Zanussi replaces Hotpoint and overwhelms the drain pipe?

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We had a Hotpoint washer/dryer in our rental flat which expired so yesterday we attended as a new Zanussi washer (not dryer as the tenant didn't need it) was delivered.

However, on plumbing-in, we found on a test cycle that it overwhelmed the drain pipe and water shot out of the top and over the floor.

The Hotpoint w/dryer had less capacity than this Zanussi, which manages a 6Kg load. The drain pipe starts at the sink on one wall, then curls around the corner of the kitchen to another wall with the washer and then to the dishwasher next to it before exiting into the sewers.

We put a couple of bottles of Mr Muscle foaming cleaner down the sink (1 bottle) and also down the drain pipe for the washer (1 bottle) and left it for an hour before putting three sinkfuls of hot water down. Before the Mr Muscle treatment, we had tested with a sinkful of water and some had actually bubbled up the washing machine drain pipe and overflowed, and after Mr Muscle the drain flowed much better and it didn't happen again. You could see and hear it flowing better.

So we reconnected the washer and could hear, on its drain cycle, the water climbing up the drain pipe - albeit more slowly that before Mr Muscle treatment - before overflowing again :(. Finally, we fitted the longest length of upright pipe I could squeeze under the worktop and that seemed to do the trick - could hear the water climbing up it as the washer drained and the pump sucked all the water out of the drum, but it didn't overflow because it was flowing out of the bottom quickly enough. After several tests we left convinced that the washer was now safely plumbed into drainage.

(NB the old Hotpoint just had a hose with D-shaped plastic surround to clip it over the drainpipe; the Zanussi has a moulded plug on the end to enable us to just force the end into the drainpipe and stick there whilst leaving a small air gap).

However the tenants emailed us tonight to say that the washer had leaked when on 'fast wash' cycle, but not on a full 90deg Whites wash. When I'd tested the machine, I'd filled it on 'rinse' and then switched to 'drain' thinking that was enough of a test because the drum looked about 1/4 full (and having spent most of the day on site, short of time) but clearly there is even more water or water pressure coming out of this Zanussi when on some cycles rather than others.

What more can I do here? Is the Zanussi that much more powerful at draining than the old Hotpoint that it overwhelms the drain pipe? I physically can't fit a taller drain pipe - is there some way to tell it to reduce its' pump frequency or output, or fit a flow reducer, or something else?

Thanks
 
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I have a feeling someone has been tipping cooking fat down the sink in order to cause blockage.

But it might possibly be poor pipe layout. Post some photos.

The length, diameter and slope of the pipes will be relevant.
 
Does the pipe that goes round the corner to the waste have any fall in it & what sort of lengths are you talking about?
 
Thanks for the replies. The drop is quite shallow it seems to me, but it did used to work with the old Hotpoint washer/dryer. I spoke to our normal plumber and he said the newer models can be more powerful in pumping out water; he always prefers to plumb the outlet directly into an under-sink trap if possible. That's my second option (I have never done this but see how we might be able to do it), the primary option is another go with something stronger than Mr Muscle on the drain pipe downstream of the washing machine. We still think there is some blockage there because the system gurgles when it's draining, and it never used to - so some of the gunk that's in there shifted with the Mr Muscle and more could go with more dissolving action!

We avoided using stronger stuff because the sink is aluminium, but I can take out the upright bit of drain pipe and pour an unblocker down the waste pipe directly.
 
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you could also take the sink trap off and see if it shows signs of grease abuse.

It's a very common source of blockages
 

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