# Sewer cleanout access box - what to cover with?



## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

How deep is the pit and how much higher do you need it., You could just add more bricks or build a box out of treated lumber that you could remove?


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## Hidyi (Sep 26, 2014)

Just to give you alternatives, the clean outs can be extended up to final grade. Then fill in the box and cover area with mulch, gravel, ground cover, or whatever meets your needs.


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## jbrah (May 29, 2018)

Nealtw said:


> How deep is the pit and how much higher do you need it., You could just add more bricks or build a box out of treated lumber that you could remove?


It's several inches from the steel cover to the first row of brick.

A removable box is a good idea. I wouldn't want to add more bricks because it's already a bit of a reach down to those cleanout caps and adding more bricks or a permanently attached wood box would make the vertical reach even longer. At least now, there, there is a bit of diagonal component to the reach down to the caps.

So maybe a shallow removable box that has same outer dimensions as the steel plate, and have that sit on the steel plate (rather than replace the plate altogether). That would reduce the amount of ground cover I'd need to remove to access the cleanout in the future.


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## jbrah (May 29, 2018)

Hidyi said:


> Just to give you alternatives, the clean outs can be extended up to final grade. Then fill in the box and cover area with mulch, gravel, ground cover, or whatever meets your needs.


Is there a mulch that isn't termite food and that doesn't attract other insects?

Mulch would be more attractive than gravel. In the same boxed in area, there is a bush, so a sharp transition from dirt, where the bush is, to the gravel might look a bit awkward (or maybe not, I'm not familiar with landscaping).

That said, gravel would probably be the simplest, low maintenance option.


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## Yodaman (Mar 9, 2015)

Build a cube (open bottom) from treated lumber large enough to encompass the opening.
Then set a large potted plant or bird bath on it. Or, just build a lid from treated lumber and set a plant or something on it. The treated lumber setting on concrete will probably last 10 -20 years.


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## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

Or install a septic tank riser over it in the appropriate height to allow the dome to just come to grade level. They are green and become innocuous in time.


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## jbrah (May 29, 2018)

It occurred to me that I may be reducing the insulation this pipe gets. That steel plate was covered by several inches of dirt. If I replace that dirt with a box and rocks on the sides and top of box, I assume the pipe will get colder in the winter than when the plate was covered by ~4" of dirt.

Is this a problem for a sewer pipe? Before the trap, the pipe is in the house, so it won't freeze there, and after the trap, the pipe is under a few feet of dirt and getting deeper as it travels away from the house.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

I wouldn't worry about the sewer pipe but you could just put a layer or two of foam board on top of the pipes.


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## Hidyi (Sep 26, 2014)

You might be better off putting a pvc lattice box or enclosure around the 3 clean outs to grade and what I'm guessing is 1.5" galvanized pipe. Depends on your sense of aesthetics. 

To answer your other question, big box stores sell synthetic mulch that doesn't attract insects. 

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Vigoro-0-8-cu-ft-Mocha-Brown-Rubber-Mulch-HDVMBMN8CB/203714943


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## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

Sewer pipes are dry most of the time, so freezing is not that big, but do as Neal said, cut some foam to go on top of the clean outs to insulate. What is that stand pipe to the left in the picture? I just noticed that.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)




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## jbrah (May 29, 2018)

chandler48 said:


> Sewer pipes are dry most of the time, so freezing is not that big, but do as Neal said, cut some foam to go on top of the clean outs to insulate. What is that stand pipe to the left in the picture? I just noticed that.


In normal use, there is enough relatively warm water coming from inside the house, that I wouldn't expect this to be an issue.

I was specifically thinking about the water that is in the trap. If we are out of town overnight or several days, that water will sit there, and if the temps are low, I would guess it will freeze. As you point out, there isn't standing water elsewhere in the line, so even if the water in the trap does freeze, it won't crack the pipe as it has room to expand.

And I suppose we could resolve the issue upon returning to the house by running hot water at first - if we remember!

Yeah, I can use foam inside the box to mitigate the risk altogether.

