Sink trap over the washing machine: flat and narrow

Many apartments, especially for Soviet-era houses, do not differ in the large dimensions of the kitchen or bathroom. And these are precisely the rooms where it is most convenient to place the automatic machine: in this case, minimal alterations are required to connect to the water supply and sewage system. Lack of space makes the owners either completely abandon the sink in the bathroom to install a washing machine, or place them on top of each other. For such a scheme, it is important to choose the right siphon for the sink above the washing machine.

How to organize the discharge of water from the washing machine?

Manufacturers of washing machines offer two main options for organizing the drain:

• Dirty water from the washing machine is drained into the sink, bathroom, toilet bowl (in the case of a combined bathroom) or shower tray. To do this, the delivery kit includes not only a corrugated drain hose, but also a special mount that holds it on board another plumbing fixture. The disadvantages of this scheme are obvious: the hose will have to be fixed during each wash; you cannot use the device where the drain is carried out at this time. In addition, there is a possibility that the hose will slip if it is touched by a careless movement. The flood in this case is guaranteed.
• Waste water is discharged into the sewer using special siphon. This circuit is more reliable, but will require some installation effort. As a rule, for a washing machine, a separate sewer pipe is not laid, but combined with the removal of water from the sink. It is much more convenient, and siphons of this type are easy to find in the store.

Advantages and disadvantages of the location of the sink above the washing machine

The advantages of this arrangement are obvious:

• In a small space of the bathroom there is a place for simultaneous placement of both the sink and the washing machine. Moreover, the latter occupies an underutilized space under the washbasin, where at best a small bedside table would be located.
• The proximity of sewer and water pipes will provide the convenience of connecting a washing machine.
• A large assortment of flat washbasins, namely such will need to be used with this scheme, will allow you to organically fit the sink into the interior of the bathtub.

The disadvantages of this arrangement will be expressed in difficulties in selecting the components of this pair and the necessary plumbing equipment:

• First of all, you have to purchase a flat washbasin. Such models are called “water lily”: they have a shallow depth, only 18–20 cm, but quite wide. They should cover the washing machine located under them with a margin.

The water lily sinks are distinguished by the location of the drain hole. It can be in the middle, back, side or in one of the rear corners. Drain in the center of the sink is the most common, but if the water leaks, it will get on the washing machine, which could lead to breakage. Therefore, preference should be given to models with an offset drain, and there are much fewer on sale.

• To reduce the gap, you will need to purchase for the sink above the washing machine flat siphon. It is very good if he will go in the configuration of the washbasin, otherwise his search may be delayed. In such a siphon, an additional outlet must be provided for connecting the washing machine. The only drawback of this variety: for cleaning or prevention it will have to be completely removed, which is quite inconvenient.

We recommend using flat siphon models with a burst function. They reliably protect the room from unwanted odors from the sewer. For example, it is such models that need to be installed in public catering facilities.

• There is a possibility that the water will stagnate in a flat sink due to its design features.
• When choosing a washing machine, its dimensions will be of particular importance. The maximum height is not more than 80 cm, and this is provided that the sink will be located at a distance of 1 meter from the floor surface. Depth also should not be large, it should be noted that between the machine and the wall there should be free space for the supply of communications. So, with a washbasin depth of 50 cm, the maximum depth of the machine is 36 cm, at 60 cm - 50 cm. It is clear that with this arrangement you can use machines only with horizontal loading.

• A gap is necessary between the siphon and the washing machine body. Otherwise, the vibrations that occur during washing and spinning, will be transmitted to the device. Naturally, this will not lead to anything good.

More recently, models of built-in siphons have appeared on the market. They are partially mounted on the wall. Installation of such devices is quite difficult: the bulk of them are located in the wall. But this is offset by serious space savings. In addition, many such siphons have a non-return valve, which prevents the movement of wastewater from the sewer in the opposite direction. This is very important for residents of the first floors of apartment buildings.

Assembly and installation of a siphon under the sink above the washing machine

Installation of the product is not particularly difficult. As a rule, the instructions included in the package are quite enough. But there are some points that you should pay attention to achieve the desired result:

• Before starting installation, you should check the presence of all parts, as well as the absence of defects on them. This is especially true for sealing and threaded elements.
• The plastic nuts included in the siphon construction are tightened by hand without the use of any keys. So there is no risk of damaging them by over-tightening.

• Tapered seals made of rubber are installed with the wide side to the nut that secures the parts of the siphon.
• When assembling a flat siphon, it is better to use silicone-based sealants: the construction is unlikely to be often understood, and the additional protection of such expensive equipment as a washing machine does not it will hurt.