Thread Number: 86265  /  Tag: Vintage Automatic Washers
Maytag aa208 Update and Drainage Question
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Post# 1108244   2/16/2021 at 15:46 (1,136 days old) by nuwash (Fort Wayne, IN)        

So I started digging into the old beast today. I cleaned and greased the motor slides, freed up the pump (just had ice in it), and cleaned up the inlet valves. Iron Out removed all the junk. I soaked the lint filter in Spic and Span and it cleaned right up. I don't have a spare water hose so I can't test the valves yet. However, I did advance the timer to spin and fired it up. It spin just fine! I think because it's so cold here and it was kept in a garage perhaps the gear oil was just so cold it wouldn't move. It's in a climate controlled basement now.

As for the drainage question. The pipe opening I can put it in is a good six feet off the ground. Does the pump have enough power to push the water up that high? If not I was considering making a homemade 'lift station' with a sump pump and large bucket.





Post# 1108258 , Reply# 1   2/16/2021 at 16:52 (1,136 days old) by AcesUp8000 (Canada)        
Height of Standpipe

Top of standpipe must be at least 30" (762 mm) high; install no higher than 55" (1.4 m) from bottom of washer. If you have an overhead sewer and need to pump higher than 96 inches, a sump pump and associated hardware are needed.


Post# 1108280 , Reply# 2   2/16/2021 at 20:43 (1,136 days old) by RP2813 (Sannazay)        

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I don't even think the OEM drain hose is long enough to reach 6' up.  I'm going to guess the pipe is cast iron and can't be cut lower.  No room for a cheap resin "dry" utility sink or variation on one that you could plumb into a sump pump?


Post# 1108283 , Reply# 3   2/16/2021 at 21:34 (1,136 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey)        

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drain hoses on original center dial machines were about 7 foot in length....

there was a motor pulley that allowed higher speeds for the pump to reach higher levels.....but have never seen one.....out side of the 50hz pulley...

there is also the option to build a platform for the washer to sit on, raising it closer to the stand pipe....

check this vid out for installing a laundry tub with built in pump...FF to 3:15....






Post# 1108293 , Reply# 4   2/16/2021 at 23:17 (1,136 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa)        

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>> Top of standpipe must be at least 30" (762 mm) high; install no higher than 55" (1.4 m) from bottom of washer.

For what it's worth, the Maytag service literature (08/10/12-series washer service manual) says 36" is the minimum, but you can use a shorter standpipe or even a floor drain if the machine is equipped with a siphon break. I don't see any maximum drain hose height restrictions or recommendations listed or mentioned...

Do keep in mind though, that even if the machine can pump water high enough, it's only a water pump, not an air pump. So when the tub is empty and the pump starves, that whole column of water up to the arch of the drain hose is going to remain in the hose. When the pump stops, that water is going to come back down, "draining" back into the tub.

Also, is that six foot high pipe opening the top of a standpipe? You would need *some* kind of a standpipe with a trap. If six feet is just the opening to the main pipe, without a trap, you're going to have some more work to do... Does the basement have a utility sink, or floor drain?


Post# 1108452 , Reply# 5   2/17/2021 at 19:51 (1,135 days old) by nuwash (Fort Wayne, IN)        

The sandpipe is about 6 feet from the floor,I'm planning on piping my homemade lift station into an access junction on the bathroom sink drain pipe.

Another issue though! The timer was not shutting off. I'd pull to off and it would just keep going. So, I switched it with the spare timer and that issue is solved. Then I noticed the bleach tube was leaking at the drum spout so I replaced the hose and solved that issue. Now the big one. Every time the timer hits an agitation spot the motor or something trips the GFCI outlet. Is this the motor, a switch, or a miswired timer? I only mention the miswire because the seller says they switched timers as well. Can anyone provide a pic of a properly wired timer so I can compare?


Post# 1108484 , Reply# 6   2/17/2021 at 22:38 (1,135 days old) by robbinsandmyers (Conn)        

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My stand pipe is about 5.5' from the floor and my A407 suds locks more than it doesnt. My friend built me a 16" wood base to put it on but Im waiting till after I do the mechanical refresh then I shouldnt have to touch it for years

Post# 1108499 , Reply# 7   2/18/2021 at 02:49 (1,135 days old) by bradfordwhite (central U.S.)        

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Laundry sink and pump

 

You should get a sink and mini sump pit /pump that will attach to the sink and pump up.  Washers don't have the strongest pumps and you don't want to impede performance by trying to dump water higher than recommended.

 

As for the GFI tripping.  Make sure the outlet GFI is rated at 20 amp.  It should be stated on the front somewhere and have an extra notch in one of the blades.  Make sure the circuit breaker in the circuit box is also 20 amp and make sure the wire it's wired with is 12 guage.   

A 15 amp GFT is likely to trip a normal functioning motor.  This also frequently happens when a garage door opener is plugged into a GFI outlet.

 

Another thing could be that the motor is starting to go and needing replacement.



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Post# 1108533 , Reply# 8   2/18/2021 at 11:17 (1,134 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa)        

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Given how random the prior owner's troubleshooting work was, I too would be suspicious of the wiring. Especially since it spins fine. I bet when chasing it out with a wiring diagram, you will find something amiss.


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