Sewer piping:

Index to plumbing drain system articles on inspection, installation, diagnosis, & repair of building drains & building sewer or septic system connecting piping.

This article series describes how to diagnose problems with building drain, waste, and vent piping (DWV), main building drains, and sewer connection or private septic system piping.

We include information about the proper inspection, installation, diagnosis, and repair of building drains including clogged or slow drains, damaged or broken drains, and improperly-constructed DWV piping.

How to Diagnose & Repair Problems in Building Drain Waste Piping & Sewer or Septic Connecting Pipes

Our page top photo shows a sewer line cleanout under and building exit piping under construction at a New York Home, courtesy Galow Homes.

Definition of building drain

Plumbing codes define a building drain as "that part of the lowest piping of a building drainage system that receives the discharge from soil, waste, and other drainage pipes inside the walls [or upper floors] of the building and conveys it to the building sewer [or septic system] beginning two feet (0.6m) outside the building wall."

This piping and its horizontal branches are required to have cleanouts, however no cleanout is required for any pipe or piping above the first floor of the building.

Our photo (below-left) illustrates terra cotta sewer piping described in more detail at PIPING in BUILDINGS, CLOGS, LEAKS, TYPES.

In our list of plumbing piping articles below you will find description of inspection, installation, diagnosis, and repair articles concerning building drain waste vent (DWV) piping. Types of building supply piping and supply piping problems are described and listed at PIPING IN buildings, Clogs Leaks Types [Link given just below]

• PIPING in BUILDINGS, CLOGS, LEAKS, TYPES - Illustrated guide to different types of Water Supply Piping, & Drain Piping, Water Supply Equipment, other Building Pipes and Plumbing materials; guide to supply and drain pipe problem diagnosis, repair.
• ABS PLASTIC PIPE - black plastic used for drain piping & ABS pipe failures
• AGE of PLUMBING MATERIALS & FIXTURES - How to determine the age of building plumbing piping, drains, materials, & fixtures
• AIR DISCHARGE at FAUCETS, FIXTURES - how to diagnose & repair air discharge from water supply piping or plumbing fixtures
• BRASS WATER PIPES - Brass water supply piping inspection, diagnosis, repair, replacement, life expectancy
• CAST IRON DRAIN PIPING Cast iron drain piping inspection, diagnosis, repair, life, leaks
• CAST IRON DRAIN LEAK, ODOR, REPAIR - troubleshooting cast iron drain piping
• CLEANOUTS, PLUMBING DRAIN - where plumbing cleanouts should be located, how to open & use the cleanout to de-clog a drain
CLOGGED DRAIN DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR - home page: how to diagnose and repair blocked, slow, or clogged plumbing drain traps and pipes
• CLOGGED SUPPLY PIPES, DIAGNOSIS - troubleshooting clogged water supply piping in buildings or between water main or well and building
• CLOGGED SUPPLY PIPES, REPAIR - how to repair clogged supply piping
• CLOGGED SUPPLY PIPES, HOT WATER - how to diagnose & repair clogged hot water supply pipes
• CONDENSATION or SWEATING PIPES, TANKS - what is the cause and cure of sweating supply or drain pipes in building
• COPPER PIPING in BUILDINGS - types of copper pipes used in buildings, inspection, diagnosis, repair, life expectancy of copper supply or drain piping
• CROSS CONNECTIONS, PLUMBING - definition of plumbing cross connection, inspection, diagnosis, problem cures
• DEBRIS in WATER SUPPLY, Water Heater - what is the cause and cure of particles of debris found in building water supply
• DIAELECTRIC PIPE FITTINGS - definition, use, requirements to avoid corroded metal piping
• DRAIN & SEWER PIPING - building drain waste piping inspection, diagnosis, repair articles & procedures
• DRAIN LINE DEPTH - how deep should building drains be buried outdoors?
• PLUMBING DRAIN NOISE DIAGNOSIS - how to diagnose and cure noises at building drains. Also see DRAIN NOISE REPAIR
• FLOOR DRAIN / TRAP ODORS - building floor drains: odors, noises, backups, check valves, smells, problem diagnosis & cure
• FREEZE-PROOF PIPES - how to prevent frozen pipes in buildings; how to fix frozen pipe damage
• GAS PIPING, VALVES, CONTROLS - requirements for safe gas piping in buildings
• GALVANIZED STEEL WATER PIPING - properties of galvanized steel water pipes: inspection, life expectancy, fittings, corrosion, leaks, repair procedures
• LEAD PIPES in BUILDINGS - how to identify lead water supply or drain pipes in buildings, how to correct health hazards from lead water pipes
• LEAD IN DRINKING WATER, HOW to REDUCE - what to do about lead water pipes
• LEAK CAUSES in WATER PIPING - what conditions cause leaks in building piping systems
• LEAK TYPES, WATER SUPPLY or DRAIN PIPES - how to find and fix different types of leaks in building water supply or drain pipes
• NOISE / SOUND DIAGNOSIS & CURE - troubleshooting plumbing system and other building noises
• NOISE, PLUMBING SYSTEM
  • PLUMBING DRAIN NOISE DIAGNOSIS
  • PLUMBING DRAIN NOISE REPAIR
  • PLUMBING NOISE TRANSMISSION CONTROL
• ODORS GASES SMELLS, DIAGNOSIS & CURE - troubleshooting building smells or odors and tracking them down to plumbing system problems
• ODORS, SEPTIC or SEWER
  • ODORS, DRAIN & SEWER LINE SOURCES
  • ODORS, OTHERS BLAMED ON SEPTIC/SEWER
  • ODORS SEPTIC or SEWER
  • ODORS SEWER GAS in COLD WEATHER
  • ODOR SOURCE TRACK-DOWN
  • ODORS SULPHUR SMELL SOURCES
  • SEPTIC SYSTEM ODOR CURES
• ORANGEBURG PIPE used in drainage & septic systems
• PLANTS & TREES OVER SEPTIC SYSTEMS - lead to root-clogging of sewer & septic piping
• PLASTIC PIPING ABS CPVC PB PEX PPR PVC - what are the different types of plastic pipes used in buildings, their properties, how they are installed, special connecting fittings, problems, repairs
  • ABS PLASTIC PIPE FAILURES
  • Polybutylene Plumbing Plastic Pipes
  • Cross-Linked Polyethylene (PEX) Pipe
  • Polybutylene (PB) Pipes
  • CPVC Chlorinated Polyvinyl Chloride Pipe
  • PB Polybutylene Pipe Failure Claims
  • PLASTIC PIPE LEAK CAUSES - why do some plastic piping systems leak?
• PLUMBING DRAIN NOISES - why are plumbing vents needed, where and how are they installed, inspected, diagnosed, repaired; plumbing vents and slow or noisy drains
• PLUMBING VENT DEFECTS & NOISES - home
• PLUMBING VENT CODES, DEFINITIONS, TYPES
• REPAIR BURST LEAKY PIPES - what to do about a burst or leaky water pipe in buildings
• SEPTIC BACKUP PREVENTION - how to avoid septic or building sewer line backups and sewage contamination
• SEPTIC BACKUP REPAIR - what to do about a septic or sewer backup into a building, cleanup procedures, priorities, health risks
• SEWER / SEPTIC PIPE CAMERAS - use a SneeSnake® (Rigid) or similar video inspection camera to examine the interior of a drain or sewer pipe.
• SEWAGE PUMPS
  • SEWAGE PUMP DAMAGE & REPAIR
  • SEWAGE PUMP ODORS
  • SEWAGE ODOR SOURCE LOCATION
  • SEWAGE ODOR SOURCE LOCATION FAQs
• SEWER BACKUP PREVENTION
• SEWER LINE LEAKS & ODORS
• SEWER LINE REPLACEMENT
• SEWER GAS ODORS - how to track down and fix odors from building drain piping
• SEWER GAS TESTS & DETECTION
• SOUND CONTROL for PLUMBING - how to prevent noisy pipes or drain noises or supply piping noises in buildings
• SUMP PUMPS GUIDE
• SUPPLY PIPING - types of water supply pipes in buildings; water supply pipe inspection, diagnosis, repair;
• TRANSITE PIPE WATER SUPPLY PIPING - cement asbestos pipes used for piping at buildings; hazards, inspection, diagnosis, repair or replacement
• PLUMBING TRAPS & INTERCEPTORS - how to install, inspect, diagnose, repair plumbing traps; why are traps needed on building drains; trap odors, leaky traps
• PLUMBING VENT DEFECTS & NOISES - what are plumbing vents, why are vents needed on plumbing drains; plumbing vent and drain noise, slow drain diagnosis and cure; plumbing odors

