I am currently in the process of choosing a contractor to remodel my kitchen. I already know that the new kitchen sink which will be installed is approximately 4" deeper than my current sink. One of the contractors told me that the horizontal drain pipe coming from the wall would need to be lowered by approximately 3" to accommodate the deeper sink... not because it was too high and would contact the underside of the sink but he said it had something to do with the height above the trap. The current horizontal drain pipe is 20" from the floor and there is at least 10" from the top of that pipe to the bottom of the current sink. If I install the deeper sink that would still leave approximately 5" between the two pieces.

Is there a minimum distance required or recommended between the sink and the trap and drain pipe?

You must have a older home. We have been setting our kitchen stub outs at 18 inches ever since disposals became standard installations. 5" would be tight if no disposal is planned, however I'm not too sure that a disposal wouldn't put you under the stubout. I would check my measures real close before I went ahead. Do you plan on a disposal? Let me know, Tom

The house is 25 years old and yes, there already is a disposer which would transfer to the new sink. I honestly didn't think about the disposer but that could have been what he was referring to though he didn't specifically mention that.

Thanks for the info! I'll bring this up with the other contractors I talk to and see what they have to say about it.

Is this an undermount sink? That would just make things worse and the horizintal drain would almost assuredly be too low. I have not run into one that was easy to lower. Most of the kitchens I have done that drain line met with another horizontal line that ran sideways away from the kitchen window. I had to rip out about 5' of cabinet and wall to reach the main stack. A contractor would have no problem doing this but time will cost you.

This will be a Corian counter top with the molded sink so no, it is not an undermount. Old cabinets are going to be replaced so lowering the horizontal drain pipe would most likely be done before the new cabinets were installed. I'm sure this is just one "gotcha" that will occur during this remodel but I wanted to understand exactly why it was needed. As mentioned before, the disposer is the most likely reason. Thanks for all the input!

I don't know the standard distance from the floor for the drain in the wall, but I would do a mock-up putting the drain lines with p trap. The drain from the disposal needs to slope downwards to a tee (connecting the other drain) and allow enough room for nuts w/washers to move without sacrificing any chance of a negative slope in draining. I've moved a drain outlet, if doing for someone else they hesitate on idea. You open up drywall around the tee in the wall, get a 1 1/2" abs drain tee and glue 2 short sections of abs pipe to it, top and bottom. Idea is no-hub couplings to connect to old pipe. From those ends measure how much you need to cutout existing tee (couplings need at least 1/8" space each in connection and cuts won't be perfectly squared) and then take metal cutting blade on sawsall cutting pipe above and below existing tee, hopefully drain stack pipe doesn't slide down (pry back up or secure with strap). Then slide hub couplings onto cut pipe in wall, place tee w/short pipe ends in and slide couplings down and cinch clamps on couplings.

BC triple nicke,
You're responding to a two year old dead thread. Look in then upper left hand corner form the date. Welcome to The Plumbing Page. Cheers, Toml