At some point in my single-story home's existence, a previous owner moved the laundry from its indoor setup (the original design) to the garage. That owner tied the laundry waste line into the cleanout for the kitchen sink, which was exposed in the garage. He used 1-1/2" steel pipe for the laundry drain, with 90 degree angles and basically no slope. I managed to give the vertical portion of pipe a bit of slope, but there are still these problems: With every washing, sudsy water spills over the standpipe and onto the garage floor; also, sudsy water usually backs up into the kitchen sink.

There is an in-ground, sewer mainline cleanout (made of ABS) that's outside the garage approximately 20 feet from where the washing machine sits. My question is, would it be feasible to run 2" ABS pipe--properly sloped at least 1/4" per foot--and tie into that in-ground cleanout pipe (it's about a 3-foot-high stub)?

Also, with regard to venting the new waste line, would I have to somehow tie it into vent pipes currently in my attic, i.e. create a branch vent for the new laundry line? Or could I create a dedicated air vent for the new line, i.e. create a vertical stack (which reduces down to, say, 1-1/4" pipe as it exits the roof), then tie into that vertical stack with a sanitary tee, putting a P-trap between the standpipe and the sanitary tee?

Hope that makes sense. I believe UPC applies to my house. I'd appreciate any advice.

In previous post, instead of saying,

"I managed to give the vertical portion of pipe a bit of slope"

I should have said, "... the horizontal portion." Just wanted to be clear.

If the cleanout is at least 3 inch, you could tie into it(will have to cut it down so you can achieve proper slope) The only reason I say it should be at least three inch is because it actually against code to tie a drain in by way of cleanout. But if this isn't being inspected, you will be just fine. Use a two inch standpipe and trap, and drain line. You will need to vent the washer drain within 5 foot of the trap.(for two inch.) I would suggest using a 1 1/2 vent. Then continue the drain to the cleanout. Either tie the vent in to an existing vent above the highes fixture flood rim, or run a dedicated vent out through the roof.

One more thing, I would suggest installing another cleanout above or below the drain tie in(same size cleanout as was originally there).

[QUOTE=mygirlsdad77;1663484]If the cleanout is at least 3 inch, you could tie into it(will have to cut it down so you can achieve proper slope)

The cleanout is actually 4 inch. And, yes indeed, I'll have to cut the cleanout pipe down to accommodate a tee fitting at the correct slope (and yes, I certainly would plan to install another cleanout above the connection point). Helpful input--thanks much, mygirlsdad77.

Sounds like your on the right track. But remember that the vent must be no further than five feet from trap. If you are running the drain 20 feet and then plan to vent it there, it will not vent properly(if sloped correctly). I wish I was better at drawing, I would give you a sketch of how to properly vent this setup.

I would use a two by 1 1/2 by two tee within five foot of trap, then use a street 90 out of bottom of tee(2") and run drain to cleanout. The Trap will tie into the side of the tee(2" ) the vent will come off the top of the tee(1 1/2) and tie in or terminate as suggested above.

[QUOTE=mygirlsdad77;1663527]sounds like your on the right track. But remember that the vent must be no further than five feet from trap. If you are running the drain 20 feet and then plan to vent it there, it will not vent properly(if sloped correctly).

There won't be any problem venting the line within 5 feet of the trap--can probably put the vent within 2 feet of the trap.

Back to why running a drain to an existing cleanout point would be against code... just curious about the logic behind that standard. (Obviously I'm not a pro.) Essentially I'm talking about connecting to a mainline with a tee fitting. It must be because there might be a foot of vertical pipe between the tee that is physically connected to the mainline and the tee that will connect to the laundry line. Makes me wonder: If I cut the existing vertical stub as short as possible, so that the new tee would be attached essentially flush to the old tee, would that be a code-happy fix?

