# Drain connection for basement utility sink



## chickenboo (Aug 25, 2006)

I would like to install a utility sink in my basement, but wanted to get some opinions about drain connections.

I have 4" cast-iron going out through my basement wall to the city sewer. The cast-iron runs horizontally for a while, then connects to a wye with a 45 going to a vertical stack that goes all the way up the house and through the roof. The other connector on the wye is capped with a cleanout plug. The distance from the floor to the center of the cleanout plug is 24".

I was hoping that I would be able to remove the cleanout, connect a PVC pipe (3" or 4"?), connect to a wye with a 2" or 1.5" and cap the other end of the wye with a new cleanout.

First question, is 24" too high off the ground for a utility sink p-trap to be connect for a gravity drain? I know I can mount the utility sink on blocks to get it raised up, but how high would I need to raise it? Should I consider using a pump instead?

Second question, how do connect the PVC to the cast-iron wye? The cleanout looks like it's screwed on to a pipe that has been fitted into the bell of the wye. If I wanted to use a 4" donut, I would imagine I would have to remove all of the oakum and lead from the bell of the wye. Could I use a donut on the pipe that cleanout is threaded on to?


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## Ron The Plumber (Jun 7, 2006)

Most tub stubs rough in at 15" off floor, thats 9" too high at the 24" you have, you can raise it 9" if you like, or go with a pump, raising will cost less.

To connect pvc to existing cast pipe, is there a plug on the end of the clean out?


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## chickenboo (Aug 25, 2006)

Ron, thanks for the reply. Would raising the sink 9" make it awkward to use? What about the stability of the sink sittiing on 9" of blocks?

Yes, the clean out has a metal plug. It looks like it hasn't been opened in a while. Last month, I had a clog in my main sewer line, and the drain cleaning company wasn't able to unscrew the same kind of plug further down my line. They had to break it up with a chisel. I wonder if I will need to do something similar to remove the plug.

Anyways, if I have to use a pump, then I will probably tie the drain to an existing PVC pipe that is already coming out of the main stack about 6' off the ground instead of trying to remove the plug.


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## Ron The Plumber (Jun 7, 2006)

You could get a wall mount style laundry sink, height might be bothersome, if you you can get the pug out, use a threaded male adaptor in it for the connection.

If you use a pump then you can tie in where you want to.


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## chickenboo (Aug 25, 2006)

Thanks again Ron. What kind of adapter would I need? Does the adapter have plastic male threads with a standard connector on the other end to glue in pvc? Is it ok to connect plastic and metal with threads for DWV?


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## Ron The Plumber (Jun 7, 2006)

Yes use a male adaptor, male thread on one side hub side to glue pipe into. Use pipe dope to seal threads.


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