In many triple-deckers and older single-families around Boston, the washer sits in a basement below the main sewer line or next to a laundry tub with a small pump. That setup works, but it adds failure points a first-floor laundry room doesn't have. When a basement washer "won't drain" or overflows, the problem is often the drain path rather than the washer.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Can you DIY it? | Partly. Clearing lint and checking the pump. |
| How urgent? | High if water is overflowing onto the floor |
Is it the washer or the basement drain?
The washer is the problem if water stays in the drum and the drain hose is dry, or the washer hums without pumping.
The basement drain is the problem if the washer pumps out but water backs up out of the standpipe or overflows the laundry tub.
What goes wrong with basement laundry?
Laundry tub pumps clog with lint. Many basements have a laundry tray with a small pump that lifts water up to the sewer line. Lint wraps around the float switch or impeller, and the tub overflows.
Standpipes are too short or clogged. Older standpipes collect decades of lint and soap. A modern washer pumps faster than an old pipe can take.
The washer pump works too hard. When a washer has to lift water a long way, its pump wears faster.
Floor drains back up in heavy rain. That's a sewer issue, not the appliance, but it often gets blamed on the washer.
What can I safely check myself?
- •Run a drain-only cycle and watch exactly where the water goes.
- •With the tub drained and your hands dry, lift the laundry tub pump's float switch by hand. If the pump doesn't kick on, the pump or float switch is the issue.
- •Put a lint trap or mesh sock on the washer drain hose if it empties into a tub.
- •Clean the washer's own pump filter.
When should I call a technician?
Call us when the washer itself won't pump out. If the standpipe, tub pump or sewer line is the problem, a plumber is the right call, and we'll tell you if that's what we find.
Elliott's take
In Dorchester, Somerville and JP basements, I check the laundry tub pump before I touch the washer. Half the time it's packed with lint, and a five-dollar mesh trap prevents the next call.
Related: Washer repair · Appliance repair in Dorchester
Basement washer acting up? Call TrueFix Boston at (857) 810-1119.