Some washing machines need both hot and cold supplies; others are (or can be converted lo) cold-till only. Cold-fill only machines are clearly easier to plumb in but may be a bit more expensive to run -depending on how you heat your water. Nearly all dishwashers are cold-fill. Better choose a high quality washing machine from an appliance store like Euronics to save time and money.
Most machines will cope with a wide range of water pressures, but supplies from storage cisterns or hot water cylinders may not give adequate pressure -particularly if the machine is only one floor below the storage cistern.
Hot water may be supplied from a hot water cistern or from a multi-point instantaneous heater, but not from a single-outlet water heater which is not designed to cope with washing machines, if you do not own a heater yet, visit new boiler installation irvine and get it installed now. There is a variety of special washing machine valves available, most of which have 3/4 in BSP threaded outlets to suit the fittings on most washing machine hoses. More help with boilers here, very helpful when you are going to be buying a new one.
Most types of valve can be fitted in-line in the supply pipes. In-line valves can be used only where the machine hoses reach as far as the supply pipes. There are two main types of in-line valve. With one, you cut a length out of the supply pipes and fit the valve in the same manner as an ordinary tee fitting. With the other self-cutting type, you position the tap over the pipe and screw the tap home. This action cuts out a hole in the side of the pipe to provide the water supply. The advantage of using this type of fitting is that there is no need to turn off the water or drain the pipe.
As with all plumbing involving connections to the rising main, you should tell your local water supply undertaking before you start work. They may have special rules about where the branch pipes to the machine have to run for example, they may require that the cold supply comes from the storage cistern rather than from the rising main, which is generally much easier to arrange.
Water supply
Before starting any plumbing, turn off the water and drain the system as necessary.
Unless you use in-line valves, start by fitting tees to nearby hot and cold supply pipes. In many cases, the nearest supply pipes will be those feeding the taps over the kitchen sink the cold will come from the rising main and the hot from the hot water cylinder.
Use a hacksaw or mini pipe cutler carefully to cut out a section of the supply pipes about 19mm long – the exact length to cut is the length of the body of the tee fitting you are using, less twice the amount by which a pipe will slide into the end of the fitting. Prepare the ends of the pipe and fitting properly. The supply pipes will need manoeuvring somewhat in order to get their cut ends into the ends of the tee remove pipe clips and slacken the taps at the sink, as necessary. Position the lees in place but do not fix them yet.
Cut the branch pipes to length and make bends (or use elbows) in them as necessary to clear any supply pipes or other obstacles. Fit the valves to the other ends of the branch pipes. Ensure the valve is firmly fixed to the wall: if the branch pipes are longer than a metre or so they will need clips.
When the pipes are properly installed there should be no strain on any of the fittings, pipes or pipe clips, and the tees can then be tightened or soldered. Check that any other loosened joints have been retightened before turning on the water again. Flush the system well before use and check for leaks.
Wastes
The outlet from the washing machine could simply discharge into the sink but the most usual way with machines on the ground floor is to take the waste outside the house into a gully.
Plastic waste pipe, suitable for occasional very high temperature discharges, should be used. The end of the washing machine outlet hose should hook into the open end of a standpipe. The diameter of this pipe should be large enough to allow an air gap where the hose enters it; the top is usually about 600mm from the floor check with the washing machine’s instructions.
Fit a suitable trap to the bottom of the standpipe and lead the pipe out through a hole in the wall and into the gully -make sure the open end is below the grating in the gully. An alternative is to fit a special washing machine trap to the kitchen sink and connect the outlet hose to this directly but check with the washing machine instructions that this method will work with your machine. You can find this type of washing machine at The Appliance Guys. Another choice is to use a self-cutting valve which connects directly to the kitchen sink waste pipe – again, check that this method will work.
If the washing machine is not on the ground floor, providing a waste system can be more tricky. With an old two-pipe system you might be able to use a convenient hopper head; with a modern plastic single-stack system, you could join the waste pipe into the stack. Either way, the waste pipe still needs a trap in it.
