Upgrading 1.5" Copper to 2" for Standpipe/Drain

tigereye

My washer currently drains into the utility sink in my basement. The slip joint drain from the sink connects to an old 1.5" copper pipe coming out of the wall via a flexible Fernco connector. Inside the wall, the copper the runs into a tee and then down into the main cast iron drain.

I'm wanting to install a proper standpipe and/or upgrade the sink drain to 2" PVC as I'm looking to upgrade the washer. The current washer is filling the sink and getting backflow when it drains.

Problem is that I understand that code requires the drain to be 2" all the way into the main drain pipe, so I'm not sure if the current drain CAN be updated and whether or not it's a DIY project.

I've attached a pic that shows where the copper drain to the sink exits the wall as well as where it enters the Cast pipe.

The pipe coming out of the top of the tee runs vertically to about 4' from the floor, then makes a left turn and ties into another vertical pipe running through the ceiling, which I'm assuming is my vent stack.

Any input appreciated.

Thanks,

Mike

plummen

there should be 2" coming out of floor below the san tee,id get a piece of 2" copper and whatever fittings you need to convert it to a 2x2 san tee

adpanko

I believe if your washer drains into a utility sink, you can keep 1.5" DWV from the sink. This would mean you don't have to run a separate standpipe for the drain. I have the following utility sink:

http://www.mustee.com/products/utilatub/94.shtml

It has a washer drain integrated into the basin of the sink itself, instead of just draping the drain hose over the side. This eliminates the need for a standpipe, and the drain hose is hidden. With a tub this large, you don't have to worry about the sink overflowing from the washer drain water. Just a thought.

plummen

yes it is legal to use a wash sink to drain washing machine into in certain areas if that is what you want to do

Alan

Disregard.

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plummen

if the drain and sink are pre existing you should be fine

NHMaster

By what code? Utility sinks can dump into an 1 1/2" drain by every code I have ever read.

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Alan

You're right. We always run 2" to them for some reason. I thought utility sink had the same notation as kitchen sink in the codebook.

my mistake.

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tigereye

Thanks for the info everyone.

Just to clarify, I'm definitely looking for a solution that involves a standpipe, as I'd prefer to get the washer drain out of sight, although the tub/drain that adpanko linked to would probably be an acceptable alternative.

I've actually got an even bigger tub than that. It looks like this one:

http://www.mustee.com/products/utilatub/27.shtml

But doesn't have the recessed divider wall to allow it to spill over to the 2nd tub. Maybe the simplest solution to the problem is to just cut down the top of the divider a bit so it overflows into both tubs.

Sorry if I got something stirred up with the code discussion. I may have misunderstood what I read. I wasn't specifically speaking of the trap necessarily needing to be 2". What I understood was that once you start with 2" at the standpipe, you can't step down to 1.5" along the path to the drain due to problems with reducing the flow. I thought I understood that it was a code issue, but perhaps it's more of a rule of thumb.

Thanks again for everyone's help.

Mike

NHMaster

I suspect Plummen had it right a few posts back. That's a 2" CI hub poking up out of the conretet so you could remove the copper and increase it to 2" there. Either copper or PVC. If pvc you can get a Fernco donut insert and go from there.

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tigereye

Thanks NH/Plummen,

I think I missed that with some of the other stuff in the thread. I'll go down later and finish ripping the paneling off the wall so that I can get in there and get a better look and take some measurements about what's down there.

Appreciate the assist!

tigereye

Finally got around to taking a better look at this tonight, and I think it's good news. From what I can tell is that I've currently got 3 sizes of pipe between the trap and the copper pipe coming out of the wall.

Plummen was right, the tee coming out of the floor is a 2x2 copper DWV going into the CI Hub. The pipe out of the top of the tee seems to be the vent. The pipe coming out of the side of the tee seems to be 2" copper. Right on the other size of the wall, it steps down to a 1.5" metal pipe. Not sure if it's copper or really nasty galvanized or chrome. This pipe then steps down to a 1.5" plastic slip joint p-trap coming out of the sink.

So, given all of that, can I just get a 2" copper to pvc Fernco coupler, cut off the 1.5" metal pipe and plumb in a normal 2" laundry stack/standpipe? If that's the case, my only other question would be whether I need to vent the standpipe stack separately, or will it be vented through the existing vent stack (the top part of the 2x2 tee).

Thanks,

Mike