We have a house from the 60's and need to renovate the laundry room, the drain is not 2 inches and it's buried in the cement floor. We have gotten quotes that are in the 2K for rectifying this problem and frankly we don't have the money.
We have a high efficiency front loading washer that drains there and a laundry tub (not used much at all). How big of an issue is really this? can we keep the smaller drain? how many home owners are actually changing this in old constructions?
thanks

Is the drain currently a problem with stoppages, etc.? Two things are in your favor: you have a high efficiency washer which uses less water, so less water into the drain; and, you could opt to drain the washer into the laundry tub which serves as a 'buffer' between the washer and drain and allows longer drain out time.

'standard' hi-speed top loader washing machines are still available

"speed queen" and "whirlpool" are 2 brands

the biggest thing the hi-efficiency machines do is the HIGH speed spin which removes more water MECHANICALLY saving on the 'fuel' cost of the dryer

a dryer is a dryer - as long as it has the 'sensor dry' option

you do NOT need the $$$$$ front loader to accomplish this

they can 'dump' into the laundry sink which will act as a 'buffer'

don't 'buy into' the 'never stop improving' torric ka-ka

ps. if you can't afford the 'proper' renovation, don't renovate

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

thank you, the drain works just fine, the contractors brought up it is not code and that's why we need to change it.
We are spending a fortune in the renovation already, however spending money on this drain just to put it to code seems insane, the rest of the house has probably the same size drains, it is just how the code was back then and everything works fine.

Yes the washer we have doesn't use much water at all and I cannot envision any issue aside for it not to be the standard 2014 code of 2 inches
thank you for the replies

The difference between a top load and a front load is the amount of water in the tub. A full top load with a high capacity pump will put a heavier load on a 1 1/2" drain than a front load with a lot less watera.

YOu do NOT have to "change things" to meet code, UNLESS you are in the process of revising it.

minimum size drain allowed underground is 2" pipe, under most codes.
there is a good chance that you have 1 1/2 inch above ground but 2 inch underground.
this would change things dramatically..

thank you so much, your replies are so useful! We are thinking to not change the drain, make sure it flows well and in case clean it.

It sounds like it would be a good idea to have the washer draining into the tub rather than into a wall cassette, it makes it less pretty, but I can live with that I suppose.

How does this sound then as a layout:
current configuration from L to R, dryer, washer, sink directly above the drain
future configuration: dryer, sink, washer with washer draining into sink and piping behind all the appliances.
The reason why we are thinking to put the sink in the middle is the presence of the window and also the fact that new front loaders have doors that open to the L, dryers to the R so if you put them side to side L dryer, R washer the doors are in the way while transferring the load.

ALmost all front load washers and dryers have reversible doors so you can arrange them however you want to.

the 'modern' hi-eff front loaders, while having a small QUANTITY of water, may have a HI RATE OF DISCHARGE which can overflow some 1.5" standpipes

as others have stated: you may/probably have a 2" in/under the slab

a little 'investigative' chipping may be in order

? why is the (potential) pipe size issue being discovered IN THE MIDDLE of the reno ?

? has not your contractor done this type of work before ?

- or is the work basically 'lipstick in nature -

==============================================

"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

I am not a plumber but I would first do a test and run a load set to max capacity to see if it really overflows the 1-1/2" drain pipe before you dump it into the tub which is always nice as a backup plan. Whether it overflows or not depends not only on the pipe size, but also on the type of detergent and how much sud. I think for high efficiency front loaders you have to switch to low sud detergent anyways.

Most all hinged doors on appliances are reversible.