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Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

Question:

(Oct 31, 2011) Alex in Seattle

the sewer line that comes through the foundation wall has a large irregular hole around it. the space between the copper sewer line and foundation is between 2" and 6". It was crudely made. I have water seeping in here and would like to seal it. If it was smaller I'd use hydrolic cement, but it seems to large. Can I fill the hole with regular cement and call it good? I'll use a bonding agent. Or I was thinking of doing some sort of sleeve that would allow the pipe to move a bit if needed.

I was thinking of wrapping the pipe with rope and then taping plastic over the rope. fill the hole with cement. after the cure, then pull out the rope and the plastic. should give me some space between the cement and the pipe. seal this space with a high quality sealant or spray foam. Any thoughts or ideas would be helpful. I can't seem to find any helpful info on this issue. Thanks.

(Aug 13, 2012) Gary Rice

I have a septic system with a house on blocks that I can crawl under. We have two toilets downstairs discharging into a 3 inch PVC with a 3 inch vent pipe going upstairs and venting outside the house. I want to add one more toilet in an up-stair bathroom and I want to discharge it into the 3 inch vent pipe - will i have any problems if I do this?

(Aug 11, 2014) Dave A

What would be the acceptable limit for foundation settling before it would seriously affect the pitch of the drain pipe leading to
the septic tank? My pre-purchase home inspector suspects that the foundation for the home I'm buying has settled as much as 1-1/2"
over 15 years.

Reply:

Dave

There's no smart succinct "right" answer to the question as you post it.

Any settlement that results in loss of the proper minimum pitch of 1/8 to 1/4" per foot in the drain line can lead to clogging.

I'd be worried that settlement might also break a sub-slab drain line leading to leaks, blockages, and possibly unsanitary condtions. Some investigation is in order. YOu could start by having a plumber send a camera through the line.

I'd also want to know the cause of settlement and what else it may have affected.

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Continue reading  at ABS PLASTIC PIPE or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

CLOGGED DRAIN DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR

SEPTIC TANK, DRAINFIELD INSTALLATION - includes sewer piping installation details

Suggested citation for this web page

DRAIN & SEWER PIPING at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to PLUMBING SYSTEMS

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