The 2017 IRC code does not specifically require floor drains to be installed in laundry rooms, but buildings often include them to provide for emergency drainage or to help with other drainage needs (e.g., relief valves, water heater drainage, condensate drainage, etc.).
Why is there a drain in my laundry room?
A drain in a laundry room provides a route out of the room for spilled water. Water on the laundry room floor moves to a 2-inch drain covered by a grate.
Can I drain my washing machine into a floor drain?
You can route a washing machine drain hose directly to a floor drain. I recommend looking up your model on the manufacturer’s website to review any instructions for your particular product, but it typically requires a more-rigid “outer hose” accessory.
How do you clean a floor drain in a laundry room?
Baking Soda and Vinegar
Pour 1 cup of each down your drain. Follow that with 3 cups of boiling water. Wait until the bubbling has stopped, then pour more water down the drain to make sure there are no remaining clogs. If the water is draining slowly, repeat the baking soda and vinegar process.
Do laundry rooms need a floor drain? – Related Questions
How often should floor drains be cleaned?
Two to four times a year, give your floor drains some additional attention. Check for any trapped hair or debris, then use the clog removal techniques above to ensure you don’t have a developing clog. Alternatively, flush your drain with a baking soda and vinegar solution to clear excess particles.
How do you unclog a backed up floor drain?
If the plunger doesn’t do the trick for your floor drains, pour a box of baking soda and a small amount of white vinegar down the drain to see if it unclogs the drain. For serious clogs, a mechanical drain cleaning machine is needed.
How do you snake a laundry floor drain?
What is the best floor drain cleaner?
Experts agree: Drano Max Gel is the best overall drain cleaner because it works quickly to get rid of tough clogs. This reliable and effective cleaner is a thick gel that goes deep in sinks, pipes, and drains to reach the source of the clog and completely dissolve it.
Can you pour bleach down a floor drain?
Bleach kills the beneficial bacteria that break down septic waste. Without the breakdown of solids in your septic tank, your waste system may clog or fail to drain in your yard properly. You may permanently damage your septic system. Bleach and cleaning fluids create toxic gasses when mixed together.
Can I pour vinegar down the floor drain?
Pour the vinegar down the drain to kill the accumulated bacteria and eliminate the sewer gas odors. Let that sit for 10 minutes. Flush the vinegar with more boiling water, and then repeat the entire process several times until the drain is sufficiently clean and odor free.
Does baking soda and vinegar damage drain pipes?
While the baking soda and vinegar solution is effective in breaking down a clog, it will also cause your drain to become more damaged. The baking soda’s abrasive nature will wear down your drain over time. This is why you should avoid using baking soda and vinegar solution for cleaning out your drain.
Why pour hydrogen peroxide down the drain?
Using Hydrogen Peroxide on a Clogged Drain
Hydrogen peroxide dissolves organic matter to loosen and flush away debris such as skin cells. It also disinfects the drain as it works by reducing germs inside your pipes and making your sinks smell fresh and clean.
Why does my basement drain back up when I do laundry?
If you are experiencing a drain backup in your basement, your wash tub basin, or laundry tub, may be the culprit. A quick fix may be to clean the strainer on the drain inlet, which you can easily do yourself. When the trap under the basin is clogged, you can try a plunger to clear the sediment and debris.
Why does my basement smell like sewer when I do laundry?
A Dry Water Trap is Causing the Sewer Smell
The most likely cause is a water trap under a floor drain, laundry tub or wash basin that has dried out from lack of use. Water in any trap under unused drains will eventually evaporate. That would allow sewer gas to come up through the drain into the room.
Can I pour Drano down my basement drain?
Avoid using chemical drain cleaners because they send toxic material into the sewers, and these chemicals can even corrode older plumbing systems.
What would cause a floor drain to back up?
When water backs up out of a floor drain, it usually means there is a clog in the drain line, not the floor drain itself. When there is a clog in the main building drain and water is run down a drain from an upper fixture, water will back up in the drain line until it finds somewhere else to come out.
How do I know if my floor drain is clogged?
The most telltale sign of a main line sewer drain clog is water backing up out of the basement floor. Gurgling and bubbling toilets are often a strong sign of a clog as well.
Listen to your home:
Gurgling noises in your drains or toilet.
Sewer odor.
Water back up or flooding.
Sewage back up.
What are the common floor drain issues?
There are several ways that the pipes in your home can be blocked due to what gets sent down the floor drain. This can include a backup of debris, the crystallization of pipes, overflow issues, and a blockage in the sewer line.