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Hi, I have a Blomberg Comet machine and its fine for washing but has a weird fault.
The drum began filling with water when machine was off. So, thinking it was a leaky inlet valve I turned off mains water. Still filled up, random amounts at a time, but generally slow.
Anyway, I deceided it had to be an issue with the machine not draining so cleaned up the u-bend. Water flows out of the machine fine, but again, even with the water off it started to come back into the main drum!
During this time I shut the door incase it overflowed. It filled up past the door level. I left it for 3 days like this 🙁 Now back together and it smells really bad – like mouldy potatos!
Still gets water in it, I am sure its water from the sink going up the pipe and forcing water from the ubend into the machine, but can’t work out why it would be doing that at all!!
Any help gratefully received – especially to get rid of this smell!!!
Re: Weird filling issue and smell!
you have obviously got an undersink trap. with some of these the inlet for the washing machine drain is at the same height as the outlet going to the grid. result every time you drain the sink it fills the washer. the answer is simple tie the outlet hose up as high as you can under the sink (water cant climb hills)
Dave
Re: Weird filling issue and smell!
Hi Dave
Thanks for the quick reply. Yes its def. back filling but as far as I can see everything is plumbed correctly. There is one problem – the pipes from the washer are the same as the sink (its a cloak room sink) which isn’t normal recommended size for washers but doesnt seem to make a diff.
Thats a diagram. You say water cant go up hills, but seems like it has to be!
Re: Weird filling issue and smell!
It is very common for waste pipe from washing machine to line the inside of wastepipes with a build-up of soap deposits and limescale.(Thick grey gunge- YUK!) Especially if the ‘fall’ from washing machine to sink/drain outlet is shallow. Clothing fibres add to the problem and restrict the flow so badly it backs up and overflows the top of the waste system!
You will need to remove and clean the ‘U’ Trap and possibly rod clear the pipework towards the outlet to clear this debris effectively. Mr Muscle Drain Clearing solution or similar products do not do the job as effectively 🙁
Re: Weird filling issue and smell!
I have cleaned (in fact replaced in the end!) the u bend for the machine, it was gunked but not too bad. Sounds like i need to rod the lower end of the pipe by the sink. Trouble is its all so badly fitted it will probably need replacing!
Thanks again.
Re: Weird filling issue and smell!
Don’t forget you also need to ensure there is an airbreak where the appliance hose fits to the plumbing (appears to be lacking in your drawing)….refer to your instructions which will give details of how to arrange this.
This will have two effects…firstly it will prevent the machine from syphoning out during the wash, and secondly it will prevent any backflow from the plumbing into the machine.
Note It does mean that if your waste plumbing system blocks up then it will overflow at the point where the machine hose fits to it so you must ensure that it flows freely…a pain but really this is the correct way (and hence most trouble-free) to plumb the machine in.
Re: Weird filling issue and smell!
ok ok this is what i thought – the pipe from the machine is sealed onto the ubend – is this right?
I dont have instructions!
Re: Weird filling issue and smell!
I suspect the inlet valve is allowing the water to fill the machine (in spite of the fact that you think the water is shut off?)
(Those little blue levered stopcocks are natorious for not shutting off when you think they are!)
Try taking the water inlet hoses off the machine and then use the sink to see if the water from the sink flows back into your machine. Judging by your graphic I doubt that very much as water does not flow uphill 🙁
Oh! And indeed the outlet hose from your machine should have an ‘air gap’ at the point where it hooks into the waste outlet pipe, as clivejameson mentioned earlier 🙂
Re: Weird filling issue and smell!
Anonymous wrote: the pipe from the machine is sealed onto the ubend – is this right?
Absolutely not! The air gap at the end of the machine hose will prevent the water syphoning out of the mchine and down the drain. You must ensure the open end of the machine drain hose is always above the highest water level in the drum.
As a rough guide this should be between approx 26ins(650mm) and 32ins(800mm) above the floor.
In this type of installation the drain hose is simply hooked into the top of a vertical section of rigid plastic waste pipe at the bottom of which is a ‘U’ trap tp prevent drain smells from entering the room.
As per my previous post this will prevent any backflow into the machine but blocked drains may cause an overflow at this point.
Re: Weird filling issue and smell!
Excellent! well I can’t blame me for the plumbing! The only issue is, due to the location of the drains as per my diagram, a traditional set up would be hard – so I will attempt to make some air gap somehow!
Martin – I know the water is off, I too had little trust in my little blue and red taps, so took it one stage further back and tested, no water is getting into the machine via the inlet hoses.
Water CAN go uphil if it is under pressure and from what I can see, and now backed up on here, I am convinved the water is displacing the air wo when i empty my sink its pushing air up my outlet pipe and pushing water from the ubend, into my machine!
I may be wrong but i will remove the outlet pipe and see!
Thanks again for the help
Re: Weird filling issue and smell!
how about replacing the pipe if possible from washer to drain with 40mm and a t pice with a recucer to 32mm pipe to the sink. and allow better falls and cliping of pipes to prevent saging. all depending on what pipe sizes you allready have of course. or for a quick fix get some good drain cleaner from a local plumbers merchants. does the drain pipe connect to a internal soil stack ❓ or through wall to a external drain ❓
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