Sometimes the main clean out is located in the floor while other times it is a wye fitting or tee fitting mounted at the base of the main soil stack in the house. Finally in houses in colder climates where the standard construction practice is to build homes over basements the main clean out is usually found in the basement floor usually near the foundation wall. In larger homes where more than one main line runs out to the municipal sewer service its possible there will be more than one sewer clean out fitting.
basement floor sewer cleanout
When you suddenly have an inch of dirty water in your basement floor isnt the best time to notice that the drain needs to be cleaned out.
Basement floor sewer cleanout. Interior drain line cleanouts are also located under each plumbing fixture each sink for instance. A cleanout plug is a cap or lid used to close off a drain cleanout pipe. Branch drains often have similar fittings that allow you to snake out clogs when they occur in smaller drain lines but the main sewer cleanout is used when its the main sewer line out to the municipal sewer line or septic system that develops a clog. The term cleanout or cleanout pipe may refer to any branch of a plumbing pipe that is used for cleaning or unclogging the system.
Basement drains should be checked and cleaned at least every 3 months to make sure that they will work when you need. The smell alone is enough to send even the most devoted homeowners headed to the hills. Part of my online course on finishing basements the right way. In warmer climates the clean out fitting will be located outside the house usually close to the foundation and will be set at ground level.
A busted sewer pipe or backed up drain can spell trouble for your basement. Raw sewage can damage your basement as well as create a slew of health problems. A sewer cleanout is a threaded plug or cap that fits onto a wye y fitting or sweep fitting in a main sewer line to provide an access point for servicing the sewer line. How to clean basement drains by suzanne alicie a basement drain is one of those things you dont really think about until it isnt working.
If however you insist on cleaning the basement yourself proper care. A sewer cleanout cap is usually installed at the base of every house stack the vertical drain line form a higher floor level. This is because sewer clogs usually occur where there is a change in direction in the flow of the waste water. Understand how basement waste water systems work and how you can protect yourself against sewage backups.
Ron demonstrates a simple way to locate a sewer line under a finished slab in just a few minutes. These pipes can be found at basement floor drains in plumbing fixtures and even at the main sewer pipe leading out of a home or building. A threaded plug will fit into a short length of large diameter pipe that extends up from the floor. Cleaning a basement flooded with raw sewage should be handled by a professional.
