New to plumbing - help with utility sink drain and water hookup

[Sam R]

Hi all,

I just bought a house that has an area where I think a washer was previously hooked up (not 100% sure). I want to hook a utility sink here instead (the washer has been relocated), and will NOT be hooking a washer up at all. What is the easiest way to hook a utility sink drain and hot/cold tap up to the setup pictured? Much of the info I found online involved adding a utility sink into a pre-existing washer w drain, but my situation is a little different since I don't have or want a washer.

Can I use the abandoned standpipe as a drain? (I am assuming this otherwise needs to be capped?) Or can the drain be hooked up at the very end (bottom right) where there is just a screwcap on the lower horizontal section of ABS? Or do I need to saw into the area above the standpipe and attached a Y ABS pipe for the sink drain? What about the hot/cold hookup... do they sell adaptors that will fix the spigot-type connectors up higher, or is it better to cut the sealed copper pipes at the bottom right and sharkbite into those?

As you can probably tell from my post, I don't have much plumbing experience. I'm a first-time homeowner and trying to start learning, so any help at all is appreciated!

Best, Sam

 

[Tughillrzr]

That cap bottom right looks like someone planned for future sink.

second pic loaded..

two water line drops behind screens? Hot and cold for sink!! Add 1/4 turn angle compression stops with supply lines to sink faucet.

cap laundry

Only my two cents

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

That cap bottom right looks like someone planned for future sink.

second pic loaded..

two water line drops behind screens? Hot and cold for sink!! Add 1/4 turn angle compression stops with supply lines to sink faucet.

cap laundry

Agree, but that standpipe would be a good place to drain a water softener too.

If piping that sink drain new, under UPC the venting fixture should be a combo rather than a santee on its back. As is, I think it would be grandfathered and work perfectly well.

 

[Terry]

You have a washer rough and a laundry sink rough that needs some compression stops put onto the copper stubouts.
All done in ABS.
If you're not using the washer standpipe, you should cap it.

 

[Sam R]

Thank you all!!

Sounds like the existing cap in the very lower right can just be unscrewed and used for the drain, and I can put compression stops onto the existing copper stubouts bottom right and use those for my water hookups. And yes, all in ABS I'll cap off the standpipe as I don't see us using that barring some sort of large remodel.

Thank you all again - very kind of you to share your knowledge/experience.

Sam

 

[Reach4]

I'll cap off the standpipe as I don't see us using that barring some sort of large remodel.

I would probably use a rubber flex cap, in case I wanted to use that standpipe in the future.

If a future buyer complains (seems unlikely) , it would be easy enough to glue on an ABS cap.

 

[Sam R]

Ah cool, great advice. I'll do that. Nice to have the option to easily use the standpipe in case our plans for the basement ever change. Thanks much!!

 

[wwhitney]

So where does the drain to the left go? The larger pipe elbowing into the basement wall looks like it could be the main building drain exiting the house. In which case the drain to the left would have to go to a pump basin, which you'd need to check is in working order and installed correctly.

Cheers, Wayne

 

[Sam R]

That is a good question! I think you're right that the larger pipe up high is the main drain for the rest of the house. The rough in for the washing machine and utility sink drain to the left into an ancient looking pipe in the corner of the house (see attached). It is tough to access (behind furnace and water heater) and when I glanced back I initially thought the ABS went directly into the ground, and missed that it attached to an older pipe. On a prior sewer scope they saw a line entering the main drain after ~18 feet that the person doing the scope thought was the laundry hookup drain coming in, so I thought this was attached, but now seeing the age of the pipe leading to this drain I am wondering if this is still an open drain/connection and how trustworthy this is.

We just moved into this house last month, but it is a 1925 house that has been through a few remodels. Looking into it a little more, on the roof there is an ABS plumbing vent that has a cap on it, and I wonder if this entire drain setup is no longer functional and was capped off during one of the several prior remodels. I am just speculating here, but otherwise I don't know why there would be a capped pipe up there, and this vent seems separate from the entire system of pipes entering the main drain which makes me wonder now if the whole vent is capped off.

I thought this was going to be a good DIY learning experience since there was an accessible rough in, but this may be a good time for me to call in a plumber with experience with older homes

 

[Tughillrzr]

Cap is for clean out access.
Does house have floor drain? Some older houses have two exits.
You can run water in laundry standpipe and look outside in the clean out to see water movement. If no movement you will get water to back up. Use a hose on water supply. Then you’ll know if non functional.

 

[Sam R]

Thanks Tughillrzr!

