Sewer seal for washing machine - do they work?

[Digitalbanana]

Just got a new washing machine but its larger than before and the water outflow is too great for the 6 cm diameter house drain pipe to handle, it backs up and floods floor. So do these simple seals work? And if so where to buy them, everywhere on Lazada and Shopee seems to be out of stock or a long wait time?

 

Cheers,

[OneMoreFarang]

I like to hear your experience if you try it. But I think it is not a good idea - in theory.

 

If your existing drainage pipe is bigger than the outflow of the washing machine and the drain in clean, then that should be good enough.

Is the drain maybe clogged and needs cleaning?

 

The reason why I think the seals are not a good idea is because for the water to flow there must be air coming after the water. Otherwise there is a vacuum (kind of) on top of the water pipe and for that reason the water won't flow easily.

 

[IvorBiggun2]

If it backs up then I do not see one of these seals working. Fit a larger pipe system is the way to go in my opinion.

[HighPriority]

Yep, OMF nailed it imho.

Your waste water pipe is likely blocked, clogged or flowing uphill.

60mm pipe should be able to drain the Atlantic, given enough time… ????

[tomazbodner]

I use similar seal that works directly on plastic pipe - seems to be working, less/no smell which there was before, and no bugs coming out of the pipes.

 

Have similar thing also on floor drains in bathroom for same reasons. But they are softer and have a magnetic seal at the bottom so they only open up when water is flowing through them, but else remain closed. It's important to buy the correct size, though, else they do nothing.

 

For your situation, though - these won't do a thing. They don't magically unclog the pipes, nor do they fit snug enough to stop water from pushing back. And if they did, that dirty water would go straight into the washing machine, which you also don't want.

 

Unblock the pipes, then install this to prevent bugs and smell.

[HighPriority]

In Australia, to prevent odours we would install a “P” trap (S bend, same/same) with the washing machine emptying into that. 

[quake]

7 minutes ago, HighPriority said:

In Australia, to prevent odours we would install a “P” trap (S bend, same/same) with the washing machine emptying into that. 

That's handy to know.

When you are in Thailand and the washing machine is siting on a concrete floor with a plastic pipe sticking out the floor. 

 

 

 

[HighPriority]

9 minutes ago, quake said:

That's handy to know.

When you are in Thailand and the washing machine is siting on a concrete floor with a plastic pipe sticking out the floor. 

 

 

 

A CONCRETE FLOOR !!! ??? ????

Luckily for me we don’t have concrete floors in Australia, never seen one… ????

Sometimes that pipe comes out of the wall !!

Black magic voodoo shiite !

 

The “P trap” fits that pvc pipe. ????

You might need to fit a socket and riser pipe before you fit the “P trap”, but guess what ? No aromas rising from your unsealed pipe…

[OneMoreFarang]

The following might be useful for you. It's from the manual of my new Electrolux washing machine.

I guess it is very similar with many machines.

 

[OneMoreFarang]

Here is also an "official" instruction why such a seal is not a good idea.

It's a part of the document above.

[quake]

Op, Can you tell me,  are you using a standard top loader washing machine that has gravity emptying of the tub, at the lowliest point of the machine. and the drain pipe goes direct into a pipe in a ceramic / concrete floor ?

 

 

 

 

[quake]

14 hours ago, HighPriority said:

A CONCRETE FLOOR !!! ??? ????

Luckily for me we don’t have concrete floors in Australia, never seen one… ????

Sometimes that pipe comes out of the wall !!

Black magic voodoo shiite !

 

The “P trap” fits that pvc pipe. ????

You might need to fit a socket and riser pipe before you fit the “P trap”, but guess what ? No aromas rising from your unsealed pipe…

Thank you for showing me your lack of understanding of how a standard Thai house is usually constructed and the standard type of washing machine that is used in these homes. 

 

[Digitalbanana]

2 hours ago, quake said:

Op, Can you tell me,  are you using a standard top loader washing machine that has gravity emptying of the tub, at the lowliest point of the machine. and the drain pipe goes direct into a pipe in a ceramic / concrete floor ?

Yes, exactly - in a house at ground level. The user manual simply as below.

[quake]

2 hours ago, Digitalbanana said:

Yes, exactly - in a house at ground level. The user manual simply as below.

