Pipe Cleanouts

General

Pipe cleanouts are essentially a pipe with a cap, with one end of the pipe connected to a sanitary or storm drainage system and the other end terminating with a cap in a location that can be easily accessed by a contractor or facility maintenance staff. After removing the cap from the pipe end, a technician is allowed access to the inside of the drain system to “cleanout” any clogs that may have formed. The technician can either use a water jet or sewer auger (snake) to clear any obstructions that may have formed inside the drainage system.

The following sections provide additional information on where cleanouts are required. See below for definitions of common terms referred to in this article along with supplemental resources.

Definitions

  • Building sewer: The length of drainpipe connecting the building’s drainage system to a point of disposal outside the building. A point of disposal may be a public/private sewer located below an adjacent sidewalk or roadway or an individual sewage disposal system such as a septic tank. It is the primary channel through which sanitary and/or storm wastewater is conveyed from inside the building, to an approved means of disposal outside the building.

  • Stack: In this context, a stack is any vertical drain pipe that extends through at least one story of a building.

Resources

Where are cleanouts required?

The following provides a summary of the main code requirements and is based on the 2014 NYC Plumbing Code - Chapter 7 - Sanitary Drainage. The code section numbers provided are current with the time of writing of this article and should be used for reference only. Please review the latest applicable building codes for your project location, along with any other requirements from authorities having jurisdiction for additional requirements specific to your design.

  • Horizontal drain piping - Cleanouts are required at every 100 ft of horizontal drain piping (Section 708.3.1).

  • Base of Stack - A cleanout is required at the base of each waste or soil stack (Section 708.3.4).

  • Building Sewers - A cleanout is required within 100 ft of a building sewer (Section 708.3.2).

  • Changes of direction in drain piping - Wherever there is a change in the direction of drain piping greater than 45 degrees, a cleanout is required. This requirement applies to building sewer piping, any horizontal drain piping in the system, as well as any drain piping connected to fixtures (with the exception of drain piping from water closets). Where more than one change of direction occurs in a length of piping, a minimum of one cleanout at every 40 ft is required (Section 708.3.3).

The requirements above are the minimum for providing adequate means of access to a sanitary or stormwater drainage system. Installing cleanouts at regular intervals makes it easier to locate and clear out any blockages. Providing cleanouts at the base of risers is good practice since the low points in a vertical pipe in a gravity-drain system can often be subject to an accumulation of debris and waste particulate.

Similar accumulation may also occur where there are changes in pipe direction as the wastewater flow impinges on the inner surface of the pipe bend or fitting, causing debris/particulate to stick to the interior. These locations should also be provided with cleanouts at periodic intervals. Providing a cleanout near a building sewer is critical since the building sewer is the main artery through which waste from inside the building is conveyed out of the building. A blockage in the building sewer would back up the drain system for the entire building so you want to make sure cleanout access is provided near this location.