types, principle of operation, how to install

In order to avoid risks in the oper­a­tion of the wash­ing machine, when installing it, all details must be tak­en into account. As pro­tec­tion against the effect of draw­ing water back into the tank, which often hap­pens, a check valve for the wash­ing machine is installed. In this arti­cle, we will talk in detail about the types of non-return valve (anti-siphon), about the func­tion and how to install it.

Varieties and functions of the check valve

Dirty water can enter the tank if the wash­ing machine is not prop­er­ly con­nect­ed to the sew­er. This entails neg­a­tive con­se­quences: linen dete­ri­o­rates, a large amount of elec­tric­i­ty is con­sumed. The anti-siphon pre­vents waste water from flow­ing back into the wash­ing machine tank, and thus pro­tects the drain sys­tem from con­t­a­m­i­na­tion.

The device pro­vides unim­ped­ed drain­ing of water from the wash­ing machine. Thanks to a spe­cial damper, water from the sew­er sys­tem does not seep back into the tank. Hav­ing an idea about the types of valves and their man­u­fac­tur­ers, you can choose a real­ly high-qual­i­ty anti-siphon drain. Today on the mar­kets you can find the fol­low­ing types of check valves:

• mor­tise;
• wash­ing;
• wall-mount­ed;
• non-sep­a­ra­ble;
• seg­ment;

All of them per­form the func­tion of ensur­ing the cor­rect drainage of water and prac­ti­cal­ly do not dif­fer. How­ev­er, when installing a wash­ing machine of a cer­tain brand (for exam­ple, LG), a seg­ment valve may be required, which can be eas­i­ly dis­as­sem­bled and cleaned from var­i­ous debris. A non-sep­a­ra­ble type device is suit­able if the water sup­ply is not hard water. But even in this case, with­in 2–3 years, it will need to be replaced.

The wall valve is expen­sive. This option is used to install drain lines in the nar­row gap between the back of the wash­ing machine and the wall. This com­pact anti-siphon has an aes­thet­ic appear­ance.

When con­nect­ing a direct drain to the sew­er pipe, the best option would be to install a mor­tise device. The check valve is insert­ed into a spe­cial­ly pre­pared insert. The wash­ing anti-siphon is designed for instal­la­tion in the siphons of sinks of any kind.

What check valves do the experts recommend?

• Wall-mount­ed polypropy­lene valve, pro­duc­tion — Czech Repub­lic, Alcaplast com­pa­ny. A qual­i­ty device, afford­able, suit­able for any drain hoses. It is used as an end mount with a sew­er pipe, pro­vides a reli­able dis­charge of waste water from the wash­ing machine. Chrome-plat­ed anti-siphon with a spring mech­a­nism and a reflec­tor that dec­o­rates the attach­ment point. Approx­i­mate cost is $8.
• Check valve made of mor­tise-type polypropy­lene, made in Italy, Siroflex com­pa­ny. The mech­a­nism is installed in a hole in the sew­er pipe or serves as a mount for the drain hose. The device is rep­re­sent­ed by a stain­less steel spring and a rub­ber mem­brane. Pro­vides effec­tive pro­tec­tion for the drain sys­tem. Approx­i­mate cost is $7.
• Seg­ment polypropy­lene anti-siphon, made in Italy, by Mer­loni. This non-return valve is mount­ed under the sink. It can be eas­i­ly dis­as­sem­bled and cleaned in case of con­t­a­m­i­na­tion. The mech­a­nism is a spring with a rub­ber mem­brane. Pro­vides nor­mal drain­ing of the water flow from the tank. Approx­i­mate cost — 8.5 dol­lars.

The principle of operation of the anti-siphon valve

The check valve is a com­mon mech­a­nism and it works accord­ing to a sim­ple scheme. A tube of a cer­tain shape, with a spring or ball type valve, is installed on a sew­er pipe, siphon or drain hose. Dur­ing the drain, water under pres­sure enters the anti-siphon and flows through it into the sew­er pipe. In the event of a back pres­sure, water will not seep in, since the mech­a­nism does not open inside.

When using a spring valve, the pro­tec­tion of the drain sys­tem from the infil­tra­tion of dirty water is pro­vid­ed by a spring and a rub­ber mem­brane that cre­ates a damper. In a ball check valve, a rub­ber ball serves as a shut­ter. It is pressed against the mem­brane under the influ­ence of pres­sure. With the help of built-in ribs, the ball is cleaned.

Installing an antisiphon

The check valve can be installed by hand. But at the same time, it is nec­es­sary to take into account all its design fea­tures. Despite the dis­tinc­tive details, in any case, the work is done accord­ing to the same prin­ci­ple.

The anti­siphon con­sists of a tube with two out­lets (from oppo­site ends) of dif­fer­ent diam­e­ters. On the one hand, the valve tube must be con­nect­ed to a siphon or mount­ed in a cutout in the sew­er pipe, and on the oth­er hand, it must be con­nect­ed to the drain hose of the wash­ing machine. Then you need to repair all the joints with your own hands with the help of a sealant, after which the work can be con­sid­ered fin­ished.

For the nor­mal oper­a­tion of the wash­ing machine, an anti-siphon is not always required. Experts say that the instal­la­tion of this mech­a­nism is rel­e­vant in the case of:

1. direct con­nec­tion of the wash­ing machine to the drain pipe, which is embed­ded very low and there is no way to raise it;
2. con­nect­ing the drain hose to the siphon locat­ed under the sink.

An anti-siphon device is not nec­es­sary if the wash­ing machine is con­nect­ed in accor­dance with all reg­u­la­tions and the drain pipe is raised to the required height.

How­ev­er, there is an unpleas­ant smell from the wash­ing machine, and at the same time, the washed things remain dirty after wash­ing, you need to pur­chase an anti-siphon, the instal­la­tion of which can be done by your­self. In such a sit­u­a­tion, there is no alter­na­tive solu­tion to the prob­lem that has arisen!

Sum­ming up, it should be not­ed that the orga­ni­za­tion of drain­ing waste water from the tank of the wash­ing machine must be car­ried out in accor­dance with all the rules. If a “siphon effect” occurs, an anti-siphon mech­a­nism must be installed. Despite the sim­plest design, the device is indis­pens­able when dirty water seeps back into the device. Some wash­ing machines are sold with non-return valves. But also the device can be bought sep­a­rate­ly.

It is very impor­tant to choose the type of anti-siphon that will match the drainage device. In addi­tion, instal­la­tion work should be tak­en seri­ous­ly — it is nec­es­sary to secure­ly seal all parts so that there are no leaks.

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