Air Lock in Washer Drain?

[miyagi]

We had a leak in the drain of the washing machine due to a screw being driven too far into the wall. The screw happened to punch a hole in the bottom of the trap of the washer drain plumbing. I cut a section of dry wall out around the trap, patched the hole in the PVC left by the screw with JB Weld (knowing this is a temporary solution) and thought I was home free.

Now the washing machine is unable to empty itself without overflowing the drain pipe in the wall. The drain is behaving as if it is partially clogged since it is no longer able to handle the necessary flow required by the washing machine. I am not sure what could be causing this behavior all of a sudden. One thought is air was introduced to the plumbing and is now trapped somewhere. What is a good way for me to proceed in diagnosing/repairing this issue? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Mr_David]

First thing I would do is had the drain clean with.
I'll presume it is a 2" drain and p-trap.
Probably just a coincidence.

 

[bob1231]

Are you sure the drain is not clogged did screw break off stuck inside and possibly collecting debris

 

[havasu]

Are you sure the drain is not clogged did screw break off stuck inside and possibly collecting debris

This is a great thought I never considered!

 

[miyagi]

Appears my leak was unrelated to my overflow problem as Mr_David suggested. After running an auger in the pipe, I found quite a bit of debris. With the debris removed I have been able to do a load of laundry without having to manually start/stop washer during drain cycle to avoid flooding utility room!

One final question, after removing the debris with the auger (looked like wet lint), I went further with the auger and ran into what looks like mud. Is this normal. After pulling the auger out with only this "mud" attached a couple of times, I stopped and figured it was just sediment in the pipes. Washer seems to work now, but should I try remove all this "mud" I found or worry about it?

Thanks again!

 

[havasu]

I'm guessing sediment from a poorly sloped drain line. If it is in fact mud, you have big problems. For future reference, you can add a small screen on the washer outlet hose to trap the lint before it becomes a blockage.