How to clean a washing machine pump. How to clean the drain hose and pump of a washing machine with your own hands? Causes and prevention of drain pump clogging

Moisture, contrary to popular belief, cannot always be considered a plant's best friend. Too much water is harmful to most of them. Excess moisture is also not beneficial for buildings; it has a destructive effect on building materials. That is why it is very important for every owner of a suburban area to divert excess water from their territory. The solution to the problem will be a drainage pipe: almost every home craftsman can install such a structure with his own hands.

What is drainage and why is it necessary?

The new owner of a country plot often has to work hard before he can fully enjoy his vacation in the lap of nature. Most land plots suffer from waterlogging.

Having built a house on such a site, you may encounter the problem of destruction of the foundation and difficulties in arranging a personal plot. To remove excess moisture, drainage is installed - an artificially constructed watercourse in the soil. It is a special system of underground channels or pipelines. The water that gets into them is collected in special storage tanks or discharged outside the site.

Drainage allows you to protect the foundation from destruction and create comfortable conditions for growing plants

Practice shows that the first warning signs that make you think about installing drainage are:

  • a large number of moisture-loving plants on the site;
  • the presence or periodic appearance of groundwater in basements and cellars of nearby buildings;
  • the appearance after rain of a large number of poorly drying puddles.

However, the absence of these signs does not mean that problems with waterlogging will not arise. It is best to invite a specialist to accurately determine the level of moisture in the area and, if necessary, begin to arrange drainage.

Methods for arranging a drainage structure

When thinking about how to lay a drainage pipe, you need to understand that there are several ways to install drainage structures:

  • Trenches with crushed stone and sand. Closed drainage, which consists of grooves dug in the ground, filled with a layer of crushed stone, on top of which sand is laid. For better effect, they can be made in the shape of a “herringbone”, while the central trench, to which the secondary trenches approach, should be made with a slope directed towards the water discharge point. The distance between drains is selected depending on the composition of the soil. On clayey soils it should not exceed 10, loamy - 20 and sandy - 50 m.
  • Open drainage. The simplest and cheapest option. It consists of grooves, half a meter wide and about 70 cm deep, dug along the perimeter of the site. The sides in the drains are made beveled, at an angle of about 30°. Water is discharged from the system into a common drainage ditch. The main drawback of the design is its unaesthetic appearance, which somewhat spoils the landscape of the site.
  • Design using perforated pipeline. The most common technology for laying drainage pipes. Deep drainage designed to drain high-lying groundwater. Ceramic or asbestos-cement pipes with holes drilled in them are laid in the ground. A more modern option is perforated plastic or ready-to-install drainage systems, which can be found on sale.
  • Drainage trays. This is a surface drainage that allows you to remove moisture from the site that has fallen on it in the form of precipitation. To equip the structure, special trays are used, which can be made of modified concrete or plastic. Trenches are led from water intakes to the discharge point, while a slight slope of about 2-3° must be observed. The parts are installed in small grooves, their sides should be at ground level. The top of the trays must be covered with decorative grilles.

If the area is located on a hill, open drainage ditches are dug across the slope. This way it will be possible to “intercept” the water flowing from above.

The disadvantage of an open drainage system is the somewhat unaesthetic appearance of the structure.

This is the most popular drainage system for owners of private plots and country houses

Drainage trays are used to remove excess moisture that enters the area in the form of precipitation.

Installation instructions for perforated pipes

Before proceeding directly with installation, it is necessary to perform calculations and select the appropriate material.

For design work, you will need a site layout and special data, which is best requested from your local land resources office:

  • seasonal groundwater level;
  • soil characteristics and soil structure;
  • the volume of moisture falling in the form of precipitation and flood waters.

Using this data, specialists will carry out the necessary calculations and determine the required trench depth and pipe diameter.

The most affordable solution for arranging the system are plastic parts. An extremely simple design of a drainage pipe involves the presence of two layers of polyvinyl chloride or polyethylene, which allows them to serve for at least 50 years at a fairly significant depth. In addition, the double-layer design promotes self-cleaning, preventing blockages. To prevent clogging of the holes in the pipe body with soil particles and small debris, they are wrapped in coconut fiber cloth or geotextile before installation.

