Plumbing question!

3 years ago

I have this standpipe setup for my washing machine and it has worked pretty well over the years. However occasionally I have a blockage in the mainline in my front yard, and then wastewater from the house comes down that big black pipe and pours out from the standpipe!

I was thinking maybe I could cap it off with a rubber PVC pipe cap with a hole in it for the washing machine drain line and then another one for 1" clear vinyl tubing, and run that tubing to a garbage can with a water alarm in it. Do you think that would work and/or is there a better solution? I have some fear that my idea might backfire and cause my pipes to come apart somewhere worse than in the utility room -- like in the basement ceiling in the other room!

I'm so tired of having to spend hours cleaning up when there is a blockage!

Any ideas and/or help would be much appreciated!

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Comments (10)

PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
3 years ago
You can't cap it by code; it has to admit air. This is designed to eliminate sewer gas odor; I don't know how well it would work for stopping back flow, but it's probably as close as your going to legally get.
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greg_2015
3 years ago
Fix the problem, not the symptom. Why does your main line keep getting blocked? Fix that.
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yetile
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks for the responses!

Joseph: They make standpipe covers and they sell them here. It can't be against code. And there is a u-trap preventing gasses from coming up through it already. Capping it won't hurt anything at all, except if there is an overflow it might then blow out somewhere else in pipes. I just don't know anything about water pressure in a drain line and know what to expect. If it were capped completely, would it flow back up the pipe, would it go through the 1" tube (ie: is that enough), etc.

Greg: I wish. Talking about a problem that only occasionally happens and I have more pressing issues than spending thousands to replace the line. Additionally, I don't like living with the idea that my neighbors can flush something down their toilets and stop up the mainline, and then it's going to overflow into my basement the next time I use my plumbing. I'd like some peace-of-mind that I'm not the only one on the block with an open sewage overflow into my basement!
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greg_2015
3 years ago
If you cap it off, the sewage will just flow somewhere else. Maybe into your washing machine through the drain pipe.

You could keep it open, but 'T' off another branch near the top of the stand pipe that would redirect any overflow to another more convenient location (like your garbage can idea). Not a little 1" tube. Sewage would block that. Keep it as the same size as your standpipe.
yetile
Original Author
3 years ago
I don't mind it flowing into my washing machine... or backing up through to my sinks, tubs, etc. Over the last 20 years no solid sewage has come up through the pipe, it is always water, which is why I was thinking the 1" might work. Doing a bigger one starts to become crazy because of the amount of room it would take up to do the redirect. My biggest concern is building up pressure and blowing out the pipes are a connector somewhere.
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User
3 years ago
Have you looked into a backflow preventer
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yetile
Original Author
3 years ago
Hi Jim, I tried but wasn't successful. Could you point me at one that works on 2" pipe?
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User
3 years ago
I do not know your location. can you google: 2” backflow preventer. .
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yetile
Original Author
3 years ago
Is this what you're thinking?: ZOELLER Check Valve, 2 in, Single, Inline Swing, PVC, Clamp x Clamp
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PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
3 years ago
"Joseph: They make standpipe covers and they sell them here. It can't be against code."

They do make standpipe covers and they have vents because it's against code to not have them.
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