How can I find the cleanout for my building drain?

[Herman Trivilino]

Do you agree with me that that plastic pipe coming out of my roof is my stack?

Can't tell from photo. Can you see it from inside the attic? Does it come straight up through the wall below.

If you can determine where the stack rises into the attic through a wall top plate, look to see if that is a plumbing wall. Look inside the house at that wall and see if it's wider than a 2x4. If so, it could be a plumbing wall. Especially if that wall is behind a toilet.

Please look at the photographs I posted on post #17. Notice that my concrete patio is directly below my stack. So I cannot poke around directly below my stack with a shovel because that area is concrete.

Is there a toilet directly under that pipe coming up through the roof?

These are signs that your clean out is beneath that slab. It's tempting to saw a hole in that slab. Plumbers have a tool they use to locate buried sewer lines but unfortunately they aren't very precise. I would hate to cut a hole in the slab only to find out the pipe is only close to the hole. But if that is your only option, then you have to probe the soil under the slab through that hole, and widen the hole. That's if you get lucky.

If all that sounds too much, and I think it does, I would try to get a plumber to find where the pipe is buried next to that slab, dig to uncover it, and install a new clean out there.

I live in the Houston area so our climate doesn't require pipes to be buried very deep. Code requires clean outs be no further than 100 ft from the manhole. Mine is 120 ft. We had a blockage within 20 ft of the manhole due to tree roots that had been an issue for 20 years. We dug it out and found that pipe (thin wall) was broken by tree roots. Plumbers installed new schedule 40 pvc from the manhole back to the edge of the driveway, about 30 ft, and included a clean out that was within 100 ft of the other clean out.

 

[sevensages]

Can't tell from photo. Can you see it from inside the attic? Does it come straight up through the wall below.

If you can determine where the stack rises into the attic through a wall top plate, look to see if that is a plumbing wall. Look inside the house at that wall and see if it's wider than a 2x4. If so, it could be a plumbing wall. Especially if that wall is behind a toilet.

I have gotten to the point where I just now assume that the plastic pipe coming out of my roof in the photo on post #17 is my stack. There is no other pipe that comes out of my roof. I still don't know where the cleanout for the building drain is.

Is there a toilet directly under that pipe coming up through the roof?

Nope. My toilet is not directly under that pipe coming up through the roof.

These are signs that your clean out is beneath that slab. It's tempting to saw a hole in that slab. Plumbers have a tool they use to locate buried sewer lines but unfortunately they aren't very precise. I would hate to cut a hole in the slab only to find out the pipe is only close to the hole. But if that is your only option, then you have to probe the soil under the slab through that hole, and widen the hole. That's if you get lucky.

If all that sounds too much, and I think it does, I would try to get a plumber to find where the pipe is buried next to that slab, dig to uncover it, and install a new clean out there.

Yeah it is too much. I am not going to saw into the slab to try to find the cleanout for the building drain. I am only trying to find the cleanout for the building drain out of curiosity, for Pete's sake! It is not like I am trying to find the cleanout because I have a clog in my building drain.

I live in the Houston area so our climate doesn't require pipes to be buried very deep. Code requires clean outs be no further than 100 ft from the manhole. Mine is 120 ft. We had a blockage within 20 ft of the manhole due to tree roots that had been an issue for 20 years. We dug it out and found that pipe (thin wall) was broken by tree roots. Plumbers installed new schedule 40 pvc from the manhole back to the edge of the driveway, about 30 ft, and included a clean out that was within 100 ft of the other clean out.

Interesting.

 

[Herman Trivilino]

I am only trying to find the cleanout for the building drain out of curiosity, for Pete's sake!

Well, if you ever do have a clog finding the clean out will be the plumber's problem.

Years ago a plumber just dug a hole, broke the clay pipe, and patched it when he was done.

 

[sevensages]

Well, if you ever do have a clog finding the clean out will be the plumber's problem.

Years ago a plumber just dug a hole, broke the clay pipe, and patched it when he was done.

I still have my curiosity.

 

[Herman Trivilino]

I still have my curiosity.

Yup. Often the first question the plumber will ask is do you know where the clean out is located.