Ok, I had to reread your original post. You said your cleanout pipe was a three in stub. I missed that part, sorry. What you are suggesting that you will do, WILL WORK GREAT. The code says that you cannot tie into a cleanout by using a threaded male adapter for drainage(in so many words). From what you have said, you won't be using a threaded fitting directly into a cleanout. You will be gluing in a new tee, and add a cleanout (or just put in a tee above cleanout) I would say you have it licked. Good thinking. Please let me know how things work out.

I only mentioned code because its what it says, I don't necessaraly agree with this particular code, so either way, you just run that line, and vent it (as you described) and you will have no problems.

Well, that is good news. Yes, you’re right--I’m talking about cutting off the threaded-cap fitting from the existing 4” (it’s 4”, not 3”) cleanout; gluing on a new tee; connecting a properly sloped 2” laundry drain; then putting on a new 4” threaded-cap fitting (or reusing the old assembly, if possible) to serve as a cleanout.

I have been toying with letting my plumber of choice--a trusted company I’ve used for a couple of big jobs before--to do the do the actual tying-in to the cleanout stub. I also thought it might be worth it for them to weigh in on whether I should tie the air vent into an existing pipe in the attic, or run a new, dedicated vent through the garage roof. I don’t think any part of this job is beyond my DIY skills. But I figure, if I at least shaved some cost by doing much of the work myself, it might be worth it for these folks to do the last bit of work.

I’d appreciate any thoughts you have on my proposed strategy for completing the job. Even if I don’t hear from you, I’ll plan on posting again when the work is done (if I don’t post again before!). Thanks much for your assistance, mygirlsdad77.

Everything you have planned is going to work just fine(and will be up to code). I personally prefer tieing into an existing vent in the attic(if feasable) because you don't have to cut a new hole in the roof. The only reason I would run a dedicated vent is if it would be more difficult(or time consumig) to tie into an existing vent in attic. Glad to here you are thinking of using your trusted plumber to help you out on this. I would suggest asking them a few question(under the premise that you will also give them some work). Let them know what you are thinking, and do what they recommend(to make their job easier, and to save yourself some money by making their job easier. Good luck,, and really, good job on planning this out.

You’re thinking along the same lines as I, with regard to asking the plumber some questions. Before calling the company to my house, I thought I’d do a “rough” rough-in of most of the work--that is, assemble and properly hang most of the pipes and fittings without gluing anything together. That way, hopefully, they can give a quick thumbs up on what they see. I’m sure I’ll feel good about paying them to wrap up the job, unless they shock me with an outrageous quote (that’s never happened before--fact is, they’ve always treated me fairly).

Concerning the vent connection, I do think there is a pipe in the attic that’s pretty close to where the new laundry vent will go. I agree--why make another hole in the roof if you don’t have to?

Thanks again for lending your expertise!

Ive got to say, you have thought this through very well. Your all set. Take care and let me know how it all works out.

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Originally Posted by mygirlsdad77

Ive got to say, you have thought this through very well.

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Would you say that, in your experience, DIYers tend to forge ahead before planning their steps as carefully as they should? Certainly I’ve made goofs, but I try to educate myself as much as possible to minimize the snags.

Honestly, yes, most diyers do make a job much more complicated than it needs to be. I actually have a real problem with most diy. But in your case, you have(or are at least willing to gain) the knowledge to do the job right.

You would not believe the things I have had to try to deal with from do it yourselferes.(not on this site, but at my actuall job.)

I had a guy that built his own house. Now get this... He built this thing from top to bottom. Sheetrocked, painted, had flooring installed, had everything done,, except he didn't have one lick of plumbing installed. He figured the plumbing could be put in last(which in reallity, should have been put in first). I mean, he even had cabinets, counter tops, vanities in place. He calls us up and wants us to install all plumbing to all fixutures.(water supplies and drains and vents) This was a diy that will stick in my mind forever. The best part was, he said that he didn't want us to cut any drywall out, remove any cabinets, or in any other way demolish any work that had been done to this point. But he needed it to be done to code(and we could only do it by code, because job was being inspected).