Ok.

You can get the plastic/rubber thing you posted.

but you will still need to seal round it with silicon sealer.

the DIY stores will have a rubber bung/boss that will fit the pipe and the opening in the floor but they are expensive and will most likely still leak a little.

 

I doubt the pipe in the floor is blocked as you had no issue before.

it's the volume of water trying to go down the pipe.

 

This is what I do, have done in  several Thai style homes.

forget any insert, just buy a good quality, ( not a cheap one ) clear silicone sealer 

and silicone the pipe straight in the floor. let it set 24 hours. 

 

clean and dry and key , all surfaces first.

cut the pipe to the correct length, leaving enough to pull the machine out if needed in the future.

make sure you push a good 2 inch of the pipe in the floor covered in silicon, and smooth a lot round the top when finished.

yes it a bit messy, but will last a few years.

easy to redo, easy to get out if needed.

Good luck. 

 

 

 

 

 

[quake]

Must be some issue with people

from OZ / America  , , 

 

Maybe water does flow up hill.

just as the Thais,  try and get it to do. .

 

 

[Digitalbanana]

3 hours ago, quake said:

You can get the plastic/rubber thing you posted.

but you will still need to seal round it with silicon sealer.

Yes, there are some Youtube videos showing the same. Will give it a try. Just cannot seem to buy this online so will need to wait for me to get time to visit a DIY store. Opening up drains and cleaning them out is a very last option for me at moment, but I don't think they are blocked.

 

Was also thinking there must be some device I can stick on outflow pipe from the washing machine to lower the drainage rate? But cannot see anything online so far.

[quake]

13 minutes ago, Digitalbanana said:

Yes, there are some Youtube videos showing the same. Will give it a try. Just cannot seem to buy this online so will need to wait for me to get time to visit a DIY store. Opening up drains and cleaning them out is a very last option for me at moment, but I don't think they are blocked.

 

Was also thinking there must be some device I can stick on outflow pipe from the washing machine to lower the drainage rate? But cannot see anything online so far.

If the pipe is sealed in,  with what ever way you do it.

The out  flow will regulate it's self.

Thing is, it's Thai plumbing, anything could be going on underground from the day the place was built.

best left alone, if you can.

 

Ps are you 100% sure nobody has dropped anything down the pipe.

when the old /new washing machine  was

put in. ?

 

 

 

[Digitalbanana]

23 hours ago, quake said:

are you 100% sure nobody has dropped anything down the pipe.

I doubt it. The pipe was capped off and never used since the house was built. Maybe a design fault from the beginning. We decided to try it for first time ever and it overflows as the drain is too slow.

 

I visited a Mr DIY shop, they have all the drainpipe/washing machine accessories but not the seals as in o/p. I therefore suspect they are not popular and don't work that well anyway, so will pass. I simply bought an extension drainage tube for the machine instead, that reaches another outdoor drain, not very elegant, but until I can get the guys in to see whats wrong with the in room drain it will have to do.

[sandyf]

28 minutes ago, Digitalbanana said:

I doubt it. The pipe was capped off and never used since the house was built. Maybe a design fault from the beginning. We decided to try it for first time ever and it overflows as the drain is too slow.

Are you absolutely sure it is a drain pipe. If it was a glued cap it may possibly part of some pest control pipework.

The other possibility it is a soakaway, rather than part of the water system, and the other end needs clearing.

If not on main drainage a normal drain would go to the grey water tank. You could pour some milk down the pipe and have a look in the grey water tank and see if it is coming through or not.

Some years ago I had a similar problem. That was down to the builder not putting enough fall on the pipe and sediment built up restricting flow. That is unlikely on a pipe that has never been used, unless the pipe feeds into another pipe where the restriction is not so evident. I became aware of the washing machine problem when water started to come up the shower drain.

I designed my house so I knew where to dig down and correct the problem, may not be so easy if that is the problem. Good luck.

[quake]

6 hours ago, Digitalbanana said:

The pipe was capped off and never used since the house was built. Maybe a design fault from the beginning.

That's a whole different case mate.

Maybe you should have stated that in the first place.

 

If its your own house, get someone in to sort it out

If its a rental  home, hard to get landlord to sort it.

just go with the fix you have.