I'm a new homeowner and I've noticed that my washing machine's drain pipe is just an open sewer line, which looks really messy. I can't believe the previous sellers left it like this! I want to make it look nicer and also prevent any rodents from crawling through. I'm thinking about getting a manifold and a gasket for a better setup. Any suggestions on what parts I should look for?
3 Answers
You might want to check out wall escutcheon plates. They can cover the exposed pipe nicely and give it a cleaner appearance.
If you're getting sewer smells from that pipe, it’s definitely worth adding a trap. You can also seal the hole with caulking and cover it with a plate to keep those critters out. Just make sure to check if there's a trap inside the wall, too.
The trap is usually built into the wall, so hopefully that's in place already!
Consider installing a washing machine outlet box. It might need a little bit of modification, but it will tidy things up quite a bit!

I just moved in, and thankfully, there's no sewer smell as of now—though we haven't used it for all our laundry yet!