When It Rains..

Ok, I was feeling all high and mighty as a homeowner saving lives and all. My wife decided to run a load of laundry to test out the new and improved filler hoses. (Now remember the hoses (and drain) are behind the refridgerator, and the fridge is back in it's spot against the wall.) I was on the computer ans she said she thought she heard water running from behind the fridge, I got up and shined a flashlight back there and didn't see any drips so I felt confident it was her overactive imagination. I said I would shine the light back there at the next drain cycle. Sure enough, the washer drain was overflowing a bit. Most of the water was going down the drin pipe, but it was rising out the top and running down between the wall studs.

Our house is on a slab and the washer drain is a 2 inch copper pipe that was probably big enough in FREAKING 1958. Well 50 years later, it sucks and there isn't much we can do about it except keep the pipe squeaky clean with a plumber's snake. We generally have it snaked once or twice a year, but we are obviously overdue.

So I had a brilliant idea, pull the fridge back out and get 2 buckets and the next time the washer drained, take turns filling the buckets and dumping them in the sink. Whoda thunk a washer could drain 2 gallons of water faster than I could dump it in the sink. It wasn't too bad at first, but it just kept draining and draining, and with each bucket, about a quart of soapy water sloshed out onto the carpet - about 10 times. Not to mention the rapidly nervous dumping sink water mess. Bring out the shop vac again and turn on the fans and call the plumber. Did I mention I smacked my head on the kitchen cabinet? No stitches, but I saw stars for about an hour..

Yes, it could have been much worse if it had slowly leaked over a longer period, but I have had enough already. So along with the checklist from my last post, check your washer drain while I go get drunk.