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Does Washing Machine Drain Need a Trap? (Read This First!)

You may not spend a single day without the washing machine. After a long time, you cannot use your washing machine because of some damage.

You need to check the washing machine’s health regularly and become sure about its uses. But to find the perfect trap or other components will be challenging.

Sometimes, you need to look for the perfect compatible components. If you try to install the mismatched components, they will damage the washing machine’s performance. Let’s see what’s the ideal trap for washing machines.

Does the washing machine drain need a trap?

The washing machine drain needs a trap. If you do not have a trap, the sewer gasses will have a direct path into your home because a pool of water at the bottom of the trap effectively seals the pipes. Besides, the gasses will have a direct path into your home.

In addition to being full of potentially harmful organisms that you can inhale, the gasses that come from sewers, such as methane, can also catch fire. If the washing machine is located in a closed room, omitting the trap could create a problem.

These traps also make it possible for homeowners to easily and quickly retrieve small items that have been lost down the drain. To cut a long story short, they are an essential component of the plumbing design used in modern homes.

You will find different traps for your washing machine to drain correctly. You will have other options, but the P-trap will adjust to your washing machine drain. If you have some other traps, you should try to use that and ensure the washing machine.

P-trap:

The only case where you do not need a P-trap on your washing machine drain line is if the washing machine drains to a gray water tank. The water collected in a gray water tank has been filtered to remove any traces of sewage or waste from the kitchen.

A p trap is a u-shaped pipe meant to capture liquid or gas to prevent unwanted flow, most notably sewage gasses from entering buildings while allowing garbage to pass through.

Almost all draining domestic appliances have p-traps. P-traps drain water from sinks, bathtubs, and washing machines.

Do all washers have a Traps?

All washers do not have a trap. Most washing machines don’t have a lint trap on the inside, and the ones that do won’t even come close to catching the tiny fibers that can harm the environment.

Lint traps are not included in high-efficiency (HE) washing machines manufactured in recent years, regardless of whether the machine is front- or top-loading.

Instead, it utilizes a self-cleaning pump filter to eliminate any lint that may have gotten into the wash. Despite this, it is good to run an empty wash cycle once a month to clear out the pump filter of any excess lint.

If you buy an updated and modern washing machine, it might not have a drain trap. It will come with an updated drainage system inside the machine. But, it may also go wrong, and you need to repair it like the manual washing machine drain.

What is code for washing machine drain?

If you want the drain hose on your Top-Load washer to work correctly, you should follow some codes. These codes include the drain itself, drain pipe, the diameter, etc.

First, the drain itself needs to be at least 30 inches off the ground and no more than 8 feet high. The drain itself needs to be at least 24 inches off the ground.

In order to guarantee adequate drainage, the drainpipe ought to have an inside diameter of at least one and a half inches. The outer diameter of the washer drain hose is 1-1/4″. (outside diameter).

The drain plumbing needs to be at least 30 inches high for top-loading washing machines.

This ensures that water won’t be sucked out of the machine during the spin cycle.

The drain hose on brand-new top-loading washing machines should be inserted into the drainpipe within 5 inches.

The drain hose for front-loading washing machines should extend into the drainpipe for no more than seven inches.

These are some basic codes for using or repairing a washing machine drain trap. There will be some other codes that you need to follow depending on your living state codes.

2 reasons why washing machine need a trap

If you want to know why your washing machine needs a trap, you will mostly find two significant reasons. For these two reasons, preventing sewer gas is the main concern. You cannot expect to run your washing machine without the drain trap.

Prevent Sewer Gas:

Because the drain pipe connects to the sewer or septic system, the pipe has the potential to act as a conduit through which sewer gas can enter your home.

When you drain your washer, a portion of the water that would typically go down the pipe is collected in the trap.

It cannot travel up the curve and continue down the drainpipe because gravity is stopping it. This water in the bent portion of the pipe acts as a seal, preventing sewer gas from entering your home and ensuring that it cannot come up through the drain.

Filter Biodegradable Materials:

Another reason why washing machines need a trap is designed to filter out biodegradable material. In addition to this, it will filter out anything that goes into your septic system that won’t decompose.

For instance, the filter in your washing machine can remove fibers that are almost impossible to decompose and are produced whenever polyester or nylon items are laundered.

It can also catch the fur and hair of pets, which can then ball up and cause problems.

Where is my washing machine drain trap filter?

Many of us do not consider that a washing machine drain trap filter has been installed in that portion, which many do not believe.

It is installed in different places in different brands of washing machines, so the best thing is that you can determine the location of the drain trap filter of the washing machine by looking at the user manual.

But if you do not get the user manual or lose it, you may check those parts that we experienced as a professional.

It could be located in front of the unit behind a small hatch, toward the finish of the waste hose, under the front of your center agitator, or drum’s top edge of your washing machine.

It is safe to say that the drain trap filter of a washing machine is not known unless it is thoroughly checked where it is located. Therefore, you should read the manual and find out everything and the direct location of your drain trap.

How do you put a trap on a washing machine drain?

To put a trap on a washing machine drain, you must take the necessary steps. For your help, we have shared some ways that you follow to go through your desired outcome. I hope you will benefit from our description.

If you follow my tips and instructions, you can only set up a trap on a washing machine drain in three steps. Let’s follow the directions and put a trap on a washing machine drain.

Find the drain:

Generally, the drain of a washing machine is a line behind the device that the hose on the machine fills. The hose is appended firmly to the drain some of the time, or the hose may essentially be pushed within it.

After identifying the drain, you need to know which is for cold water and which one is for hot water. Then find out the mark that indicates the final drain because other lines are indicated red and blue for hot and cold water.

Pour water inside the line:

After getting this hot water line, you need to put hot water down there to clear it out because to attach a trap, you need to clear the way of the passing line properly.

When you apply water, the dirt accumulated in the line will be completely cleaned. If we can do everything correctly, we will reach the final stage, where the trap will be attached.

Attach the trap:

After doing everything right, you will come to this stage and consider setting a trap on a washing machine drain.

Ideally, the trap is thin and looks like a net; then, it will be attached to the drain where the dirt or dirty water on clothes passes out. Thus you can put a trap on a washing machine to drain quickly.

Final Thoughts

Although you might run your washing machine without installing any traps, you cannot use it for a long time. In short, your washing machine drain needs a trap. And you can use the P-trap for it. If you don’t use the drain trap, it will damage the washing machine’s performance.