How to Unclog Your Washing Machine Drain

Every washing machine operates with a well-designed drainage system. Your washer drain is an indispensable part of your washing machine. Imagine a laundry with a water recycling system where your clothes are washed with already used water. A water recycling system without drainage will damage the whole laundry process.

The washing machine drain is a top-notched machine innovation built to promote an effective laundry process through proper water cycling. Your washer drain drains dirty and used water, and resupply the machine with clean water to aid the laundry process.

How Your Washing Machine Drain Works

Unclogging your washing machine drain will demand a working knowledge of how your machine drains and what could make it clog and stop draining. Two critical components are at the center of your washing machine drain – the pump and the drain hose.

The Pump

Washing Machine Drain Pump
Washing Machine Pump

The washing machine pump comprises a bottom half attached to the drain line and the top half attached to the washtub. The bottom half helps cycle wastewater to the drain line while the top half pumps fresh water into the machine.

The motor, which connects the pump, changes direction depending on what your washer is doing. If the washer is running a wash cycle, the motor spins in a particular direction to allow the circulation of fresh water into the machine. If the device is ready to drain, the motor is programmed to reverse direction allowing a spin cycle that pumps wastewater into the drain hose for evacuation.

The Drain Hose

Washing Machine Drain Hose
Washing Machine Drain Hose

The drain hose is a critical component of your washing machine drain. Coiled at the top of the machine before running to the drain, it drains out wastewater and channels it out to the sewage. The structure of the drain hose allows the tube to be filled while draining out wastewater.

A dysfunctional pump or compromised drain is a burden to the device, affecting the performance and efficiency of the machine.

Causes Of Clogged Washing Machine Drain

A clog is one of the most common factors impairing your washing machine’s functioning. Clogs are objects and substances that impede your washing machine drain from functioning properly. Some factors can constitute a clog in your washing machine drain.

Heavy Stains On Clothes

Stubborn stains and dirt can cause clogs in your washing machine drain. After wash cycles, the stubborn stains may settle as built-up lumps and residue, obstructing the flow of water to and fro the device. These heavy stains include oil, grease, gum, and other sticky substances.

Fragments Of Lint

Lint of clothes is a common cause of clogs in your washing machine drain. Lint fragments build up in your washing machine if they are not cleared. It blocks your washing machine drain hindering the draining process.

Residues Of Detergents

Detergents can build up and settle as clogs in your washing machine drain. The detergent build-up is always common when users use highly concentrated washing solutions which do not dissolve easily. After the wash cycle, they settle as residues and constitute a clog in your washing machine drain.

Dirt And Bacterial Residues

An unwashed and uncleared drain allows dirt and bacterial residues to grow in your washing machine drain. After a while, as this dirt and bacteria grow, you will encounter clogs in your washing machine drain.

How to Know When Your Washing Machine Drain is Clogged

Clogs in your washing machine drain are easy to observe and correct. It will be visible based on how the washing machine can drain effortlessly. One of the first things you will notice if your washing machine drain is clogged is that your clothes will still soak wet on spin cycles even when the timer has ended.

You can also perceive the foul smell of mold or bacterial buildup that has grown off the puddles of blocked water in the device. After completing each washing cycle, a clogged washing machine drain will always back up water.

NOTE: Clogs may go unnoticed depending on how serious it is. After each wash cycle, your clothes will always be soggy, but when it is extremely soggy, your washing machine drain may not be efficiently draining due to clogs. Extreme clogs will cause the water to overflow at the standpipe and spill.

How To Unclog Your Washing Machine Drain

Unclog Washing Machine Drain

It’s always an awry experience when you grapple with a poorly performing washing machine because of clogs that will not allow it to drain properly. Your laundry will be affected. It will be soggy, not thoroughly washed by the device. Below are steps you can take to unclog your washing machine drain.

Check And Clean Trap

The trap collects all your sewage from the machine to the sewer. Clogs can gather on the trap. Put a bucket under your trap and screw it open if there is a seal. Clean it thoroughly. You can then close it. Connect it to the drain. Cleaning your trap helps clear possible clogs in your washing machine drain.

Rinse Your Drain

Some clogs may have stuck to some parts of the drain for a long time. Clogs became more resistant to pressures. Rinse the drain thoroughly to clear resistant clogs in your washing machine drain.

Use Boiling Water And Soda Solution

A soda solution mixed with slightly warm water is another reliable method to unclog your washing machine drain. Turn the warm water and the soda into a bucket. Get a funnel.

Remove the hose from the device. Empty the solution into it using the funnel. Pluck back your hose to the device. And use the spin cycle to check whether your device has started draining.

Use A Drain Snake

Drain snakes are a more effective tool in unclogging your washing machine drain. It can help clear more difficult and resistant clogs. Unscrew the trap and push your drain snake into the drain. You will hit the resistant clog.

Rotate, push and shake the drain snake inside the drain. Continuous hitting at the clog with the drain snake will help unclog your washing machine drain.

Use Sewer Hose To Mount High-Pressure Cleaners

High-pressure Cleaners are effective agents that can clear highly resistant and difficult clogs. Use a sewer hose to force your high-pressure cleaner through the drain and water to flush away the clogs. The high-pressure cleaners weakened the clogs in your team, allowing the water to wash it off when used to clean the drain easily

How To Care For Your Washing Machine Drain

Your washer drain performs an essential function in your washing machine. Clogs hamper the performance and efficiency of your washing machine drain. Below are guides on how to preserve and maintain your washing machine drain.

Clear Lint

You can use a garment or lint bag to remove lint in your washing machine drain. Don’t allow it to gather. Check and clear lint regularly.

Clean Your drain

Proper cleaning of your washing machine drain keeps it in its best shape for a good wash cycle. Use recommended cleaners to wash and rinse your drain regularly.

Straighten Kinks

Check for kinks in your washing machine drain. Examine the drain hose carefully and ensure you keep them straightened always.

Remove Clogs

Clogs impair the functioning of your washer drain. Use the above-recommended steps to clean and clear clogs regularly in your washer.

Do not overload

Overloading is another threat to your washing machine drain. Use optimal load. Don’t use more clothes than your device can’t support on a wash cycle.

Good Water Level

Maintain an optimal supply of water during the wash cycle. The drain works well when you are underfilling or overfilling the machine.

Good Positioning

Shaky, slanting, and unbalanced devices are not good for your washing machine drain. Avoid tiled floors. It will make your device shift and shake when it is working. Firmly fix your device to its stand.

Avoid Soapy Detergents

Your washing machine drain is highly susceptible to highly concentrated and soapy detergents. Don’t use them. It can easily clog your device

Check Your Clothes For Heavy Stains And Grimes

Check your clothes for heavy stains and crimes before inserting them into the wash drum. If possible, wash the stains manually before cleaning the cloth in your device, especially when using a non-agitator washer. Oils, grease, and other stubborn stains will likely form clogs on your washing machine drain.

Call the experts

Some drain problems may be far beyond “Do It Yourself” fixes. Contact your technician when problems are more complex and technical.

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