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Moving laundry from basement to 2nd floor

8 years ago

What do i need to know?

We are getting older and going up and down basement stairs, especially bringing clean laundry up, is getting to ge difficult. I would like to have it on the same floor as the clothes.

We have 2 baths upstairs with an unusued bedroom between them that we could use. Some of my questions are, what needs to be done to handles the sound and vibrations of a washer, what about overflow possibility, what brands are best for this use, and is there anyway to do it so it can easily be returned to a bedroom if new owners want to in the future?

Thanks for you advice and experience.

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Comments (5)

michgirl53
8 years ago
We brought our washer and dryer up from the basement for the same reason. We converted a first floor bedroom into a laundry room. Our house is 100 years old with original wood floors. We were able to run new water lines up through the floor, as well as vent the dryer thru the basement.

In your situation, you will have to tie into your bathroom water lines and bathroom drain. The dryer will need to be on an outside wall in order to vent outside. If unable to do the conversion yourself, you can hire a professional.

We started with the traditional agitator style washer and dryer and it was fine. We just purchased new HE top loader washer and matching dryer. With our old floors, it was very important to level both. The washer spins at such high speeds, we were concerned about the vibration in the floors. After inquiring on this forum, we did install anti-vibration rubber feet to absorb the spin cycle. They work fine, the floor now has no vibration.

Good luck with your new project!
myrtle_59
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks Michgirl !
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CJ You need to vent the dryer to outside. The problem is not heat, it is moisture. You need a plumber to come and give you an estimate, the drain in the bathroom might be able to be used, but you have to have a certain size for the washer and it has to be vented. If the bathroom sink is on the same wall that the washer will go, it is likely that it can be used. The drain for the pan is an emergency drain and code in your area may not require that it be connected to the drain. It has the purpose of draining in the rare occasion that your washer leaks or overflows. This prevents damage to the structure. Again, you need the advice of someone who is knowledgeable about the local codes. If you are rebuilding the room, pay attention to the floor and how supported it is. A springy floor is going to be problems for a washer because they all depend on placement on the floor for part of the damping of the machine. Front Loading machines use a shock absorber type of damping and the could be problematic with old floors and joists. Top loading washers normally use some form of floating damping system that may have quite a bit of vibration. Anything that can be done to reduce vibration and spongy floors during the build will serve you well.
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enduring
8 years ago
I have my front load washer on my main floor that is over a basement. The best place for a washer is on concrete of coarse. My instructions for installation recommended that the washer be up against a load bearing wall. You don't want it over the center of a joist span. I've read it will really bounce.

The dryer could be a condensing dryer if you don't have access to venting. I have no experience with these but several on the forum have and they seem to like them.
myrtle_59
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks enduring!

Anyone have any experience with how to contain overflows when laundry is on first floor?
enduring
8 years ago
There is a system that is triggered to shut water off if a leak is sensed. I think the sensor sits under the washer but I really don't know. I don't know names of brands.

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