Washing Machine Flood

janninew

Hi,

This morning before work I put my washing machine on, I went home at lunch to a flooded kitchen The water from my washing machine had backed up and come up through my kitchen sink and over flowed onto the floor/work top. I emptied the sink using a jug, as it was not draining through the plug hole. I have no idea what is causing this, I thought maybe the pipe was frozen? The sink and washer have been fine, the water has been draining from the sink as normal until this morning. The drain outside also is free from a blockage?

Any ideas? I can't use my washer or sink at the moment!

paddy's_mum

A kettleful of boiling water down the plughole should help, especially if the sink is blocked with either fatty deposits or some ice.

I used to do that - put a machine on and come home a few hours later. In fact, I did it right up until the time my Hotpoint washing machine caught fire due to a design fault .... fortunately, while I was at home and able to call out the Fire Brigade..

As awful as a flooded kitchen might be, it could have been so much worse.

philbostavros

I assume that your W/M outlet hose connects to the sink waste pipe?

Sounds like your sink waste trap is either frozen or blocked (or both).

Depending on the type, you will need to undo it (if you post a picture, someone can give more detailed advice) to check where the blockage is.

If you suspect it is frozen, you could either try using a hairdryer or pour some hot water down the plug-hole to see if it solves the problem.

First though, double check the wate pipe outside - you say it's not blocked but it could be frozen back inside the pipe - stick your finger up inside to see if you can feel any blockage - if so, same remedy applies.

Hope this helps