The order of work is as follows:

  • Installation of the drainage system begins with marking the territory, which is carried out according to a pre-drawn diagram. Trenches are dug along the designated lines, the depth of which is determined by preliminary calculations. To determine the width of the structure, add 40 cm to the outer diameter of the prepared parts. When carrying out work, you need to remember the required slope of the drainage pipe, which is usually at least 3°.
  • A crushed stone-sand cushion is installed at the bottom of the prepared trench. To do this, first fill in a layer of sand 10 cm thick. The material is well compacted. Then a layer of crushed stone 20 cm wide is laid on top of it.
  • Geotextile-wrapped pipes are laid on the prepared base. You can cut the part to the required length with a regular mounting knife. Special couplings are used to connect the elements. In order to prevent freezing of the system, it is recommended to lay drainage pipes deeper than the freezing level of the soil.
  • After laying the pipes, their slope is checked again. To do this, you can use a regular cord stretched along the pipeline.
  • In places where trenches turn and in areas where the angle of slope changes, special inspection wells must be installed. They are equipped with lids to prevent littering of the structure. These structures are necessary for monitoring and periodically cleaning the drainage system.
  • At the last stage, backfilling is carried out, that is, all actions are performed in reverse order. A layer of crushed stone is poured over the pipe, followed by sand, and the last layer is the soil that was removed when digging the trench. You can lay turf on top.

The system is discharged into an open reservoir or rainwater drainage system. In any case, a check valve is installed at the end of the outlet pipe. If it is impossible to organize such a withdrawal, a so-called prefabricated well is installed. As it fills, it is necessary to pump out water.

Perforated drainage pipes are laid on a sand-crushed stone bed

During installation, you should try to avoid common mistakes that lead to disruption of the functionality of the drainage. These include:

  • Insufficient depth of trenches, which can lead to disruption of the water balance of the site.
  • Using pipes that are not suitable for the type, which leads to rapid failure of the system.
  • Incorrect drainage angle, which disrupts the functioning of the structure and can lead to serious problems with the water regime in the area.

Practice shows that laying drainage pipes with your own hands is a completely doable undertaking. The only thing that must be entrusted to specialists is calculating the system and drawing up a pipe laying diagram. Everything else is fairly simple work. When performing it, it is very important to follow the instructions, carefully monitoring key points: the slope of the system, the reliability of pipe connections, the organization of inspection wells, etc. A properly equipped drainage system will serve for many years, preventing excess moisture from damaging the foundation of the house and ruining the site.

In order for the drainage system to work effectively all year round, it should be laid at a special depth.

To determine the depth of laying the drainage pipe, there are two main conditions.

First condition– drainage pipes must be laid below the soil freezing level. This condition must be met so that the drainage pipe does not freeze and is in working condition in the spring during floods. After all, it is to drain excess water during rains and floods that a drainage system is installed, and properly installed drainage should work at the most critical time.

The depth of soil freezing depends on:

Depending on the type of soil (clayey soils freeze a little less than sandy soils because they have greater porosity)

From climatic conditions, namely from the average annual temperature: the lower it is, the greater the depth of freezing.

Standard freezing depths (according to SNiP data) in centimeters for different cities and soil types are presented in the table.

City

Clay, loam

Sands, sandy loam

Arkhangelsk

160

176

Astrakhan

Bryansk

100

110

Volgograd

100

110

Vologda

140

154

Voronezh

120

132

Ekaterinburg

180

198

Izhevsk

160

176

Kazan

160

176

Kemerovo

200

220

Kirov

160

176

Kursk

100

110

Lipetsk

120

132

Moscow

120

132

Naberezhnye Chelny

160

176

Nalchik

Nizhny Novgorod

140

154

Novokuznetsk

200

220

Eagle

100

110

Orenburg

160

176

Penza

140

154

Permian

Pskov

180

198

Rostov-on-Don

Ryazan

140

154

Samara

160

176

Saint Petersburg

120

132

Saransk

140

154

Saratov

140

154

Smolensk

140

154

Stavropol

Tver

120

132

Ufa

180

198

Chelyabinsk

180

198

Elista

Yaroslavl

140

154

However, in fact, the freezing depth will differ slightly from the standard. Because the standards are given for the coldest case - freezing in the absence of snow cover.

That is The data given in this table is the maximum freezing depth of the ground. In most cases, in winter there is snow or ice on the soil - good heat insulators - their presence reduces the depth of freezing. Also, under the house, especially if it is heated all year round, the soil freezes less. Thus, the actual depth of soil freezing on the site may be 20-40% less than the standard one.

Second condition depth of laying drainage pipes - pipes must be laid at least 50 centimeters deeper than the lowest level of the foundation of the buildings near which the drainage passes. This is done to ensure that groundwater is intercepted by the drainage system before it reaches the foundation level. Even if the groundwater level in the area is low, during periods of floods or prolonged rains their level can rise significantly.