The cap I was worried about is an ABS vent on the roof of the house that is capped (attached). I was wondering if this entire system might have been capped off if not in use (The plumbing, roof, and moving washer/dryer were all done in 2014). Before I think about using this rough in are there any easy ways to tell if the vent leading from it is still venting? Or tell if the capped pipe on the roof is indeed coming from this assembly? If it is, I am assuming I would need to climb up and remove the cap to use the vent.

The house does also have an old floor drain that hasn't been used in many years. I can test out the drain from the rough ins and see if the drain still works as long as the age/condition of the pipe going into the floor isn't a concern... I was a little worried about just the general appearance of the pipe that the ABS joins.

Thanks so much!

 

[Tuttles Revenge]

In Seattle, Its very common for the main stack to exit the house above grade and have a second sewer stub that is many feet lower. It was just less work digging. Unless the sewer has been replaced in the last 20yrs, you won't find an exterior cleanout to peer through.

To test the vent on the roof you can cut off the cap (have another rubber cap ready in case it needs to be capped) and listen to the inside while someone else flushes a toilet. If you can hear the flush, then its connected. If not.. then its not. But a visit up into the attic space would also be wise to see what its doing and why it wasn't removed. (just someone cheaping out on doing a roof repair likley)

 

[Reach4]

The cap I was worried about is an ABS vent on the roof of the house that is capped (attached).

Whoa! Are you saying that is not an airproof cap? Looks capped up to me.

 

[Sam R]

Haha, yeah... the vent in the pic I showed is definitely capped up, no question.

Just not sure if this capped vent is the vent from the rough in I want to use, or not. There are a few vents on the roof and the home has been through a couple of remodels. Not sure if there is an easy way to tell if the vent in the basement exits here (and is capped), or exits somewhere else (and is still venting).

Working through things for this thread has made this seem a lot more complicated than the ready-to-go hookup that I thought I had...

 

[Reach4]

Just not sure if this capped vent is the vent from the rough in I want to use, or not. There are a few vents on the roof and the home has been through a couple of remodels. Not sure if there is an easy way to tell if the vent in the basement exits here (and is capped), or exits somewhere else (and is still venting).

I cannot imagine a case where a vent pipe would be brought through a roof with the intention of leaving it capped.

Instead, the cap was probably placed to exclude rain before the drain system (which accepts some rain water) was in place. To exclude rain, the cap would not have to be glued. It may be that you can just lift it off.

 

[Sam R]

Thanks, Tuttles! Yeah that all makes sense. I will explore a little more. Might end up hiring someone to take a look at the drain/vent since this is starting to exceed my knowledge/skills as a first-time homeowner and I'd hate to hook a sink up to a rough in with a non-functional drain or vent. If so I will probably need to find a plumber in Seattle willing to go up on the roof to inspect this vent, and on a quick look it seems like many say they don't go on the roof.

Reach4, I was assuming that the vent was initially functional and open, but that when the washer was moved to a different drain and the basement hookup no longer in use that they capped the vent off (to avoid the work of removing the vent and repairing the roof, as Tuttles suggest). I'm making some assumptions here... will need to go inspect a bit when back home from work.

Thank you all for helping me muddle through this! Very kind of you to share your experience.

 

[Reach4]

Roofers go up on roofs readily and inexpensively and safely. Knocking an unglued cap off or sawing the pipe just below the cap would be easy.

While up there he could maybe spray with something that inhibits the moss etc.

 

[Sam R]

Roofers go up on roofs readily and inexpensively and safely. Knocking an unglued cap off or sawing the pipe just below the cap would be easy.

While up there he could maybe spray with something that inhibits the moss etc.

Thanks Reach4, I have someone coming to do the moss already (one of the many to-dos after moving in). If I can find out that that is actually the vent for my future hookup I can see if they are willing to uncap it or saw it off. Thanks so much!

 

[Reach4]

Thanks Reach4, I have someone coming to do the moss already (one of the many to-dos after moving in). If I can find out that that is actually the vent for my future hookup I can see if they are willing to uncap it or saw it off. Thanks so much!

You provide the saw.

The crosscut hand saw from a miter box or a fairly course-tooth hacksaw (8 to 20 tpi I would think would cut ABS nicely. Or a hammer to tap the cap up if it is not glued.

 

[Tughillrzr]

Roofers go up on roofs readily and inexpensively and safely. Knocking an unglued cap off or sawing the pipe just below the cap would be easy.

While up there he could maybe spray with something that inhibits the moss etc.

zinc strips!!