Basement Cleanout

[aallman27]

I have a question regarding a cleanout that is in the floor of our basement. the cast iron cap has come loose and I am having trouble finding something that will seal the pipe. the flange on top has a 4.5" ID and the main pipe extention that comes up to the floor vertically has a 3.5" ID. Does anyone have any suggestions as to the best method to cap this, it seems to be an irregular size.

There is also an extension that comes off of this verticle pipe that looks to have a slotted or vented cap? On the oposite side (180 degrees) of that horizontal piece is the pipe that runs to the sewer. I am not sure of the type of set up this is. I assume that all of the plumbing in the house ties into this section of pipe. If anyone has a similar set up let me know.

There is also a pipe running from this basin to the sump pump. The basin looks to be 2ft by 2ft and roughly 12-18inches deep with dirt in the bottom and bricks line the sides and a concrete floor sits on top. We had water lying in this basin for days from the backup, I got most of it out of there but there still seems to be some coming back Should i throw a dry stone in the basin to absorb any water that may come through the ground or is this normal and I should not worry about it.

Thanks

Anthony

[plumberscrack]

Anthony,

Pictures would help alot here:D

[freddy]

They do make a plastic style cap that has a rubber, that expands outward as you tighten it in. They make different sizes should be able to find an the depot.:)

[PLUMBER RICK]

as freddy said. the internal expansion plugs will work fine. on a bald pipe end a jim cap will work.

i agree a picture is worth a 1000 words.

rick.

[westcoastplumber]

Sounds like you have a iron body c/o adapter or just an FIP, You can use a 4" doller plug they have 2 styles, a metal one, which I recommend, it has metal wing nut and a rubber gasket, sandwiched between 2 pieces of metal, or a plastic one, looks like a raised head plug, with a gasket around it. I am not sure of your set up, wish there was a picture. Please keep in mind, with both of these remedies, you have a chance for the plug to blow out if you have a m/l stoppage due to head pressure. send a picture, and we'll see if we can give you what you need

[DuckButter]

Sounds like you have a iron body c/o adapter or just an FIP, You can use a 4" doller plug they have 2 styles, a metal one, which I recommend, it has metal wing nut and a rubber gasket, sandwiched between 2 pieces of metal, or a plastic one, looks like a raised head plug, with a gasket around it. I am not sure of your set up, wish there was a picture. Please keep in mind, with both of these remedies, you have a chance for the plug to blow out if you have a m/l stoppage due to head pressure. send a picture, and we'll see if we can give you what you need


Robert, maybe it's just me, but for some reason I've had bad luck with those metal ones vs the plastic holding when I do a head test for inspections.
Ironically I get the plastic dollar plugs at "big orange", the metal ones at suppliers.
I've had fewer bad experiences than I could count on one hand, but that's enough for me.
Maybe you get something different than we do...afterall, you're on the other side of the world...lol.

[westcoastplumber]

Hmm, I haven't had a problem yet, but I appreciate the info, I will keep that in mind;):D

[DuckButter]

Hmm, I haven't had a problem yet, but I appreciate the info, I will keep that in mind;):D


I'll just have to guess that maybe it's a different manufacturer, or maybe it's been my luck.

[westcoastplumber]

Like I have said in my other posts, Murphys Law. I only use doller plugs and jim caps on exterior parts of the building, I have seen both blow off and cause alot of damage. nothing like 500-5000 gallons of sewage under the house:eek:

[DuckButter]

Like I have said in my other posts, Murphys Law. I only use doller plugs and jim caps on exterior parts of the building, I have seen both blow off and cause alot of damage. nothing like 500-5000 gallons of sewage under the house:eek:


YIKES!
On something with that much liquid, that's not new construction (no D-wall yet) the Jimmies and dollars are good...but I'd prolly just glue caps on..or thread plugs.

[aallman27]

thank you for the help, I will try to get some pictures tomorrow. I Spent 5-6 trips to "big orange" and found nothing that would fit or work. i tried a 3 and a 4 inch plug with the wing nut, the three inch was too small and the 4 in was a little too big. As I said the ID of the pipe is 3.5 in, seems to be an irregualr size. Some of the people on my street do not have the same set-up, so I can figure out why my house has it. As I said I will take some pics tomorrow.

[PLUMBER RICK]

i've used tin snips to cut the lower metal washer about 1/4'' smaller. try that if need be.

rick.

