Adding upstairs laundry room

[pronstar]

We’d like to add an upstairs laundry to our house. Location will share a wet wall with a bathroom vanity, but would not be difficult to tie into the shower drain as we’ll be putting new flooring down.

Will go with a ventless/heat pump dryer, but vents are easy anyway.

Will I be able to use either the vanity or bathtub drain?

Anyone do this?
Pros/cons?

 

[hallett21]

We’d like to add an upstairs laundry to our house. Location will share a wet wall with a bathroom vanity, but would not be difficult to tie into the shower drain as we’ll be putting new flooring down.

Will go with a ventless/heat pump dryer, but vents are easy anyway.

Will I be able to use either the vanity or bathtub drain?

Anyone do this?
Pros/cons?

Washer needs a 2” drain. What’s the vanity drain size?

 

[pronstar]

Washer needs a 2” drain. What’s the vanity drain size?

It’s 2”
Sounds like our plan will be relatively easy then

 

[79hallettsprint]

Make sure you put a drain in the floor and red guard the sub floor before installing the flooring. I also bought an electronic shut off for the water feeds so when it senses water it closes the valve can be found on amazon. Best thing i did was move it upstairs closer to the bedrooms. Just dont want to have a disaster if something decides to leak. Also its a good idea to notify your homeowners insurance and let them know what you did just in case.

 

[whiteworks]

I’d build a shower pan with a dam to set the machines in for “when” it leaks.

 

[pronstar]

Best thing i did was move it upstairs closer to the bedrooms.

Yeah I really think this is gonna be a game changer, not having to hoof all of our clothes up and down stairs. Especially with two growing boys.

 

[Devilman]

Yeah I really think this is gonna be a game changer, not having to hoof all of our clothes up and down stairs. Especially with two growing boys.

Not the same, but on the subject... Older 70's built house we lived in a few years ago, the master bathroom (upstairs) had a laundry chute that dropped into the utility room downstairs, right in front of the washing machine. I was probably both impressed and entertained more than I should have been by such a simple feature in my house, lol

 

[bonesfab]

When I was growing up we had a washer and dryer up stairs and down stairs. My parents knew the clothes would have a hard time making it back upstairs. We had a metal pan under the washer with drain out the side for the just in case.

 

[SoCalDave]

Not the same, but on the subject... Older 70's built house we lived in a few years ago, the master bathroom (upstairs) had a laundry chute that dropped into the utility room downstairs, right in front of the washing machine. I was probably both impressed and entertained more than I should have been by such a simple feature in my house, lol

My Aunt/Uncle's house had the same on a tri-level home that was built in the 60's. Man did we have fun sliding down that think as kids...

 

[Devilman]

My Aunt/Uncle's house had the same on a tri-level home that was built in the 60's. Man did we have fun sliding down that think as kids...

One in our place wasn't that big, lol, just enough to shove the clothes through. And the chute opening was flush in the ceiling in the laundry room downstairs, so would've been a pretty good drop to the floor if a kid did go down it

That one you describe sounds awesome

 

[pronstar]

You’d think an upstairs laundry would be a good enough perk for the wife, that she would let me install a firehouse pole “for the kids”

You’d think wrong

 

[bonesfab]

You’d think an upstairs laundry would be a good enough perk for the wife, that she would let me install a firehouse pole “for the kids”

You’d think wrong

It could double as an exercise pole for her. You got to point out all the benefits.

 

[pronstar]

It could double as an exercise pole for her. You got to point out all the benefits.

We actually used to have one when we lived in Belmont Shore. My wife taught “stripper-pole-fitness” to recently divorced cougars

 

[JJ McClure]

One in our place wasn't that big, lol, just enough to shove the clothes through. And the chute opening was flush in the ceiling in the laundry room downstairs, so would've been a pretty good drop to the floor if a kid did go down it

That one you describe sounds awesome

My brothers used to pay me a buck to drop down the laundry chute. lol I did a bunch of trips

 

[79hallettsprint]

Best thing about moving the laundry was gaining the extra space in the garage. In the process of remodeling my downstairs and re-doing pluming going to be putting a urinal in the garage now that's a game changer.

 

[sirbob]

I bought a new house that had the laundry upstairs. My wife said it was great because it was near the kids bedroom and made it easier for her. I liked not having to walk through a laundry room coming in from the garage…

A few years after we moved in my wife was in the downstairs bathroom doing some cleaning when she sees water cook g out of the light fixture

It can be a real drag if your washer springs a leak on the second floor!

