Query on adding washing machine waste to handbasin

[ajn1982]

Morning all

We are moving to a new property, and I want to put the washing machine in a ground floor bathroom next to the handbasin. I assume I can simply take a cold feed off the supply to the handbasin, but I'm less sure about the waste.

The handbasin waste looks like a standard size, and disappears downwards and outwards under the floor. There is no gully outside, so I assume it joins a covered drain somewhere. Can I simply join the new washing machine waste to this waste? Or won't it be big enough to manage the waste from a washing machine? Because the current waste pipe disappears underground, there doesn't seem to be an option to upgrade it to a bigger size if this is necessary, and I can't simply take the waste from the washing machine out through the wall, as there's no gully there to drain it into.

All advice very gratefully received! Many thanks.

 

[Riley]

Your cold feed will need to be mains pressure I believe so ensure that your basin cold is mains fed rather than tank fed.

In terms of the waste whilst it would probably work, normally waste pipe for kitchen appliances should be run in 40mm / 1.5" waste pipe. I would be tempted if it were me to up size the waste pipe. To avoid future problems

 

[ajn1982]

Thank you. How can I up-size the waste pipe, as it disappears under the floor? Do I have to dig the floor up?

 

[Riley]

Potentially yes. Are there alternatives?? Is ther categorically no way of getting the waste to anywhere else?? You say it's a bathroom is there a bath or shower?? Both of these should be on 40mm

 

[ajn1982]

There is a bath, but its waste goes directly down into the ground, so not very accessible. Plus there's nowhere near it for a washing machine. I think it's a nonstarter.

If I'm going to have to dig it up somewhere, might it be best to do so outside (so as not to damage or disrupt the bathroom internally), find the waste, make a new small gully and feed the washing machine waste through the wall and into this new gully? Thanks

 

[Riley]

You could extend the washing machine waste so that the machine can still sit in a practical place

 

[ajn1982]

Unfortunately that won't work: the only place the washing machine can go in the room is diagonally opposite the bath waste! Sorry…

 

[Riley]

Worth a try. Are there any external drains that you could maybe run a longer rigid pipe to?

 

[turnpin]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't believe a washing machine is allowed in a bathroom because of the risk of electrocution......Turnpin

 

[Riley]

I did think this too Turnpin but I see so many by me where the bathroom is actually a bathroom /utility room. Granted it doesn't make it right but seems very common

 

[turnpin]

I too have seen this but still don't believe it's right.......regards Turnpin

 

[Riley]

Is it on the zoning basis perhaps?? If you can't reach the washing machine in the bath then you're ok :wink: purely and simply there aren't power sockets in bathrooms for a reason

 

[ajn1982]

Thank you Riley and Turnpin. I though that you could put a washing machine in a bathroom as long as it is wired in directly, not plugged into a socket?

 

[Masood]

There is a bath, but its waste goes directly down into the ground, so not very accessible. Plus there's nowhere near it for a washing machine. I think it's a nonstarter.

If I'm going to have to dig it up somewhere, might it be best to do so outside (so as not to damage or disrupt the bathroom internally), find the waste, make a new small gully and feed the washing machine waste through the wall and into this new gully? Thanks

Can't you take the waste through the wall and run it round to the soil stack?

 

[ajn1982]

There's no soil stack visible. It all appears to disappear underground.

 

[Sparkgap]

I moved my washing machine into the conservatory several months ago. It has the normal 40mm trap and stub pipe then reduces down to 32mm to go through the wall and connect to the basin waste in the adjacent toilet. Never had any problems.