Thank for the reply. Before calling a plumber this morning, the 2nd floor called and told me that the standing water in her sink was now gone. I went up there and turned on the hot water on the 3rd and 2nd floor. Meanwhile, down in the basement, I could hear what sounded like chunks of ice hitting the elbow at the bottom of the waste riser. Now that that's the drains are all fine, I think I have a related problem. This morning, after going into the basement while running the hot water, I could see a puddle of water under the riser pipe. There was dirt in the puddle and the dirt was in a path down the foundation wall. On top of the foundation wall, there was a bunch of wet dirt. (I'm pretty sure the dirt has always been there from the fire stop material and dust and whatnot. Directly above the dirt on the top of the foundation is the hole in a 2x4 where the PVC riser runs up through the back exterior wall of the house, and then through the roof. The wood around the hole is wet with moisture, and some of the insulation I put in that hole around the pipe to stop a draft was moist too. Is it possible that the PVC waste pipe had standing water in it from the blockage (whatever it was) and froze and cracked overnight? The temp last night dipped to 15 degrees Fahrenheit and stayed below 25 until 10:00 this morning. This riser pipe is in an uninsulated exterior wall on this 1940's house, and vents through the roof. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Nick

@kel_kat5 There are many ergonomic factors that need to be considered when determining sink depth. Double bowl sinks need to be deeper because large items, such as cookie sheets, trays, and other large items will not fit flat down in the bowl. They are generally washed by putting them half in and half out of the bowl at an angle while washing the bottom half, then flipping it around to wash the other half. These sinks should be 9 or 10" deep depending on your height. If you are shorter than 5'4" or taller than 6'0", I would suggest a 9" deep bowl. A shorter person and taller person will find it uncomfortable to reach down to the bottom of a 10" deep bowl. The best scenario, in my opinion, is a single bowl sink with a rear corner drain. That allows the user to lay large items flat down inside the sink to wash them without covering the drain. In this case, the sink should be 8" deep for most users, however, the same situation is true with shorter or very tall users. The bowl should be just a tad shallower. The reasoning here is that the user will be working at the bottom of the bowl all the time and reaching below 8" is ergonomically uncomfortable. The drain location should be placed in the right rear corner for right-handed users and in the left rear corner for left-handed users. The reasoning here is simple. A right-handed person will always hold a dish in their left hand and scrape debris into the disposal with their right hand. If you follow the motion of the right hand it leads to the right rear of the sink. There is another reason that is often overlooked. If the drain is in the right rear, the dish will be slightly turned toward the drain instead of perpendicular to the user. When a spray is used on the dish, the water will reflect away from you with the rear corner drain instead of potentially at you when the dish is perpendicular to your body. I have studied ergonomics for 40 years, the first 20 years, as a professional kitchen designer and the last 20 years as a sink designer. It has been my passion all of those years to provide ergonomically comfortable kitchens and sinks as well as to design kitchens and sinks that save time. As they say, "you can't make time" - however, you can save time! Best of luck in your search for a sink. Dino Rachiele

@kudzu9 Yeah we passed! We have other corrections to make before the final occupancy (mostly silly little ones like I have to change the light bulbs), and we need a few more gfi outlets (1 in laundry, 1 for range/hood, one more in bathroom) but they are mostly just little things. The plumbing and fixtures passed in the bathroom. Actually he gave us a compliment on the plumbing. He said that most people don't use a UL listed bottle trap and that's why they don't pass (I think he said UL listed, but it may have been another acronym; I didn't want to press him about it by asking questions). So maybe that's the secret? I do have to add a gfi plug next to the toilet though. Here are updated pictures. I just need to paint the chome piece and plastic tubing so it matches the rest. I wanted to wait to see if it passed.

The design of the sink is a big factor for sink depth. Those who are 5'3" tall or shorter should consider a shallow sink. A sink with a double bowl or single bowl with a center or rear center drain should be around 9" deep. A sink with a rear corner drain should be 8" deep. Why? A sink with a rear corner drain allows the user to place large platters, half sheet pans, cookie sheets, and other items flat down on the bottom to wash/scrub without covering the drain. The bottom of this type of sink will be the most commonly accessed area for these chores - hence the sink should be 8" deep or shallower. I have studied ergonomics for over 40 years - for 20 years as a kitchen designer and 22 years as a custom sink designer. My comments above are based on those studies and thousands of conversations with sink owners. Lastly, why such a small sink? What size is the cabinet it is going in?