 

[pronstar]

Best thing about moving the laundry was gaining the extra space in the garage. In the process of remodeling my downstairs and re-doing pluming going to be putting a urinal in the garage now that's a game changer.

Our laundry is in the mud room. We plan on keeping it for things like work clothes, super dirty stuff…especially as my boy grow older.

 

[rrrr]

When I was in high school my Dad built a giant addition on our house, it added three bedrooms, a sewing room for Mom, and moved the laundry upstairs. With six kids Mom was pretty happy with the changes.

 

[Racey]

I’d build a shower pan with a dam to set the machines in for “when” it leaks.

Or when you have to work on them, or clean out the drain filter, or, or, or....

Just smart to have them somewhere with a drain.

 

[77charger]

Might want to waterproof the floor as well. I’ve done some hot mopping in laundry rooms but you could get away with red guard like someone mentioned and a nice clear drain.

It’s only for an emergency if water leaks.

 

[DirtyWhiteDog]

Pan Drain to outside, not the sewer or you will some sort of trap primer.

 

[wzuber]

Pan Drain to outside, not the sewer or you will some sort of trap primer.

Also helps to make it more noticable in the event of a smaller problem before developing into a biger problem. Ideally place the discharge in a reasonably visible (obvious) area.

 

[pronstar]

Yeah there’s an exterior wall right where we plan to put it, so we can drain it out that way.

Our upstairs HVAC has a similar exterior drain, makes it easy to see if I ever get a leak.

One thing we’re doing, most of you guys probably already to it…anytime we’re touching plumbing, I’m having shut-off valves installed nearby, so I don’t need to kill water to my whole house if I have a localized leak.

 

[Orange Juice]

Yeah there’s an exterior wall right where we plan to put it, so we can drain it out that way.

Our upstairs HVAC has a similar exterior drain, makes it easy to see if I ever get a leak.

One thing we’re doing, most of you guys probably already to it…anytime we’re touching plumbing, I’m having shut-off valves installed nearby, so I don’t need to kill water to my whole house if I have a localized leak.

Can you add the water heater closer while your there?

 

[tostark]

We did a major remodel to the last house and put the laundry upstairs. Best thing ever. Plumber also added a device that would drop a little water into the pea trap every time a faucet was turned on. Have no idea what it was called.

 

[hallett21]

We did a major remodel to the last house and put the laundry upstairs. Best thing ever. Plumber also added a device that would drop a little water into the pea trap every time a faucet was turned on. Have no idea what it was called.

Not to be a smart ass but a faucet? Lol.

Unless I’m missing something a faucet does that every time you turn it on?

 

[pronstar]

Can you add the water heater closer while your there?

Can you repeat the question please (seriously)…I don’t follow

 

[hallett21]

Can you repeat the question please (seriously)…I don’t follow

He jumped the gun a little. By the end of this we’ll have this house torn down to the studs to “do it right”.

 

[NicPaus]

We did a major remodel to the last house and put the laundry upstairs. Best thing ever. Plumber also added a device that would drop a little water into the pea trap every time a faucet was turned on. Have no idea what it was called.

Trap primer. Common for floor drains. Keeps water in the p trap so no sewer gasses come thru if P trap goes dry.


If you run a floor drain tied into sewer with a pan under the units. You would add 1. But running it out side like a over flow condensate line on HVAC would be easier.


If you are opening walls. I would stick a hose in the drain on full blast before sealing them up. Tieng into old plumbing you want to make sure it will handle the washing machine. Be sure to have plenty of pipe on the stand pipe it dumps into.

 

[pronstar]

Can you add the water heater closer while your there?

I’m I think you’re asking if I can move it closer (or closet?)

Our house is sorta weird, the water heater is basically in the middle of the house, in the kitchen.

I’d love to reclaim that space and make it useable, but finding a new spot will be a substantial investment…we’ll see once we get to the kitchen remodel.

 

[74 spectra20 v-drive]

when I built my house in 01 we put the laundry upstairs, all the model homes we were looking at had this but they just sat the washer on a little tin pan with a 1/2" pvc pipe poked out the wall for a drain... I had the whole room hot mopped and but a full size drain in the floor. Luckily we have never had to use this, I was not smart enough to know about a fancy P trap and if I run my hole house fan I put some water down that hole... It's a nice add good luck!!

 

[79hallettsprint]

My drain i installed is just a 90 elbow on the drain body and day lighted on the outside of the hose and put an additional dryer vent cover over it to hide it and to keep unwanted visitors from making a home in the line. Its just for an emergency.