been told always fail eventually and that you should use the metal ones instead.
You’re probably confusing Pex for CPVC. PEX is fine (even if I have a preference for copper I have to be real here).
I’m pretty sure one of the 90 degree angles could be done away with.
The top one, where the washer drain comes in? Or further down?
I think that I could tie it directly into the main. but I’m also incredibly fucking high. so you may want a second opinion.