So yes, most diy do not have the knowledge, or gain the knowledge that is required for most jobs. Even be it a simple job, it takes a lot more to accomplish the task at hand than most people realize.

So, once again, great job in aquiring(or at least confirming) the knowledge you needed to do the job correctly.

If you ever have any other questions, just come on back and I (and the others here) will do our best to help you out.

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Originally Posted by mygirlsdad77

This was a diy that will stick in my mind forever.

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I guess so! Wow--what a wake-up for that homeowner!

Thanks again for all your help. I'll definitely keep the experts here in mind when future issues arise (and don't they always seem to arise when you own a home--particularly one with previous owners who've done who knows what in their own DIY attempts?).

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Originally Posted by mygirlsdad77

I personally prefer tieing into an existing vent in the attic(if feasable) because you dont have to cut a new hole in the roof. The only reason i would run a dedicated vent is if it would be more difficult(or time consumig) to tie into an existing vent in attic.

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I continue moving ahead on this project--it's going well. I do have a question about the vent. I'm thinking it would be simpler to run the vent through the roof. I've dealt with roof matters before--e.g. installing attic vents--so cutting another hole doesn't faze me. Certainly for pressure-testing the line (which I know my plumber would do), it would be simpler to just have one dedicated line to plug up and fill with water to check for leaks.

Question is, are there any UPC restrictions, or common-sense guidelines, regarding how far a DWV vent should be from the exhaust stack for a gas-fired water heater? The exhaust stack (I'll simply call it a chimney from this point on) is just about at the peak of my garage roof. There's a DWV vent about five feet downslope of the chimney. For the proposed new vent for the laundry, the logical/easiest placement would be on the other side of the roof from the chimney. However, if I keep the laundry vent vertical or nearly vertical, it will probably be only four feet from the chimney--that is, the gas chimney and laundry vent would each be approximately two feet from the roof's peak. In that placement, the heights of the two pipes would be fairly close, though the chimney would still be taller.

Any thoughts/recommendations about how far away the new laundry vent should be from the water heater's chimney? Thanks for your input--you've been very helpful.

you should be okay taking washer vent out where you suggested. Vent shall protrude at least 12 inches above termination at roof. I usaully go 15". Also, if you live in an area that sees temps below 32 degrees(freezing). then you should penetrate the roof with a 3" pipe. Basically, you just run an 1 1/2 vent up to the attic, then use a 3x1 1/2 bell reducer and take three inch through the roof. Hope this helps.

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Originally Posted by mygirlsdad77

you should be okay taking washer vent out where you suggested. Vent shall protrude at least 12 inches above termination at roof. I usaully go 15". Also, if you live in an area that sees temps below 32 degrees(freezing). then you should penetrate the roof with a 3" pipe. Basically, you just run an 1 1/2 vent up to the attic, then use a 3x1 1/2 bell reducer and take three inch through the roof. Hope this helps.

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I live in an area of Southern California where freezing isn't really an issue. (And to anyone and everyone who may read this post, yes, there actually are places in Southern California that can get freezing weather!). Certainly within my neighborhood, it's obvious the roof vents aren't 3"--they definitely look like 1-1/2".

Pipe should protrude 12-15 inches--check! That's what I was figuring.

Thanks again for your help.

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Originally Posted by mygirlsdad77

you should be okay taking washer vent out where you suggested. Vent shall protrude at least 12 inches above termination at roof. I usaully go 15". ... Hope this helps.

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I've wrapped up this laundry DWV project now. My garage floor and kitchen sink have never been happier--and for the first time in my home's history, it has a properly functioning laundry. I joked with my wife that we should set up patio chairs in the garage, pull up a seat, and enjoy watching the drain not overflow--ha!

Just wanted you to know that all's well, and to thank you again for your helpfulness. Perhaps our paths will cross again on this forum. Take good care.

Glad to hear you got it all done. Good job.