For example, let’s calculate the depth of laying a drainage pipe around the foundation of a house in an area with loamy soil, which is located near the city of Yaroslavl.

According to standards, the freezing depth in this area is 140 cm. Winters in this area are usually snowy. We add 20% to 140, we get 112 cm – the depth of soil freezing in this area.

The house is not heated all year round, so we will not make allowances for the fact that the soil around the house will warm up better. The depth of the foundation of the house is 0.8 m. Add 50 cm to 80 cm, we get 130 cm.

This is deeper than our calculated freezing depth of 112 cm. That is, if we place a drainage pipe at a depth of 130 cm, it will function normally all year round and protect the foundation of the house from flooding.

Reasons for technology violation

Often, not understanding the importance of maintaining the depth of laying drainage pipes, clients violate certain standards. There may be a number of reasons for this.

Firstly, invoices for excavation work by contractors involuntarily force home owners to think about reducing the depth of the foundation.

Secondly, the presence of existing communications may become an obstacle to maintaining the depth of drainage systems.

It is important to remember that by violating the norm for maintaining drainage depth, owners of plots and buildings use a drainage system that is not working at full capacity. And as a result, even with an expensive and high-quality system, there is a very high probability of flooding of the foundation and waterlogging of the soil on the site.

Therefore, before starting to design communications when building a house and arranging a site, drainage systems should be included in the project in advance and not skimp on excavation work, so that later you will not return to this issue and use the drainage equipment in full.

1.
2.
3.
4.

Water can not only be a source of life for plants, but also the cause of their death if there is an excess of moisture. Also, a large amount of drainage on a personal plot can destroy the foundation of buildings located on it. Therefore, it is so important to equip a drainage system that will drain excess liquid from the territory of a private household. To do this, you will need to lay drainage pipes yourself if you decide to do this work yourself. Installing a drainage system is not difficult.

Why is drainage needed?

Before enjoying outdoor recreation, the owner of a plot of land needs to make a lot of effort to improve it. A large number of land plots outside the city limits are characterized by waterlogging of the soil.
If during the construction of a house you do not provide for the arrangement of a drainage structure, then in the future there is a high probability that you will have to solve the problem of destruction of the foundation and landscaping of the local area.

To get rid of excess moisture, a drainage structure is created in the area, which is an artificial outflow of liquid in the soil, consisting of a system of channels or pipelines. Once in them, the water moves towards storage specially equipped wells and reservoirs or is discharged outside the local area.

In practice, the owner of the site should be alert to a number of signs of the presence of excess moisture, which indicate the need to arrange drainage:
  • the growth of a large number of moisture-loving plants on the site;
  • periodic appearance or constant presence of groundwater in basements and cellars of buildings;
  • the formation of poorly drying puddles after rain.
But as practice shows, the absence of the above signs does not indicate that there are no problems with waterlogging and that they will not appear in the future. The optimal solution may be to consult a specialist who will determine the degree of soil moisture in the area and the need for drainage work.

Drainage system options

When deciding how to lay drainage pipes, you should know that there are several ways to create drainage structures:
  1. Creating trenches with crushed stone and sand. A closed-type drainage system consists of ditches and trenches dug in the ground, which are filled with a layer of crushed stone and sand is placed on top. Often, on private plots, an effective design called “herringbone” is used - secondary pipelines are connected to the central main line.

    In this case, the main drainage pipe is laid with a slope directed towards the place of liquid discharge. The distance between drains depends on the condition and composition of the soil. On clay soils this is a maximum of 10 meters, on loamy soils - 20 meters, and on sandy soils - 50 meters.

  2. Open drainage ditches. This method is simple and cheap. To create drainage, grooves are dug with a width of 50 and a depth of approximately 70 centimeters, placing them along the perimeter of the plot. The sides in the drainage should be beveled, maintaining a 30-degree angle. Liquid is discharged from the drainage system into a storage drainage trench.

    A more modern option is to use plastic products with perforations or install ready-made systems that are commercially available.

  3. Systems with drainage trays. They are used in the arrangement of surface drainage, which allows drainage to be removed from the site after precipitation falls or melts. To construct the system, special trays are used, which are made from plastic (a modern version) or modified concrete.

    The grooves are laid from the drainage point to the discharge point with a slope of about 2-3 degrees. Drainage products are placed in them, the sides of which should be located at ground level. When the site is located on an open hill, drainage ditches should be dug across the slope, making it possible to intercept water flows flowing from top to bottom.

