LG leaves me dumbfounded

[americana4]

Last month I installed a new LG front loader in a somewhat challenging location because of a drain 6 feet above the floor.
Sure enough, just like the old top loader, water was left in the tub at the end of the cycle.
I watched it spin for the final 16 minutes- without ever engaging the drain pump.
There seem to be many periods in the cycle when it spins- without draining- or pauses to tumble and drain before spinning again.
I called LG customer service, described the situation, and was told this is perfectly normal!
No, I said, I don't want clothes left in a 2" puddle of water at the end of the cycle.

"Normal" she replied. "That's how it's designed. If I want to drain the machine, I can use a hose to do it manually."

So I'll work with the dealer & see if his tech has any better info.

But how can this make any sense?
Anyone else have this experience with LG?
Any suggestions, short of a sledgehammer?

 

[pierreandreply4]

i would first check with repair service

if i where you i would call repair service and have the washer check 2 if washer turns out to be a lemon or has a defect right from day 1 of purchuse i would ask for the machine to be exchange

 

[gizmo]

Are you saying the washing machine has to pump the water up to a drain six feet above the floor? This is an absolute no-no.

Even if it pumped for the whole duration of the spin, as soon as the pump stopped at the end, the whole drain hose full of water will gravity-drain back into the machine. If there is no air break at that point, it may even siphon water back from your drain.

The owners manual will have specs, or possibly a diagram, showing the max height of the drain, it will be probably less than four feet. There must be an air break at that point to prevent siphoning.

If the installation is what I think you are saying, you will have to change the installation. Either move the machine to a better location, or install a tub or sump for the machine to empty into, with a greywater pump controlled by a float switch to elevate the drained water to your drain.

 

[qsd-dan]

That probably is normal operation for a 6' high drain hose. The residual water that cannot make it up and out will drain back down.

 

[littlegreeny]

I agree with Chris, it sounds like your drain is too high off the floor.

 

[petek]

Mine drains with no problem. The drain pipe is about at the same height as the laundry tub beside the machine.

 

[jaums]

Check Valve?

How about using a check valve with a flapper to prevent backflow?

As it is, when the pump stops, water in the hose drains back into the machine, backwards through the pump. That would happen every time the pump stops, all through the cycle. Not a good arrangement.

If a check valve was installed in the hose before it heads upwards, it could prevent all of the backflowing during the cycle.

Here is one designed for sump pumps:

JACKEL 1-1/2 in. Threaded Sump Pump Check Valve CH-150S-150MT - The Home Depot

Protect your home or property in times of flooding with this JACKEL Threaded Sump Pump Check Valve.

www.homedepot.com

 

[americana4]

While shopping for a machine, I checked installation instructions carefully.
Parameters for this one- and most I looked at- are between 29.5 inches and 96 inches- 8 feet.
And no more than 60 inches "away" from the machine- horizontally, it appears.

If the manufacturer really means 48 inches, I wonder why the specs indicate 96?
I would have thought others might have similar sewer outlet problems with basement installations.

A check valve might be the answer- anyone have info on using one on a washer drain?

Side note: when the house was built, a filter flo machine was installed. No problem whatsoever for the first 30 years.

 

[jaums]

Pump "lift"

Pumps for condensate from HVAC are rated for lift = the maximum distance a pump is rated to be able to lift (push) water up and still meet the challenge it's designed for. (Most are max 10 feet.) The consideration is the distance up, not much concern for the distance "over".

For your washer, a check valve might be essential (maybe the Filter Flo had one built in?) and the distance up that the pump has to push the water is a consideration.

As with most machines, if you ask it to do more than it was designed for, it may be more likely to fail early.

If you decide on using a check valve, I'd think the closer you can put it to the pump the better, so there will be little water to run back into the machine each time the pump stops. And today's machines seem to turn the drain pump on and off frequently.

 

[gizmo]

check valve

I'd be wary about trusting a check valve.

Washing machines pump out muck, lint and bits of stuff in the water, this is likely to get caught in the flap and either cause it to leak back, or to block up over time.

 

The Filter Flo was a creature from a different era. They had a very strong pump driven by the main wash motor, current machines use a tiny magnetic motor inside the pump, it only  consumes 10 watts or so. Also the Filter Flo was known as a water hog - huge clearance between the inner and outer drums, so any bit of back flow would have been an insignificant puddle in the base of the outer drum. A modern front loader is designed to minimize water use, this includes tight clearances between drums so a bit of backflow is likely to re-wet the washing.

 

I'd be inclined to fit a non-return valve as a first trial. Preferably one that uses a ball inside, less likely to gum up than a flap valve. If that makes the problem go away, I'd look at a long term solution of draining to a tub with a grey water pump in the base.

(a sump pump?) Or.... drain the water into the old Filter Flo and use it to pump the water uphill...

 

[eemac]

Retro nostalgia

> The Filter Flo was a creature from a different era.

Can we PLEASE go back? :- )