Drain Problems and a Possible Quick Fix

A lot of the older coin laundries that have been operating continuously for a number of years will have seen their washer mix change from mostly top loads, at the beginning to now include more and more front load washers. When these operations were built, it was likely done with 4 inch metal drain lines and stand pipes. The combination of growing wash volume with a change of washer mix eventually may create problems. When larger capacity front load washers are added to what was the standard design for older coin laundries, there could be more water extracted faster than the sewer system was originally designed to handle. Over years of operation, a coin laundry''s metal drain pipes become restricted by mineral buildup, and so will be slower to drain than when the system was new. Slower drains and higher water use can lead to problems. Many laundry owners have their sewer lines rootered regularly, but that doesn''t really reduce any accumulated mineral buildup restricting the pipes. Often we have drain lines designed to accommodate washers that expel something like ten gallons over 60 or so seconds. With larger capacity washers, they now must spin out fifteen or so gallons in 30 seconds. If there has been a long term buildup of mineral deposits, the overall system will drain more slowly. In busier times, there could be backup and overflow of the system into the laundry area. The best answer to the problem is to have the drain lines replaced with a re-sized design, which can be really expensive, and in today''s highly competitive business climate, may just be too costly for a typical coin laundry to ever recover the costs. A nice thing about this is that it means the laundry is doing good business at the time overflows occur. It''s filled drain lines, combined with good business volume, brings drainage to the level of being a problem. It could be sump-thing wonderful! One of the simplest corrections to avoid flooded floors is to build a sump around the floor drains that may be overflowing. All it takes is about a 24 inch chimney built around a drain. The first row of bricks is set in a mortar base and each additional row of bricks is mortared into place. When the sump is finished, spray the inside with clear acrylic to make the inner surface as water proof as possible. Works like a charm. Costs less than $20, plus labor. It''s a do-it-yourself project. In some older laundries, one or two floor drains may be blocked with rags or other removable items to force water back to the drain with the sump built around it. Odor could be a problem with having a sump. A plastic sheet, cut to size, with bungee cord tied around to keep the plastic in place will eliminate the smell that eventually will come when there''s a sump. This is a quick fix, is likely not to be exactly up to code, but it works, it''s easy and cheap.