Installing a washing machine or dishwasher in basement

Can a washing machine (or dishwasher) pump up from a basement up to the grate?

There’s no guarantee any washing machine will pump this far up as they are all only designed to pump a few feet. Most will pump higher, but at a reduced rate. There’s no need for manufacturers to make any washing machine pump capable of pumping that high so they don’t. I would expect a dishwasher could fare even worse.

In the past some people did get away with installing a washing machine in the basement (or cellar) by simply extending the drain hose and running it up to the ground floor to the outside grate. In some cases the washing machine routinely cut out prior to spin because it hadn’t drained enough of the water away but when they manually put the washing machine back onto a spin it would complete a spin after a second attempt.

Some people raised the height of the washing machine by standing it on a high mounting. Some were so high I had to stand on a chair to take the lid off. This helps but it’s not always practical and I doubt it would help with most modern washing machines. If done the machine must be secured so that it cannot roll off. A strong base would need to be constructed with sides high enough and strong enough to prevent a disastrous washing machine falling off situation where apart from the damage, it could wrench the fill pipes off and cause a serious flood.

If you need to raise the washing machine just a little bit you can buy a special base to do so here Raise a washing machine off the floor though it only raises it about a foot, and it’s expensive.

Things have changed

The big problem these days is that most washing machines are controlled by software which constantly monitors all processes including how long it takes to drain the water out. Most washing machines (if not all) will now abort the programme with an error if they don’t pump out enough water within a programmed set time. ( This issue also affects filling times and is covered here – Low water pressure and washing machines )

Installing appliance into a basement properly

Alternatively you should install a pump system designed for appliances in a basement such as those supplied by Saniflo

Written By - Washerhelp on June 8th, 2009 with 3 comments
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