Installation of perforated pipes

Before drainage pipes are installed, calculations are made and building materials are selected.

For calculations you need data regarding:

  • seasonal groundwater level;
  • soil characteristics and soil structure;
  • the volume of moisture in the form of flood waters and precipitation.
All this information can be requested from the regional land resources department. Based on the data received, specialists will make calculations and find out the required trench depth and pipe parameters.

When laying drainage pipes with your own hands, you should give preference to plastic products. The design of plastic pipes is simple - they have two layers of polyethylene or PVC, thanks to which the products will last at least 50 years even if they are installed at great depths. In each individual case, the depth of the drainage pipe is determined according to the situation.

A cushion of sand and gravel is laid at the bottom of the ditch. The thickness of the sand layer should be 10 centimeters, it is well compacted. Then a 20-centimeter layer of crushed stone is poured.

Pipes wrapped in geofabric are laid on a cushion. The drainage pipes are connected using special couplings.

When the pipes are installed, check their slope by pulling a regular cord along the pipeline.

In places where the highway turns and in areas where the slope angle changes, inspection wells with covers are installed. They are necessary for monitoring and cleaning the drainage system.

At the final stage, backfilling is carried out - performing all the steps in reverse order. Layers of crushed stone, sand and soil previously removed from the ditch are poured on top of the pipes. If desired, lay turf on top.

The wastewater is discharged into a rain sewer or an open water body. In both cases, a check valve is installed at the end of the outlet pipes. If it is impossible to provide such an outlet, a collection well is installed, from which, as it fills, the collected liquid must be pumped out.

During the installation process, it is necessary to avoid the most common mistakes that lead to disruption of the functioning of the drainage structure, including:

  • discrepancy between the depth of the dug trench and the needs of the system, which may result in a violation of the water balance in the garden plot;
  • the use of drainage pipes of the wrong type that should have been used. As a result, the constructed structure will quickly fail;
  • incorrect drainage angle. This leads to improper operation of the system, and serious problems with maintaining the water regime arise in the area.
If the installation of drainage pipes can be done independently, then you should entrust the calculations and drawing up of the diagram to specialists. When performing a fairly simple job, you must follow the instructions, paying special attention to the angle of the system, the reliability of the connection of the elements, and the correct arrangement of the inspection wells.

Despite the fact that the washing machine is a “helper” in maintaining cleanliness, it itself also needs care and cleaning. If one day while washing, you hear an incomprehensible buzzing noise coming from the machine that you have not heard before, and the machine does not drain the waste water, this means that it urgently needs to be cleaned. Most likely, the drain pump is clogged, or in the worst case, the pump fails. That's why we decided to tell you how to clean the drain pump in a washing machine on your own, without the help of a professional.

How to get to the drain pump

To clean the drain pump, you need to get to it, since it is located inside the machine body, for this you will need:

  • wrench;
  • Phillips and flat screwdriver;
  • container for draining water.

Please pay attention! Review the instructions that came with your washing machine to determine where the drain pump is located. Then you won't have to act at random.

In washing machines produced under different brands, you will have to get to the drain pump in different ways. Manufacturers of the Beko, Indesit, Samsung, LG, Ardo, Whirpool, Candy, Ariston brands have simplified this process the most. In their machines, you can get to the pump through the bottom of the housing, since the lower part may be missing or easily unscrewed. A good example in this regard can be considered many models of Indesit washing machines.

Important! Before any manipulations with the washing machine, do not forget to turn it off from the network and turn off the water supply tap.

So, let's do the following:


To solve the problem of how to remove the drain pump in machines under the brands AEG, Bosch, Siemens, it is necessary to disassemble the front part of the machine body, which, as a rule, is attached to three self-tapping screws. In this case, you need to perform the following sequence of actions:

  1. Remove the powder tray from the machine body.
  2. Unscrew the screw underneath
  3. Open the door to access the drain filter in the bottom panel of the machine.
  4. We unscrew the screw holding the panel and remove the panel itself.
  5. We find two screws and unscrew them.
  6. Now remove the clamp from the hatch and disconnect the cuff from the front body.
  7. Disconnect the hatch locking device (you need to release the clamps).
  8. Let's remove the front part of the housing.

The cover has been removed and you can now get to the pump. For this:

  • Unscrew the screw.
  • Place a container of water under the machine.
  • Disconnect the pipe clamp and remove the pipe.
  • Drain the water.
  • Disconnect the electrical wires.