[BAPlumber]

I don't remember if you said if you had threads or not. When I was working in Seattle there were a lot of 3.5" clean out plugs in 4" CI. We used to get 3.5" ABS threaded plugs from Barnett Brass.

[PLUMBER RICK]

if it was a 4'' ibco/ iron body clean out, then a 3.5'' plug is the correct size. the problem is, as the threads got rusty, the plug won't screw in very good.

try the expansion plug trick and trim the lower washer if needed.

i don't own a 3.5'' or 4'' tap. not sure if i want to:rolleyes:

rick.

[westcoastplumber]

I would never tap a 3" or 4" IBCO or any FIP fitting, I feel if it is old enough to need re-threaded, then it should probably be replaced. I guess it all depends on the customer and the situation. so I guess I shouldn't say "never" but I wouldn't make a habit of it.

[PLUMBER RICK]

I would never tap a 3" or 4" IBCO or any FIP fitting, I feel if it is old enough to need re-threaded, then it should probably be replaced. I guess it all depends on the customer and the situation. so I guess I shouldn't say "never" but I wouldn't make a habit of it.


you mean that you never tap a 1.5'' san tee when you remove a nipple and trap:confused:

rick.

[westcoastplumber]

you mean that you never tap a 1.5'' san tee when you remove a nipple and trap:confused:

rick.


nope, never had to, I will either notch it and remove it if the customer doesn't want it replaced, or I will do the customer a favor and remove the old durham santee and install a new one, the sink will drain better. Usually if the nipple breaks in the santee, it is a pretty old fitting and should be replaced anyways. most stoppages are in the barrel of the fitting anyways.:D Remember, I love to work as much as posible and still enjoy making money, I feel re-tapping in most cases just puts a band aid on the situation.

[westcoastplumber]

On the related thread, I recieved an email from the original poster, to me, it is filling with water again, but it looks like a santee, It dosen't look threaded, my suggestion was to install a 4" clay x 4" plastic MR band over the hub and install a 4" ABS end plug on the 4" plastic side and torque it down. did anyone else get this email?

[PLUMBER RICK]

On the related thread, I recieved an email from the original poster, to me, it is filling with water again, but it looks like a santee, It dosen't look threaded, my suggestion was to install a 4" clay x 4" plastic MR band over the hub and install a 4" ABS end plug on the 4" plastic side and torque it down. did anyone else get this email?

i did:D it looks like a hub from a san tee. the ibco probably pulled out and it looks like the fix is to lead in a new ibco or a piece of pipe and cap it. also looks like a drain on the tee?

i wrote him back too and told him how to post smaller jpeg images. hopefully he will and everyone can see it.

rick.

[PLUMBER RICK]

nope, never had to, I will either notch it and remove it if the customer doesn't want it replaced, or I will do the customer a favor and remove the old durham santee and install a new one, the sink will drain better. Usually if the nipple breaks in the santee, it is a pretty old fitting and should be replaced anyways. most stoppages are in the barrel of the fitting anyways.:D Remember, I love to work as much as posible and still enjoy making money, I feel re-tapping in most cases just puts a band aid on the situation.

only time i repalce a san tee is if it broken or the vent or waste line is rotted away. retapping the threads are to just clean them up so the new nipple will go in more than a few turns.

very rarely will the nipple break off in the tee. i have a few custom wrenches that grip 360 degrees and hasn't failed me yet.

rick.

[westcoastplumber]

only time i repalce a san tee is if it broken or the vent or waste line is rotted away. retapping the threads are to just clean them up so the new nipple will go in more than a few turns.

very rarely will the nipple break off in the tee. i have a few custom wrenches that grip 360 degrees and hasn't failed me yet.

rick.


I have a right angle wrench that works great, get's me out of the cabinet, never have a problem with it, unless the nipple needs to be replaced due to age, then it will break off at the threads, plus I have a set of c/o cap wrenches, they work well on c/s caps and below floor level c/o caps

[aallman27]

here are the reduced resolution pics. I am not sure if the horizontal cap is vent, but as you can see there is a cut out in it, not sure if that is suppsoed to be there. That is where the water is coming out of. It sits higher than the pipe that flows out to the street. I am guessing that maybe i have a backup between the house and the curb since the water keeps coming back in and the township came out to clean from the curb to the sewer.

the vertcal pipe with the flange is not threaded, the inside dia. of the flange is 4.5" and the inside dia of the pipe is 3.5". The horizontal piece has a dia of about 7 inches. Does fernco make a 7 inch cap with a ring on it to fit over that piece? Not really sure how to fix that.