Washing Machine Drain Clog Hot! Online

No, not literally. But you have to remove the washing machine standpipe trap. Usually, there is a cleanout plug just above the trap. Remove that plug (have a bucket ready). Go in with the auger downstream toward the main line, not upstream toward the washer.

Change your habits, buy a $10 Drain King, and run hot water through that pipe once a month. Your future self, standing in a dry laundry room on a Sunday night, will thank you. Have you pulled a "Flamingo Leg" out of your pipes? Tell us about the worst thing you’ve found in your drain hose in the comments below. washing machine drain clog

Think of a straw in a milkshake. If the straw is clear, you suck easily. If the bottom is clogged with a chunk of strawberry, you get nothing. Your washer pump is the same. It’s trying, but the pipe is blocked. If you were to look inside your clogged drain pipe, you wouldn’t just see water. You would see something plumbers call "P-trap sludge." No, not literally

Here is the trick 90% of DIYers get wrong: Remove that plug (have a bucket ready)

The sludge is winning because you wash your gym clothes, your muddy towels, and your dog beds in cold water with too much soap. Cold water doesn't melt grease. Too much soap creates sludge.

It usually happens on a Sunday night. The hamper is empty, the last load is spinning, and suddenly, your washer beeps an error code: You open the door, and instead of damp, clean clothes, you are greeted by a standing pool of stagnant water.

Your washing machine has a lint filter, but it sucks. You can buy an inline nylon mesh filter that attaches to the end of your grey drain hose. Check it after every 5 loads. You will be horrified (and relieved) by what it catches.