SWB
New Member
We're having problems with our kitchen sink drain pipe. It's a double sink, and the dishwasher also hooks into the drain. After the trap and going into the wall, the 2" PVC drain pipe heads down vertically about 2 feet to our basement. At this point, it makes a right angle and heads about 16 feet horizontally, then makes another right angle and heads another 14 feet horizontally, where it finally meets a 4" vertical drain pipe. The kitchen sink and dishwasher are the only fixtures on the 30-foot run of 2" pipe. The 2" pipe has been clogging regularly since we bought the house a couple of years ago, causing water to back up in the kitchen sink, especially when the dishwasher is running.
Since it happened the first time, we've been trying to keep the pipe clear by running hot water for a few minutes every couple of weeks down the pipe, avoiding using the garbage disposal (putting solid stuff in the trash, instead), etc., but the pipe continues to clog.
My guess is that 30 feet is far too long for a horizontal run of 2" pipe, and gunk is settling in the pipe and stopping up the works. However, I don't see a straightforward way to add slope to the run. The 16-foot run does have some amount of slope to it (probably at least 1/4" per foot, but I haven't measured it), but I can't tell whether there's any slope on the 14-foot section.
Does 30 feet sound too long for a horizontal run of 2" pipe, or should it work just fine provided that a 1/4" per foot slope is maintained? Would it help to move to a larger diameter pipe? Is it possible there's just something wrong with the current pipe and replacing it with new pipe would fix the problem? Is there some kind of pump or other device I can insert to help move things along without clogging? Any other ideas?
Thanks!
Since it happened the first time, we've been trying to keep the pipe clear by running hot water for a few minutes every couple of weeks down the pipe, avoiding using the garbage disposal (putting solid stuff in the trash, instead), etc., but the pipe continues to clog.
My guess is that 30 feet is far too long for a horizontal run of 2" pipe, and gunk is settling in the pipe and stopping up the works. However, I don't see a straightforward way to add slope to the run. The 16-foot run does have some amount of slope to it (probably at least 1/4" per foot, but I haven't measured it), but I can't tell whether there's any slope on the 14-foot section.
Does 30 feet sound too long for a horizontal run of 2" pipe, or should it work just fine provided that a 1/4" per foot slope is maintained? Would it help to move to a larger diameter pipe? Is it possible there's just something wrong with the current pipe and replacing it with new pipe would fix the problem? Is there some kind of pump or other device I can insert to help move things along without clogging? Any other ideas?
Thanks!