Washing machine in kitchen

lenarufus · Jan 26, 2013 9:04 am

I read this in another forum :
"Under the Building Code of Australia, Australian houses have to have room for a washing machine and a laundry sink next to it"
I've done a search but can't find the official site where it states this - we were going to have a front loader under the bench (in a cupboard) in the kitchen with drainage going into the water pipes not a tub (there will be a tub elsewhere).
We're in NSW ... can anyone tell me where to find the standards for this?
thanks

chatterbox · Jan 27, 2013 2:36 pm

Good luck trying to find it.

Unfortunately here you have to pay to get copies of the building standards, and they are not cheap. I suggest you speak nicely to some of the certifiers listed in the yellow pages. or even some architects - They will have all these and maybe would scan or fax the relevant copy through to you. At a push you could try your local council, but then if they know your name and number they might start asking questions....

CuttingEdgeKitchens · Jan 27, 2013 5:34 pm

I have installed a washing machine and dryer into a kitchen before but couldnt tell you if you have to have a seperate room by law.

lenarufus · Jan 27, 2013 7:00 pm

I'm pretty sure you don't have to have a separate room. as I've seen heaps of new apartments that have the washing machine in the kitchen - what I want to know is if you have to have a tub next to the washing machine by law.... or if you can just drain the water to the plumbing

lenarufus · Jan 27, 2013 7:03 pm

chatterbox

Good luck trying to find it.

Unfortunately here you have to pay to get copies of the building standards, and they are not cheap. I suggest you speak nicely to some of the certifiers listed in the yellow pages. or even some architects - They will have all these and maybe would scan or fax the relevant copy through to you. At a push you could try your local council, but then if they know your name and number they might start asking questions....

haha .. yes, I'll have to find a phone box - do they still exist?!

lenarufus · Jan 29, 2013 4:44 pm

I found this online -
Vol 2 A11 Building Code of Australia

3.8.3.2 Required facilities
(a) A Class 1 building must be provided with-
(i) a kitchen sink and facilities for the preparation and cooking of food; and
(ii) a bath or shower; and
(iii) clothes washing facilities, comprising at least one washtub and space in
the same room for a washing machine; and
(iv) a closet pan and washbasin.

So it sounds like it should be ok as I'll have a double sink - can just call one a tub. What do you think?!

CuttingEdgeKitchens · Jan 29, 2013 6:07 pm

You should be fine.

lenarufus · Jan 29, 2013 6:13 pm

CuttingEdgeKitchens

You should be fine.

Whew! Hope so .. am just about to take rough drawings to council for pre-DA advice - don't want to redesign the whole thing!

newtothis25 · Apr 16, 2017 9:05 pm

Hi, I now have the same question as you as I am looking to have a front loader in the kitchen and remove the laundry sink but I will have a twin kitchen sink. Can you please advise how you got on with you plans, were you able to just have the washing machine without a laundry sink? Thanks

ecnal · Apr 25, 2017 3:42 pm

in the case of a sink requirement, it does not need to be a laundry sink specifically- your kitchen sink would be adequate as long as the washing machine is in the kitchen. sometimes in apartments there will be a second sink next to the washing machine even if it is in the same room as the kitchen (eg the washing machine is in a cupboard with a sink) because the washing machine is too far away. I don't believe it's a code requirement, but from memory it was recommended to have an extra sink if the washing machine was more than 3metres away.

Gravy · Apr 27, 2017 12:22 am

You will be fine, I've lived in 2 apartments with laundry in kitchen with a single sink and no extra tub for the washing machine.

Splashers · May 14, 2017 8:03 pm

The only other question you may need answered if you require a drain in the floor ? or do you have an external door to the kitchen where you can get fall on floor to allow water to drain if something goes wrong with machine.
Laundries have to have a drain or a fall to external doorway to comply so if putting in the kitchen i would assume same rule will apply

aloenyx · May 29, 2017 6:10 pm

I had a washing machine in my kitchen in my apartment with no tub for it. Was a front loader under the bench.

CameronRobertson · Jun 07, 2017 5:14 pm

I’m just wondering though, don't most home fixes require some sort of approval from the council or something? I mean if you're building your house, or getting a builder to construct it for you, then the extent of the works will warrant whether or not you need to actually submit a proposal to the relevant people before you go ahead to start doing things to your house right? I'm just guessing here, but like what everyone says, there are plenty of examples of homes that don't have the separate room..

lenarufus · Jun 09, 2017 6:15 pm

I now know more about washing machines in kitchens than I ever wanted. After protracted emails with our certifier who insisted we had to have a tub to soak clothes and drain the machine (if we ever wanted to soak clothes we would do it in the bathroom and the water was going to drain directly to the plumbing which I would have thought more hygienic)) I finally got through to the Advisory service of the BCA .

we definitely have to have a separate laundry tub in the kitchen. You cannot use the kitchen sink

The Laundry Standards (FP2.2 and P2.4.3) say that "if an Alternative Solution is proposing to delete laundry washtubs, consideration must now be given to 'means to sanitary dispose of waste water'." A secondary certifier (who does not need to be a certifier but some qualified independent person) can write a report justifying no laundry tub for an alternative or "performance Solution', but our primary certifier still does not have to approve it. You would not believe the quote we got for this report - $3000! it would take about ½ hour. He said 'Whilst I would find it difficult to justify no wash tub, it should be possible to justify provided an allocated space with connections for water and drainage were available to put a tub in at a later time.' How illogical is this!!!

there is no minimum size for a tub, but if the certifer thinks it is not big enough he can refuse to certify it on the grounds that there needs to be a tub to drain buckets & wash mops (as if you would want to do this in the kitchen)

even if we do not want or need to use a tub, the BCA bases its requirements on possible future inhabitants' needs

the certifier can decide that our suggested means of draining the water from the washing machine is not 'sanitary', despite all logical evidence to the contrary

The guy from the BCA said no doubt these regulations will change in the future as more people want this style of kitchen. He seemed a bit embarrassed. It's infuriating to have people tell you how to live your life! I can imagine this style of kitchen would not suit a large family with messy teenagers or disorganised adults etc but we wouldn't have dirty washing sitting around & it would suit us. I think the whole certifying business and the codes need a good shakeup and brought into this century.

cazaus · Dec 02, 2018 6:45 am

My question to the company that built the granny flat - Looking at the floor plans I was wondering where the laundry tub is in the kitchen? Their response: The sink is a double sink which also acts as a laundry tub. Anyone else been able to do this? I want to but maybe only big companies get approvals...

cazaus · Dec 02, 2018 6:50 am

cazaus

My question to the company that built the granny flat - Looking at the floor plans I was wondering where the laundry tub is in the kitchen? Their response: The sink is a double sink which also acts as a laundry tub. Anyone else been able to do this? I want to but maybe only big companies get approvals...

cazaus · Dec 02, 2018 6:55 am

cazaus

My question to the company that built the granny flat - Looking at the floor plans I was wondering where the laundry tub is in the kitchen? Their response: The sink is a double sink which also acts as a laundry tub. Anyone else been able to do this? I want to but maybe only big companies get approvals...

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mishb · Dec 13, 2018 2:07 pm

We've just done this in our new apartment, we did away with the laundry tub in the 'cupboard' for the wm/dryer, the w/m (and the condenser dryer) drains straight into the outlet from the sink. We did however have to install a double sink in the kitchen.