[MrBill_DIY$]

This 4" sewer cleanout is in a high-traffic area in a finished basement floor in a townhouse (the basement was finished during a condo conversion 40 years after the cleanout was installed). It's almost impossible not to step on this spot while walking through a nearby doorway. The concrete surrounding the cleanout is an irregular crater 8-9" wide. I'd like to reduce the crater to a hole no more than 5" wide by building up its sides with some kind of concrete patching compound, making them almost vertical, so I can use a 6" cover plate. What's the best way to do this, and what concrete patching material should I use? Is there some kind of form I could use to support the concrete as it sets? Any ideas will be appreciated.

 

[huesmann]

What would your 6" cover plate be attached to?

 

[MrBill_DIY$]

What would your 6" cover plate be attached to?

A screw in the middle of the cover plate will attach it to the square peg in the PVC cap.

 

[SPS-1]

Could possibly use a 4" PVC coupling as your form. Should be about 4.9 - 5" OD. Put a little grease on the OD just to make sure it comes out easily. But make/buy the grate/cover first.
If the drive square on the cap is too high, keep in mind that you can buy drain caps with female drive features, rather than male. Search "flush mount cleanout plug".
Put 2" wide painters tape on the edge of the tile to make sure you don't get concrete on the existing tile.

 

[MrBill_DIY$]

Could possibly use a 4" PVC coupling as your form. Should be about 4.9 - 5" OD. Put a little grease on the OD just to make sure it comes out easily. But make/buy the grate/cover first.
If the drive square on the cap is too high, keep in mind that you can buy drain caps with female drive features, rather than male. Search "flush mount cleanout plug".
Put 2" wide painters tape on the edge of the tile to make sure you don't get concrete on the existing tile.

Good ideas, thanks.

 

[huesmann]

What material is the cap threaded into—PVC, or cast iron?

 

[MrBill_DIY$]

What material is the cap threaded into—PVC, or cast iron?

PVC

 

[huesmann]

Is the pipe itself 3" or 4"

 

[SPS-1]

The other thing is, the concrete floor should be well soaked with water prior to to applying the patch.
For something like that, I mix the concrete patch with concrete bonding agent rather than water.
And a good idea to spray down the surface of the patch a few times for the first day or two while its curing.

 

[MrBill_DIY$]

Could possibly use a 4" PVC coupling as your form. Should be about 4.9 - 5" OD. Put a little grease on the OD just to make sure it comes out easily. But make/buy the grate/cover first.
If the drive square on the cap is too high, keep in mind that you can buy drain caps with female drive features, rather than male. Search "flush mount cleanout plug".
Put 2" wide painters tape on the edge of the tile to make sure you don't get concrete on the existing tile.

Rummaging through the plumbing section at Home Depot, I managed to find a short PVC pipe the same outer diameter as the cleanout pipe. To enlarge it just a little, I duck-taped a piece of cardboard around it. That gave me a diameter of about 4.75". Also, the cardboard should be easy to separate from the new concrete. The form worked really well and it was stable as I pressed concrete into the void around it. Thanks for the idea.