# Adding a utility Sink



## ME87 (Nov 8, 2011)

I've attached a few pictures explaining what I'd like to do. If someone else has a better method or better idea PLEASE speak up. I'm not really sure where to start on this one. 

Our laundry room is entered from the garage as shown by the door here






There is a laundry drain and water (hot and cold) hookup right behind the washer shown in the above picture and this one





I would like to add a utility sink in the garage right next to the door as shown here





How do I make this happen? I'm not afraid of the drywall work, but how do I properly tap into this water and drain?


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## BridgeMan (Nov 9, 2011)

It will be a challenge, especially if both the garage wall and the utility room wall are framed with just 2 x 4s.  The sink will require a vent line as well as a drain, so getting everything (vent, drain, and supply lines) to fit inside of a 3-1/2" space without seriously weakening the wall studs will be almost impossible.  And there's also electrical runs in both walls, so you'll need to work around that as well.  Meaning you will need to "bump-out" both wall thicknesses, possibly by adding supplemental 2 x 2 framing (glued and screwed) to the studs after you've pulled the sheetrock.

If it were mine, I'd have a few plumbers come in to give a free quote for the work, enabling you to pick their brains regarding what would work best.  You might even consider using one of them to plumb everything, with you buttoning things up after, still saving a bunch of money.  Your being in AZ means the house is on a concrete slab (right?), which will make the project that much more difficult.  Not impossible, just not as easy as being on a crawl space or basement.  Take a few pix and post them here, after you've removed the drywall.  And practice up your sweat-soldering skills in the meantime if you plan to do all of the plumbing yourself.


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## ME87 (Nov 9, 2011)

The house is on a concrete slab and it is post tension concrete, so this means there are steel cables running through it as well. From what I understand in order to drill or cut the slab, it would need to be hit with an x-ray. I may call a plumber as recommended for a few ideas and yes the wall is framed with 2X4's so you're correct. I've looked at a few of the neighbors houses who had utility sinks installed as an option when the house was built. Most of them had dedicated lines and drains run during construction, something the previous owner of our home neglected. My house did come with a finished garage, which is nice, but also isn't so nice since it needs some plumbing and they only installed 1 (ONE!!!!) electrical outlet in the entire garage.


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## nealtw (Nov 9, 2011)

As the washer is sitting a few inches from the wall, why not just run the drain along that wall and into the pipe behind the washer lower than the washer trap. I believe you can run sum distance with out a vent. If you put the sink right behind that wall in the garage you will only be running about 4 ft.


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## joecaption (Nov 9, 2011)

I'd remove the baseboard and that drywall 48 1/2" up from the floor. I think what you will see is you can just run the drain over to the drain you have now and install a sanitary Y in that line low enough to get it to drain. If there's is a vent right in that area for just the washing machine then your good for venting.
As far as for the supplys I'd use a Shark Grip to tee into the lines behind the washer, run Pex over to two Pex 1/2" stub outs. A stub out looks like a curved piece of copper tubing with a Pex barb on the bottom and a sq. plate attached to the copper tubing so it can be mounted to the studs.
It's all sold in Lowes or Home Depot.
I'd install nailing plates where the drain is run.


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## ME87 (Nov 9, 2011)

I think I will start by removing the drywall and seeing what I have to work with. Maybe I'll get lucky along the way somehow.


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## Redwood (Nov 9, 2011)

I'm not sure of your code requirements but there are some codes that require the washing machine drain to be a dedicated line until it reaches a 3" minimum line in some areas of this country.

Really the only thing to do is open the wall and see what you have.


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## ME87 (Nov 9, 2011)

I can see this conversion now with the wife. Good thing she's supportive of my endeavors and so far they turn out nice.


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## ME87 (Nov 9, 2011)

Anyone care to enlighten me as to what this is behind the washer?


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## Redwood (Nov 10, 2011)

Might be a cleanout cover... Check it out and let us know...


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## joecaption (Nov 10, 2011)

Clean out cover would have been my guess also. Is it directly below where the drain is?


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## nealtw (Nov 10, 2011)

If that's a clean out cover, I want one.


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## ME87 (Nov 10, 2011)

It would appear to be a clean out cover? 

and it's about 12 (that's approx 30.5cm for our Canadian brethren above lol) to the right of where the drain is. 










Don't be offended I lived in Calgary for a few years so I'm almost part Canuck


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## nealtw (Nov 11, 2011)

We only use metric when we have to. I would open the wall around the clean out so the plumbers can give instuctions.


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## ME87 (Nov 12, 2011)

So here is what we've learned 






Oh and there has been a change of plans.

My wife told me I wanted the sink in the laundry room in the corner shown instead of in the garage so I just have to get to the corner with the sink now instead of through a wall. Funny how being married changes things. lol


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## Redwood (Nov 13, 2011)

I assume 2" drain all the way into the slab?
Can't see it in the picture...


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## ME87 (Nov 13, 2011)

Yes on the drain.

So at this point it looks pretty straight forward to T into the PEX line, but I'm not sure about the drain and the vent, or even if a vent is necessary.