Solving the question of how to remove the pump from a brand washing machine Zanussi or Electrolux, you must first remove the back wall of the machine body. We perform the following steps sequentially:

Important! When disassembling a washing machine for the first time, take photographs of each step when you disconnect something; the photos will help you reassemble the machine to its original state.

Cleaning the drain pump

Cleaning the drain pump of a washing machine involves cleaning the impeller of this pump. Therefore, the question arises of how to remove the impeller from the machine pump. Everything is quite simple, you just need a screwdriver. You need to unscrew a pair of screws connecting the two parts of the pump housing. And you will see the head (impeller), which rotates in working condition.

All debris must be removed from the impeller; as a rule, threads, hair, and wool are wound around it. Proceed carefully. You also need to wipe the inside of the snail.

Next, the drain pump is assembled and installed in its place. All steps are performed in reverse order. When the entire process of assembling the washing machine is completed, you need to start the machine for washing. If the wash runs without noise, water leaks and ends as usual, this means that the drain pump was cleaned correctly.

Please pay attention! If cleaning the pump does not produce results, then you need to replace the drain pump with a new one.

Causes and prevention of drain pump clogging

Why can the drain pump become clogged, which leads to a malfunction of the washing machine? Here are the main reasons:

  • hard or dirty tap water;
  • incorrectly selected detergents;
  • debris washed off from things (hair, wool, threads, etc.).

To prevent clogging of the drain pump, you need to adhere to simple installations of the washing machine:

  • use only automatic washing powder;
  • If possible, wash things in a laundry bag (mesh);
  • install water purification filters in front of the inlet hose;
  • Clean the drain filter promptly.

So, it’s quite possible to solve the problem of how to clean the pump in a washing machine yourself. If you follow the instructions, there shouldn't be any problems. If something seems not entirely clear, we suggest watching a detailed video on how to change the drain pump.

In many cases, it is impossible to do without a forced wastewater drainage system, for which compact sewage pumping stations are best suited. Cleaning the Sololift, at the same time, is not only the key to flawless and long service life of the equipment, but also to the correct functioning of the entire system, which ultimately has a positive effect on the comfort of the owner.

In most cases, cleaning the Sololift involves inviting a specialist who will correctly, quickly and accurately perform maintenance, remove plaque and deposits from the knife, system valves and float chamber. If preventive measures are not taken, then over time the plaque will first disable its individual components, and then the entire system. At the same time, comfortable use of sewerage is no longer out of the question.

What do you need to know to clean Sololift?

If for some reason it is difficult to call a specialist, you can try to carry out preventive maintenance of the pumping station yourself. However, it should be borne in mind that incorrect actions may damage the equipment, which will require repair and replacement of some parts. Therefore, all work should be carried out carefully, without resorting to brute physical force. Also, you should not bring the equipment to a state where the plaque hardens to such an extent that it is impossible to remove it without special means.

To clean the Sololift, you first need to know the most vulnerable and most deposit-prone components of the unit. These include:

  • knife and the space around it. Over time, deposits and plaque can complicate the operation of the knife system, even completely blocking it;
  • valves There are quite a lot of deposits on the valve, which deprive it of mobility, which leads to sticking, which will lead to significant damage;
  • float system. The plaque blocks the float in one position, which leads to either the pump being constantly turned on or its activation being blocked, depending on the position of the float at the time of sticking.

How to properly clean Sololift

To ensure proper and safe cleaning of the installation, a certain sequence of actions must be followed.

If the system is operational, you should resort to special means that corrode and remove blockages, then flush clean water several times. This will get rid of most organic residues in the system, which will increase the comfort of further manipulations.

The installation is de-energized. Under no circumstances should you carry out maintenance work if the unit is connected to the power supply, as this is unsafe and can lead to electric shock.

The receiving filter is removed and cleaned using any available method that will not damage it. Typically, running water, compressed air, and detergents are used;

The submersible pump is removed from the storage tank. The tank is cleaned of waste residues, and a detergent is poured into it in a concentration according to the instructions for the selected drug.

The space around the knife is cleaned. If you have the necessary tools at hand and the design is more or less clear, you can remove the cutting device, which will make cleaning easier.

The check valve is washed.

If necessary, replace the carbon filter. This is required in cases of an unpleasant odor spreading around the installation, or in case of malfunctions of the cleaned equipment.

You can learn how to clean the Grundfos Sololift pump correctly from the passport for the pumping station by referring to the section “Design Features”