3" threaded access on side of house?

[wilkatsa]

Hi Folks, I'm a newbie with a question. We put an addition on our house a few years ago and on one side there is an open access hole to a 3" PVC pipe, which is inside the exterior wall of the house.

Some shrubbery was blocking it so I never even saw it before!

The inside is threaded and the pipe appears to be vertical, i.e. it goes up towards the roof and down into the ground.

It doesn't smell of sewer (smells moldy), and while the inside appears moist there is no obvious running water in there.

Any ideas what this might be, and should I buy a cap to close it off?

 

[phishfood]

Is the house one story or two story in this area? If one story, is there a vent pipe sticking out of the roof above it?

It sounds like a cleanout, and yes, I would get a threaded plug and some non hardening pipe dope to plug it with.

 

[wilkatsa]

Thanks! It's a two story addition and the open access is about 6" above the ground on one side. I'll try to see if there is a plumbing vent on the roof above it, however I do know there is no drain inside the house anywhere near it. This, and the fact there is no sewer smell seems to jibe with your belief it is a cleanout access.

My only question would be why a cleanout would go up as well as down? Is that normal?

Thanks again!

 

[phishfood]

Well, knowing now that it is in the area of a two story section, I would think that it would be a cleanout on the main stack draining the fixtures on the second floor. Have someone flush the upstairs toilet while you watch to see if the water drains past.

If it is just a cleanout, not a vent or a drainage stack, then maybe the plumbers did not have a slip x female thread 90 ell, and used a test tee with a cap on the top instead.

 

[wilkatsa]

Wow, we flushed the toilet upstairs and sure enough water rushes through the pipe, with some splashing out the open hole! No wonder the shrub that was there grew so well!

So I assume this means this is an access to the main drain line of this part of the house, and I'm OK to buy a threaded PVC cap and close this?

Thanks for your advice.

 

[phishfood]

You got it! Close that puppy up, and remember it in case you ever need to get the main line rodded out.

 

[wilkatsa]

All closed, thanks! If you get to Miami I owe you a beer!

 

[phishfood]

Hey, I have friends that live in Hollywood, and somewhat to the west of that. I have to go to one of their birthday celebrations next month, so watch for me.