The stand pipe to the left is the sewer vent. In the past, this has been used to snake the sewer line, but now that I've dug out to the trap enclosure, we can use the actual cleanouts.


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## jbrah (May 29, 2018)

Hidyi said:


> You might be better off putting a pvc lattice box or enclosure around the 3 clean outs to grade and what I'm guessing is 1.5" galvanized pipe. Depends on your sense of aesthetics.


Not sure I follow. 3 cleanouts? There are two cleanouts, one on either side of the trap. 1.5" galvanized pipe? If you're referring to the narrow vertical pipe, that's just the mailbox post.



Hidyi said:


> To answer your other question, big box stores sell synthetic mulch that doesn't attract insects.
> 
> https://www.homedepot.com/p/Vigoro-0-8-cu-ft-Mocha-Brown-Rubber-Mulch-HDVMBMN8CB/203714943


That's what I initially thought, then I ran into this article:
https://www.totallandscapecare.com/landscaping/rubber-mulch/

"Another plus of using rubber mulch is that unlike some wood mulches, it does not feed any pests such as termites or carpenter ants. The downside is that it has been found to be the preferred mulch for female and nymphal stage Asian cockroaches."

Not sure if they are seriously overstating the matter or not.


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## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

Aah, you have a trap system. Since you have successfully used the vent to snake, could you not just bring the clean out up level with the grade via a threaded connector and pipe with an access plug, then cover it all up? You could extend the pipe, put in foam or rubber mulch, whatever you want in the box to bring it to grade.

Neal, I like the rock thingy.


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## jbrah (May 29, 2018)

chandler48 said:


> Aah, you have a trap system. Since you have successfully used the vent to snake, could you not just bring the clean out up level with the grade via a threaded connector and pipe with an access plug, then cover it all up? You could extend the pipe, put in foam or rubber mulch, whatever you want in the box to bring it to grade.


Interesting idea. But in this case, the cleanout threads are shot to hell (I sealed it using a 4" fit all lead plug.). Rethreading the cleanout (if that's even DIY feasible) is more work than I want to put into this. Having access to the cleanout is already a nice upgrade from using the vent. And hopefully access won't be required for a long time.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

Get some foam board and just fill it mostly up on top of the steel and place a 24x24 concrete stone on top of it. 

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/de...mond-patio-paver-24-inch-x-24-inch/1000402077
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Amvic-M...PIPHorizontal2_rr-_-207179251-_-301619814-_-N


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## jbrah (May 29, 2018)

Nealtw said:


> Get some foam board and just fill it mostly up on top of the steel and place a 24x24 concrete stone on top of it.
> 
> https://www.homedepot.ca/product/de...mond-patio-paver-24-inch-x-24-inch/1000402077
> https://www.homedepot.com/p/Amvic-M...PIPHorizontal2_rr-_-207179251-_-301619814-_-N


That insulation is pricey.

I was thinking getting a sheet of this stuff:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Owens-C...Foam-Board-Insulation-Sheathing-36L/100320356

Then cut it up into squares that fit the bricked out pit, place these foam squares in a heavy duty plastic bag (maybe double bag it), and stuff it into the pit. Then place steel cover plate over pit. Wood open bottom box (already built) on that, then gravel. Basically I'd be stuffing an entire 4x8 sheet of foam board into the pit. I'm guessing that should be good enough.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

jbrah said:


> That insulation is pricey.
> 
> I was thinking getting a sheet of this stuff:
> https://www.homedepot.com/p/Owens-C...Foam-Board-Insulation-Sheathing-36L/100320356
> ...


 You don't need to protect the foam, they make roads out it.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

jbrah said:


> That insulation is pricey.
> 
> I was thinking getting a sheet of this stuff:
> https://www.homedepot.com/p/Owens-C...Foam-Board-Insulation-Sheathing-36L/100320356
> ...


 You don't need to protect the foam, they make roads out it. 

https://canada.constructconnect.com...placing-conventional-fill-material-dcn034955w


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