The complete guide
A Buyer's Guide To Washing Machine Drain Hoses
The pipe nobody looks at
Every washing machine has two kinds of hose at the back. One brings clean water in. The other takes dirty water out. The second one is the drain hose, and it does a lot of work without anyone noticing. A full wash can send the contents of the drum through it several times, warm and soapy and full of lint.
It only gets attention when it fails. There are two common ways that happens.
The first is wear. Over the years a hose can harden, flatten where the machine has been pushed back against it, or split near a connection. The sign is water on the floor behind the machine, usually just after it empties.
The second is distance. You change the kitchen, or move the machine out to a utility room, and the hose that came with it simply does not reach the waste pipe. Stretching it tight across the back of a cupboard is asking for trouble.
A longer replacement hose fixes both.
What you get with this hose
Here are the facts as the maker gives them.
The hose is 2.5 metres long. It is made for washing machines and washer dryers. The internal bore is given as 19mm and 21mm. It has one 90 degree end. The material is listed as rubber, the colour is grey, and one hose comes in the pack.
The maker describes it as fitting most models of washing machine and washer dryer. That is a broad statement, and it is worth reading carefully. Most does not mean all. There are machines with their own shapes of connector that a general hose will not suit.
Some details are not stated by the maker. It does not say which end has which bore. It does not mention hose clips, or a plastic guide for hooking the hose into a standpipe. The weight is not given. Dishwashers are not mentioned.
Why bore size matters
A drain hose is held on by friction and, usually, a clip. For that to work, the hole through the end of the hose has to be the right size for the stub it pushes onto. Too small and it will not go on. Too big and it will weep or blow off when the pump runs.
That is why the two figures, 19mm and 21mm, are the ones to check. Before you order, find the outlet on your machine and measure across the outside of the stub. Then look at the other end of the journey. If your hose connects to a spigot on the sink trap, measure that as well. If it simply hooks into an open standpipe, the size at that end matters much less.
When the hose arrives, measure both ends before you start taking anything apart. The maker does not say which end is 19mm and which is 21mm, and it is much better to know before the old hose is off.
What the right angle end does
A hose cannot turn a corner in no space. If it leaves the back of the machine pointing straight out, it has to curve round before it can run along the wall. That curve takes up several centimetres. Push the machine back too far and the hose kinks, and a kinked drain hose means a machine that will not empty properly.
One end of this hose is formed as a 90 degree bend. The maker says this is to let the washing machine stay flush to the back wall. The hose turns immediately and runs sideways or upwards from there.
In a tight run of kitchen units, those few centimetres can decide whether the machine lines up with the cupboard doors or sticks out past them.
Is 2.5 metres the right length?
Longer is not automatically better. A drain hose should be long enough to reach the waste comfortably and no longer than it needs to be.
Measure the route the hose will take, not the straight line distance. Start at the outlet on the machine. Follow the path up the back, along the wall and over to the waste pipe, allowing for the height it has to rise. Add a little slack so that the machine can be pulled forward for cleaning without the hose being dragged tight.
Then check the manual for your machine. Makers give a maximum drain hose length and a range of heights for the outlet. The pump inside the machine is small, and it can only push water so far and so high. Many machines are comfortable with 2.5 metres, but check yours.
If the hose is longer than you need, do not cut it. The maker does not say it can be cut, and the ends are formed to grip their fittings. Take up the spare in a wide, gentle loop behind the units.
Fitting it
This is where people are caught out, so it is worth setting expectations.
On many washing machines, the drain hose does not just plug into the back panel. It runs inside the cabinet and connects to the pump near the base. To change it, the machine has to be unplugged, the water turned off, and a panel removed. Sometimes the machine has to be tipped back to reach the pump from underneath.
If you are comfortable with that, follow the manual for your machine. Have towels and a shallow tray ready, because there is always water left in the old hose and the pump. Note how the old hose is routed and clipped before you remove it, and run the new one the same way. Fit a clip at each connection that had one.
If you are not comfortable opening the machine, call an appliance engineer. It is a short job for someone who does it every week.
The other end is simpler. If the old hose hooked into a standpipe, the new one goes in the same way. Keep the plastic guide from the old hose if there is one. The end should sit loosely in the top of the pipe with air around it. Do not push it far down and do not seal it in, because that can make the machine siphon. If the old hose connected to a spigot on the sink trap, push the new one on fully and clip it.
One line needs to be drawn clearly. Connecting a hose to a waste that is already there is a householder job. Changing the waste itself is not. Adding a standpipe, fitting a new trap or running a new waste pipe is work for a qualified plumber, and the Irish Building Regulations apply to drainage work. Washing machine water must go to the foul waste, not to a drain meant for rainwater.
Checking your work
Do not push the machine back and walk away.
Dry every connection with kitchen paper. Run a short rinse and spin, and stay with the machine while it empties. Watch the connection at the pump if you can see it, and the connection at the waste. Feel along the hose for drips.
Then slide the machine back slowly, looking behind it as you go, so that it does not sit on the hose or fold it. Run a full wash and check the floor afterwards.
Looking after a drain hose
There is not much to it. Once or twice a year, pull the machine forward and look at the hose. You are checking for kinks, flattened sections, cracks near the ends and any dampness at the joints. Make sure it has not slipped down the standpipe.
If the hose starts to smell, the usual cause is detergent sludge. A hot wash with the drum empty helps, along with cleaning the filter, the door seal and the drawer. We do not recommend chemical drain cleaners.
If the standpipe itself overflows when the machine empties, that is not the hose. It is a partial blockage in the waste pipe, and if it keeps happening it needs a plumber.
Picking the right hose
For anyone comparing options, the best washing machine drain hose is the one that matches three measurements: the outlet on your machine, the length of the route, and the space behind the machine.
On the first, this hose gives you 19mm and 21mm to check against. On the second, it gives you 2.5 metres. On the third, it gives you a right angle end. If all three suit your set-up, it will do the job.
The short version
A drain hose carries waste water from the machine to the waste pipe. It needs replacing when it splits, hardens or will not reach.
This one is 2.5 metres long, grey, listed as rubber, with internal bores of 19mm and 21mm and one 90 degree end. The maker describes it as fitting most washing machines and washer dryers. Which end is which, and whether clips are included, are not stated by the maker.
Measure your machine's outlet and the route before you order. Follow the machine's manual for hose height and length. Use an appliance engineer if the hose connects inside the machine and you would rather not open it, and a qualified plumber for any change to the fixed waste.