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Can I cap disconnected bathroom sink pipe?

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

I currently have a clog in my kitchen sink. This is the first time I've had a clog in any sink. I wonder whether it's due to the fact that 19 months ago I got a garbage disposal installed.

Anyway, a plumber will be coming to my place soon to fix the kitchen sink clog.

Directly on the other side of the wall from my kitchen sink is my bathroom sink. This sink is disconnected right now because I have to replace the undermount sink bowl since it's cracked. The problem is that whenever I run water in the kitchen sink for a certain period of time the water flows over the top of the disconnected bathroom sink, and pours into the cabinet which is why I have the stainless steel bowl under the piping (see photo below).

At Home Depot they sold me this cap which I can use after I remove the black pipe (again, see the photo). In other words, the cap will screw onto the top of the white pipe that is under the black pipe in the photo.

My question is if I cap this white pipe will it cause any problems? I ask because I do not know whether the piping needs an air outlet. The cap will only be temporary. It will be on only until I get a plumber to connect the piping to the new sink bowl. I presume if I screw on the cap the water from my kitchen sink will back up onto the kitchen sink? If so, this is better than having the water spill into the bathroom sink cabinet.

I will highly appreciate any feedback.

Thanks!

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Comments (2)

greg_2015
5 years ago
Yes you can (and should) cap it. The plumbing should be vented elsewhere (ie. in the wall going up through your roof).
bostonoak
Original Author
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
greg_2015,

I'm really glad you got back to me on this.

I'm not a plumber (obviously) but figured there had to be a different place where the plumbing is vented. But since I'm in a condo building and on the top floor, I did not want to take a chance and simply go ahead and cap the pipe. I even went as far as to consider that maybe the sink bowl holes are the vents, especially when I saw the black holes in the black pipe (see photo in my first post).

After I got your response I went onto my deck, which gives me a clear view of the roof, and indeed saw what I consider to be the vent stack. By examining its location and the location of my kitchen and bathroom sinks, I could clearly see that the vent stack it right above the sinks. The photo below is of the vent stack. While standing on my deck I can touch the edge of the pitched roof with my hand. In fact, just below the photo is my deck door which leads into my kitchen. So the distance between the stack and me, from where I took the photo, is quite close.

And here's a photo of the bathroom sink pipe after I capped it:

By the way, something strange has happened. My kitchen sink clog seems to have gone away! This may have happened before I even capped the bathroom sink pipe. After I capped the bathroom sink I ran water down my kitchen sink which is on the other side of the wall from my bathroom sink. I was expecting to see the water back up into the kitchen sink. But no, the water kept draining away.

Is it normal for some sink clogs to go away on their own after a number of days or weeks?
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