Turns out I spent $60 on a Shop Vac to use one of its accessory attachment pieces to join the washer drain hose to the 27 ft. vacuum hose from the pool with a good bit of electrical tape. Net result? I can do all the laundry I want. Yes, the hose is hanging out the kitchen window, but hey – since when does aesthetics have anything to do with effectiveness?

Granted, there are a few irritants associated with this stop-gap solution. No, we can’t go in and out the back door at will while doing laundry, and yes, there’s a gap for flies, moths and mosquitoes to come flying through (though that could be solved by stuffing towel in the gap, I suppose), but when you’ve got to wash your daughter’s uniforms for school in the morning, this gets the job done in the semi-autonomous fashion intended for a washer and dryer.

After a lengthy troubleshooting session with my brother-in-law this evening, we remain unconvinced that I have a collapsed pipe. He wants to eliminate the possibility of a clog in the line either at the Y where the washer drain meets the main sewer line, or just a little further in the main line, itself. Since the first plumber didn’t try snaking the actual washer drain line, itself, we’re gonna do that tomorrow. I’m going to compare the cost of having someone come do both the washer line and the main line with the cost of renting an auger and doing it ourselves. Whichever way we go, if I still am stopped up after that, then I’m going to shell out the $250 for the plumber dude to come back and run his camera down the line so we can see what’s what and where – exactly.

I still may have to spend big money and dig…but then again…the hose is workin’ pretty good…