CLEANOUT
WHAT IS A CLEANOUT
A Clean Out is a part of the sewer plumbing line that people use in order to conduct plumbing tests, cope lines, and clean out blockages in the sewer system. The Cleanout is one or two piece(s) of pipe that sticks out of the ground generally 3-4 inches and is usually located near the front of the house, often in the flower bed. The kitchen also has a cleanout behind the sink on the exterior wall but this cleanout cannot be used for plumbing tests, only locates. On occasion, a house may have an additional cleanout located in another area, but the most commonly used is the one in front of the house. Today, it is city code to have a cleanout visible when building the house; prior to 1980 though, a house may or may not have one as it was not required at that time.
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LOCATING A CLEANOUT
As mentioned before, not all houses were always built with a cleanout, and some of those that do have a cleanout may not have a visible cleanout. If this is the case, the plumber will have to begin the process of locating the Cleanout. In order to do this, the plumber will have to run their camera through the main sanitary line, most often by pulling a toilet off its flange for access, or vent stack, in order to find the existing Cleanout. After finding the area where the Clean Out is, the plumber then excavates the small area to find the Clean Out and begins to perform a hydrostatic test.
INSTALLING A CLEANOUT
In the event that there is no Cleanout on the property, the plumber will have to install one in order to properly complete the needed tests and/or repairs. The process of installing a Cleanout is much the same as locating one, involving running a camera in order to find a suitable place to install the Cleanout. After finding where the pipe is in the front yard to reduce the amount of excavation of the area. Once the pipe is uncovered, the plumbers will install a new piece of piping that is raised to the level of the foundation and sweeps towards the city and the home and recover the area once the installation is complete.
Can you use a single cleanout to perform plumbing tests and leak isolations?
Single sweep cleanouts
These can often lead to complications. they can often be used to perform basic plumbing tests on sanitary systems however they cannot be used effectively for accurate leak isolations.
Double sweep cleanouts
These are the most effective cleanouts for testing, cleaning sewer lines, and isolating leaks. A double sweep cleanout is always recommended and necessary for many plumbing procedures.
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