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## Redwood (Nov 13, 2011)

A vent is always necessary.

At this point you should check your locally used plumbing code to make sure that a 2nd fixture can be added on a 2" washer drain.

Are you looking at adding the sink to the right or, left of the washer?


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## ME87 (Nov 13, 2011)

Redwood said:


> A vent is always necessary.
> 
> At this point you should check your locally used plumbing code to make sure that a 2nd fixture can be added on a 2" washer drain.
> 
> Are you looking at adding the sink to the right or, left of the washer?



Unfortunately, I'm looking to add it to the left, which I believe is going to make it harder.


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## Redwood (Nov 13, 2011)

Not necessarily...

How far over?


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## Redwood (Nov 13, 2011)

Something like this would work...


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## ME87 (Nov 13, 2011)

Looks pretty straight forward. My only real issue I see is how to get the new plumbing in place of the old plumbing with the bottom piece fixed in the ground and the vertical vent fixed as well. Is there a trick to this?


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## Redwood (Nov 13, 2011)

Can you post a picture of the bottom?


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## ME87 (Nov 13, 2011)




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## Redwood (Nov 13, 2011)

Okay you should have enough room at the bottom to cut the pipe below the sani-tee for the washer standpipe. Calculate where you want the utility sink drain to come in and make the cut. You can run a dogleg on the sink drain after the vent on the drain side...

Cut up above for the vent and if you don't have enough wiggle to connect using the socket on the vent sani-tee then use a banded coupling such as a Fernco Pro-Flex...


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## ME87 (Nov 19, 2011)

O.k. I was out of town all week so I didn't make any progress, but I did knock out the drain side plumbing this afternoon. I'll take care of the water side tomorrow and hook up the sink to make sure everything works and then I'll be back onto the drywall. Thanks for all the help. I'll post completed pictures.


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## ME87 (Nov 20, 2011)

Just have to put all the drywall back together. No leaks, everything drains. Thanks for all the help


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## Redwood (Nov 21, 2011)

Okay, a couple of notes, not too bad though...

You installed a sani-tee on its back on the sink waste line vs a wye and 45 or, combo.

The sani-tee connecting the vent at the top is reversed.

You installed a drop in the drain after the trap and before the vent causing an s-trap to be created.

You used rubber Fernco Couplings vs the banded couplings I suggested like the Fernco Proflex series.


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## ME87 (Nov 21, 2011)

I did end up fixing the drop in the drain so that isn't a problem, and I did swap out the couplings, so that one was fixed as well. Not sure if I'll address the other issues.


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## nealtw (Nov 21, 2011)

You may want to move elec. plug too.


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## ME87 (Nov 21, 2011)

nealtw said:


> You may want to move elec. plug too.



That's where it's been relative to the washer drain since the house was built. Any real reason it may be necessary?


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## nealtw (Nov 21, 2011)

Now it close to the sink and wet hands.


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## Redwood (Nov 22, 2011)

The sani-tees don't matter as much as the other stuff so nice job...


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## ME87 (Nov 22, 2011)

Redwood said:


> The sani-tees don't matter as much as the other stuff so nice job...



Thanks. I learned quite a bit on this job, which is one reason I tackle these sort of things. 

As a side note, how many of you and is it common to plumb gray water out of the house for irrigation purposes?


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## JTGP (Nov 22, 2011)

ME87 said:


> That's where it's been relative to the washer drain since the house was built. Any real reason it may be necessary?



Yes. Could resolute in a electrical shock. Might want to look into a WET cover for that, since  it will not be GFCI protected.


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## ME87 (Nov 22, 2011)

JTGP said:


> Yes. Could resolute in a electrical shock. Might want to look into a WET cover for that, since  it will not be GFCI protected.



It is protected with GFCI on another circuit. House only has 3 outlets with switches and the rest are tied into them. That was new to me and really a pain the first time one blew after a power surge.


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## joecaption (Nov 23, 2011)

A washing machine or any appliance that's not temperarly plugged in should not be on a GFI.


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## Redwood (Nov 23, 2011)

ME87 said:


> As a side note, how many of you and is it common to plumb gray water out of the house for irrigation purposes?



There are some rather specific code requirements regarding gray water systems. I have not installed any yet, but have done some work on one at an outlet mall nearby. All of the toilets and urinals there are fed with gray water.


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## Redwood (Nov 23, 2011)

joecaption said:


> A washing machine or any appliance that's not temperarly plugged in should not be on a GFI.



Why not?

From the 2008 NEC:
210.8 Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection for Personnel.
(A) Dwelling Units. All 125-volt, single-phase, 15- and 20-ampere receptacles installed in the locations specified in (1) through (8) shall have ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel.​(7) Laundry, utility, and wet bar sinks  where the receptacles are installed within 1.8 m (6 ft) of the outside edge of the sink.​
There is no exceptions listed for washing machines and appliances temporarily plugged in...

GFCI Protection does not work based on load, it works on current leakage escaping from the hot to neutral loop. If an appliance is tripping the GFCI then there is current leakage which coud present a shock hazard so it should be repaired...


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