Why do you need a cleanout?

A drain cleanout provides access to your main sewer line and is located outside of your home in the front or back yard. Cleanouts typically go unnoticed until there is a problem. They look like capped pipes sticking a few inches above the ground.

What is the purpose of Cleanouts?

A cleanout is an easily accessible section of pipe with a removable cover that makes it easier for you or a plumber to access your pipes. This access lets you run an auger or snake into the pipes to clear clogs and provides easy access for a plumber with a camera to check your pipes for other issues.

How often should you have a cleanout?

Generally, homeowners can go quite a bit longer between cleanings, but it's still not a bad idea to have this done every few years or so. You should make sure it's done at least every two years if you have a large home and family, creating a large amount of sewage waste.

When should I use cleanout?

Cleanouts are required for horizontal drainage piping (see Figure 707.4). For long runs of piping, a cleanout is required every 100 feet. This measurement is taken from the highest end of the horizontal drainage piping to the point of connection with the building sewer.

Where should drain cleanouts be placed?

The cleanout shall be either inside or outside the building wall and shall be brought up to the finished ground level or to the basement floor level. An approved two-way cleanout is allowed to be used at this location to serve as a required cleanout for both the building drain and building sewer.

Why you need a sewer clean out for your home ?

Does a kitchen sink need a cleanout?

Cleanouts are generally required on horizontal branches of drain pipe, but because the P-trap has removable connections, it can serve as a cleanout, so you usually don't need another one under the kitchen sink.

Can you drain into a cleanout?

You may tie into the drain line through that cleanout providing you still retain a cleanout of the same size. Begin by removing the cap and thoroughly cleaning the femal threads of the existing cleanout with a wire brush.

How does main sewer line get clogged?

Sewer line blockages are usually caused by a broken sewer pipe or tree roots that have grown into the pipes. Main sewer pipes are at least six inches in diameter, so a hair clog or other minor issues are unlikely to be the cause. If you live in an older home, then the sewer lines can become brittle with age.

How do you clean a sewer cleanout?

Should sewer cleanout be capped?

Make sure your clean out cap is on.

It allows access to the sewer line in case there's a problem. It's usually located somewhere between your residence and the street. The cleanout cap is simply the part that keeps it covered.

Should a sewer cleanout have water in it?

If you see any sewage or water around the outside of that cap, you definitely have a blocked sewage drain. If you pull off the cap and see standing water inside the sewer cleanout, that's also indicative of a blocked sewer drain.

What is a sewer cleanout cap?

A sewer pipe cap, also known as a sewer cleanout plug, is a removable cap that gives you or a licensed plumber access to your sewer line when it needs maintenance, like during a sewer backup.

What is the white pipe in my front yard?

The good news is that pipe is nothing more than a clean-out for the homes sewer system. If there is ever a problem with the sewer system, a plumber can use the clean-out to diagnose the problem. Many plumbers have a snake with lights and a camera on the end so they can find clogs or breaks in the sewer lines.

What is the green pipe in my front yard?

The large green PVC pipe is a housing used to keep access available to the valve. (There should have been a cap on it) "3034" Green PVC is often used as drainage pipe for wastewater into a septic system or municipal sewer but the installer likely just used whatever scrap they had on hand.

Can you cover a sewer hole?

Hide the sewer pipe access point with small shrubs or a combination of fake and natural rocks. If you hide it with shrubs, using small shrubs is key because they won't grow large root systems, which could damage the pipe. Place the shrubs 2 feet from the pipe so workers will have room to access the area if necessary.

Does washing machine drain into sewer line?

This main sewer drain pipe under the yard is connected to the main drain inside the house, which accepts the wastewater from the individual branch drains serving each plumbing fixture, including sinks, tubs, showers, and toilets, as well as the washing machine.

How do I know if my main line is clogged?

Can toilet paper clog a sewer line?

Toilet paper is designed to break down in water, specifically to prevent clogs. However, if too much toilet paper is used, it can form a mass in your sewer pipes that resists dissolving. In most cases though, the clog is caused by items in the sewer line that should not have been flushed to begin with.

Why do you need a two-way cleanout?

Most modern homes already have a sewer cleanout installed, but some older homes don't. A two-way sewer cleanout differs from other cleanouts because it allows hydro jets and drain snakes access to both sides of the pipe—the side going into your home and the side going into your septic tank or the municipal sewers.

What is a two-way clean out?

An opening in pipes or sewers designed for rodding or working a snake into the pipe in either direction. Two-way cleanouts are most often found in building lateral pipes at or near a property line.

What is a cleanout plug?

A cleanout plug is a cap or lid used to close off a drain cleanout pipe. The term cleanout or cleanout pipe may refer to any branch of a plumbing pipe that is used for cleaning or unclogging the system.

Why is there a cleanout under my kitchen sink?

An accessible drain cleanout is the part of the drain that can easily be accessed and which plumbers can open up and clear out with different tools. They were designed to create an easy access into your drain line in order to fix stoppages and clogs.

Does kitchen sink drain to sewer line?

Your kitchen sink and bathtub have separate drain lines, but they ultimately all connect to a single line that leads into the sewer. If your sink is draining into your bathtub, something has definitely gone wrong somewhere in the plumbing lines.

Does AP trap need a cleanout?

Only reason you need a clean out is to retrieve something you accidentally drop. If it's not glued, you can always simply disconnect the trap if you need to for some reason. If you need to snake your drain, the cleanout isn't going to help at all.