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I had a problem with my washing machine. The pipe that drained the dirty water was clogged, so dirty water was flowing out of it and into the bottom of the house. I have a home warranty (if I can get rid of it, let me know!) but I also have "a guy." He comes over for $20, while the home warranty comes over for $100. Well, he couldn't fix it, so I called the home warranty people. My guy used a snake, and they used a snake, left, and had to come over again with a longer snake. My guy said to use drain cleaner at first, but that didn't work.
Well, yesterday, it backed up again, and I don't even have the 20 to spare, so I got a bottle of Liquid Plumber, brand name, not the stuff I had bought before, I guess. It didn't work last night, but I let it sit overnight, and, hooray, it worked! For those of you going "duh," well, I didn't know I didn't have to call for 3 visits and 3 different snakes. I nearly went out and bought a snake so I wouldn't have to call anyone, but I decided to let Liquid Plumber work first, and it worked. Hooray!
If you know a better remedy than Liquid Plumber, well, I'm sure you do, but instead of building a Big Bang Theory chemistry set, I will use Liquid Plumber until I know better.
Thanks for reading.
Ask a QuestionHere are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community or ask a new question.
I have a clogged drain in my clothes washing machine. We live upstairs and the pipe is too long for a snake. Can I try to fix this myself?
By Margaret Lynn Isaac from Fullerton, CA
I recently had this very same problem. I found a product at the hardware store called "Liquid Lightning" which cleared up the blockage in about 15 minutes.
I have a Maytag 2000 Performance series. First of all, avoid this machine at all costs. It is nothing but trouble. I will never ever buy a Maytag ever again. Again, this machine has become clogged. I'm tired of paying a repair man to remove the front panel and pull a sock out of the drain. I would like to do this myself, but I cannot readily access the screws in which to do this. Any ideas? This is a stacked unit, and the dryer is attached on top of the washer. The repair man has removed the front panel before, seemingly without difficulty.
While I'm at it, where on this good green earth can I find a repair/service manual for this? Surely someone has posted one online.
By Lori S.
My washer is clogged and I don't know how to get it unclogged. If someone could tell me how to get it unclogged so that I do not have to get a handy man to come and do it, that would be great.
Thanks,
Amanda from Jeff City, MO
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
How do you clean out a drain from your washing machine?
By Cathy from Apple Valley, CA
It's possible that it's clogged with a combination of lint and suds. You may have to run a 'snake' to dislodge everything. One other way, is to go to a very good Paint Store (for professionals and contractors) and get a box of TSP (TriSodium Phosphate).
By Cajun
My washing machine works, however, during the spin cycle water gushes out of the drain pipe and leaves a flood on the floor. What can I do to clear out the drain line? Thank you.
Ann
We had to get a snake to unclog ours. A snake is a coiled wire that will go down the drain and you turn it to loosen the clog. There are two kinds that you can get. One is like a spring and the other is flat. I would get the coiled one. We got one that was over 20 feet for about $20.00 at Lowes.
I have had the same problem. I used regular Drano or any other pipe unclogger as I would the kitchen or bathroom sink. Just remember to pour hot water down it. (02/06/2009)
By Jane32425
My husband put the garden hose down the washing machine drain, and turned it on high. This forced the clog out. (02/14/2009)
By Loretta B.
