Plumbing – How damaging can a 3 meter (10 feet) long drain hose be for the washing machine pump and microorganism growth

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I have two washing machines and they are placed one next to each other (this is the only way I can position them due to the space).

The first one is connected to the drain pipe under the sink normally with it's default hose and it's length (which I think is 1.5 meters or 5 feet), but the other one is placed a bit further so I needed an extension besides the default integrated hose (which like I mentioned is I think 1.5 meters), the smallest drain hose I found was yet another 1.5 meter one, so when connected it totals a bit more than 3 meters long hose (including the connecting adapter) and I was wondering how bad can this be for the washing machine, or more specifically for its pump or microorganism growth inside.

Is there anything I need to take care for or any other tips besides just finding a less lengthy hose? For a shorter hose, I think it can be found in a 1 meter variant (3.3 feet), but for that I will need to order that and maybe wait for a month to come.

Edit:

Forgot to mention that due to the length, the hose curves and this is how it all looks:

enter image description here

Best Answer

Length doesn't matter, going uphill matters

Waste water from anything in your house - sinks, washing machines, dishwashers - doesn't just go 5 or 10 feet. It goes hundreds, typically thousands of feet before it gets to any treatment facility. (OK, if you have a septic tank then the distance is much shorter, but even then, typically a lot more than 10 feet). The main thing is to remember what an HVAC guy once told me (he didn't think highly of "regular" plumbers):

Plumbers just have to know three things:

  • Hot on the left
  • Cold on the right
  • !@$%& runs downhill

If your washing machine had to pump uphill - e.g., if it was in the basement and the only available drain was on the floor above the basement - then the distance would matter as the pump would need enough power to pump up to the drain. In normal installation, the hose only goes up a couple of feet - e.g., to the top of the washing machine - and it is, quite literally, all downhill from there.

I also doubt that, under typical circumstances, a drain hose would be a breeding ground for microorganisms. The exception would be if there is any standing water, which would likely be the case only if there is a loop or flat area of the hose because it is way too long.

If a hose is too long in a practical way - e.g., ends up looped in some fashion, then cut it. If the hose is rubber that should be easy. If it is some other material it still should be possible to cut it and clamp the end in place.

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