I am moving back to our house in California and am interested in installing an outside sink for gardening and cleaning up from dirty work (will only use cold water). I have very good access to a cleanout connection on the side of the house and was wondering if I could just connect a p-trap and drain to the main cleanout.
Connecting Outside Sink Drain to Main Cleanout
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You could, but I would just run a pipe from the sink to a grassy area and dump the water there. You are not polluting since the water does not contain fecal matter por other human waste. You may need that cleanout some day.
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Eventually someone is gonna dump out a glass of Coke in that sink, and then you've got a sticky lawn. Muddy under normal use.
Depends how close the cleanout is to a vent stack. If it's inline with the main stack then you'd probably be fine. If the stack is on the other side of the house, you'd have drainage problems and/or siphoning of the sink's trap (with sewer gas smells in your backyard -- probably not code compliant either).dancobian said:
As far as using the cleanout goes in general, again I'm not sure on the code issues. You might be required to have an unobstructed cleanout.
IMO if you use a screw fitting or a neoprene fitting to attach to the cleanout, it won't be so hard to access in the future if you have a blockage.
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"Dumping a Coke" has nothing to do with your question or Code. Gray water is any waste that does not contain human waste. It is allowed in most areas and many people use sink drains for watering their plants. Check with your local Code office and ask if you can make the tie-in.
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I don't recall saying it had anything to do with code. It has to do with planning for the run-off.
Regardless of what the code says, I wouldn't put a sink's runoff into my lawn or planting beds. Eventually I might want to wash with soap at that sink. I might have a friend pour a coke down the sink, not knowing where the drain goes. I might want to wash paint brushes in that sink. I don't want any of that crap in my lawn. And should I use the sink for a long period of time one day, I wouldn't want my lawn getting all muddy.
That's all. I just wanted the OP to consider your advice in the context of how they might use the sink in the future.
Finally, your advice goes against the code in California. (Warning: PDFs).
http://www.owue.water.ca.gov/docs/graywater_guide_book.pdf
http://www.owue.water.ca.gov/docs/Revised_Graywater_Standards.pdf
Graywater systems must discharge subsurface only, and require a permit.
Also:
Graywater may contain fecal matter as a result of bathing and/or washing of diapers and undergarments. Water containing fecal matter, if swallowed, can cause illness in a susceptible person. Therefore, graywater shall be not be contacted by humans, except as required to maintain the graywater treatment and distribution system.
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Sorry Scott, but you are grasping at straws. I answered the OP's question with facts and told him where to check for code violations. Your answer was your opinion and what-if's. I don't claim to know all the codes and always tell people to contact their local code office, as I did with this OP. After 35 years in the trade, I think I have a pretty good handle on things.
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dancobian,
Sorry for the digression, but I think the one thing that majakdragon and I agree on is that you should check with your local building dept. to see if you're allowed to connect to that clean out. :thumbup:
If you are able to connect there then I envy you.. It's a lot of digging and/or cutting to tie into a waste pipe here in NY.
-Scott
majakdragon,
It was also purely your opinion.
You also instructed the OP to violate CA code (and the UPC in general AFAIK).
You also did not address the OPs original concern of whether they could tie into the clean out.
-Scott
PS - I don't like to turn threads into un-informative arguments that are completely OT. Feel free to rebut, but I've said my piece.
Sorry for the digression, but I think the one thing that majakdragon and I agree on is that you should check with your local building dept. to see if you're allowed to connect to that clean out. :thumbup:
If you are able to connect there then I envy you.. It's a lot of digging and/or cutting to tie into a waste pipe here in NY.
-Scott
majakdragon,
If you look at the above quote, you said nothing about checking local codes. (You mentioned them after I did.. perhaps I jogged your memory?)
It was also purely your opinion.
You also instructed the OP to violate CA code (and the UPC in general AFAIK).
You also did not address the OPs original concern of whether they could tie into the clean out.
-Scott
PS - I don't like to turn threads into un-informative arguments that are completely OT. Feel free to rebut, but I've said my piece.
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