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Plumbing Knowledge? (not a lot)

MaryP

MaryP

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I'm replacing my little bathroom vanity sink with a larger laundry room sink--it's shallow (9") but 20x23" with a high arc faucet. My question is, do I need to get a larger drain pipe/trap? I've never had a kitchen sink with such a small drain pipe/trap and I'm just wondering.
 
Wouldn't the main pipe leading out of the house itself be the determining factor on this?

It's three parts, yes? The new sink. The pipe (with trap) between the new sink and the main drain pipe. The main drain pipe that goes off to the public drain system.

Well, I don't know, of course, how the drain is set up that leads out of that bathroom, but if you are hooked up to a public system you probably aren't going to want to be messing around with number three of my list.

But I must confess that I am a little puzzled about your reference to a kitchen sink. Just a typing error?

Oh yes, and if you are installing a heavier sink where there used to be a smaller one, be sure you are using the proper bolts, if it is mounted to any sort of wall type arrangement. If it is supported by the counter, then you have some resizing to do, no? Just be sure it is solidly mounted. Water is heavy, as you know. And folks tend to lean on sinks, if they are mounted to a wall and that can be trouble if you have weak mount points.
 
MaryP said:
I'm replacing my little bathroom vanity sink with a larger laundry room sink--it's shallow (9") but 20x23" with a high arc faucet. My question is, do I need to get a larger drain pipe/trap? I've never had a kitchen sink with such a small drain pipe/trap and I'm just wondering.
Click to expand...

Shouldn't need that if the drains are vented properly. The vent stacks are white (usually white) pvc pipe that comes out the roof.
They take in air and prevent your drains from "gargling" or "chugging" as your sinks drain.

Dont make it a bigger project than it needs to be. IMO.
 
MaryP said:
I'm replacing my little bathroom vanity sink with a larger laundry room sink--it's shallow (9") but 20x23" with a high arc faucet. My question is, do I need to get a larger drain pipe/trap? I've never had a kitchen sink with such a small drain pipe/trap and I'm just wondering.
Click to expand...

Not likely, since you should have a 1 1/4” to 1 1/2” drain line for the existing sink (or vanity) which is adequate for a (larger) kitchen or laundry sink. After all, the 3/8” to 1/2” supply lines didn’t change.
 
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Thank you both! One load off my mind!
 
medi said:
Wouldn't the main pipe leading out of the house itself be the determining factor on this?

It's three parts, yes? The new sink. The pipe (with trap) between the new sink and the main drain pipe. The main drain pipe that goes off to the public drain system.

Well, I don't know, of course, how the drain is set up that leads out of that bathroom, but if you are hooked up to a public system you probably aren't going to want to be messing around with number three of my list.

But I must confess that I am a little puzzled about your reference to a kitchen sink. Just a typing error?

Oh yes, and if you are installing a heavier sink where there used to be a smaller one, be sure you are using the proper bolts, if it is mounted to any sort of wall type arrangement. If it is supported by the counter, then you have some resizing to do, no? Just be sure it is solidly mounted. Water is heavy, as you know. And folks tend to lean on sinks, if they are mounted to a wall and that can be trouble if you have weak mount points.
Click to expand...
I use that sink to wash my dishes, as it's the only one in my apartment. I was just worried about stuff going down the drain and clogging the trap. I am extremely careful to either brush off or wipe off any bits or crumbs before I wash the dishes, or if I have a real mess on my hands, to put the dirty water through my fine mesh sieve. That is a total pain in the ass that I'm hoping not to have to do when I get my new sink. I'll try to find a fine mesh sink stopper but it's often hard to find one that fits just right. So I wondered if a larger trap would be necessary to carry bits.
 
MaryP said:
I'm replacing my little bathroom vanity sink with a larger laundry room sink--it's shallow (9") but 20x23" with a high arc faucet. My question is, do I need to get a larger drain pipe/trap? I've never had a kitchen sink with such a small drain pipe/trap and I'm just wondering.
Click to expand...
The new "larger laundry room sink" comes with a drain diameter which is engineered to drain that size sink - so there should be no advantage to over-sizing the waste pipe. The water still has to go through the smaller orifice.

Were you planning on having the washing machine dump into the sink? Or is it connected to the house waste pipe already?
 
MamboDervish said:
The new "larger laundry room sink" comes with a drain diameter which is engineered to drain that size sink - so there should be no advantage to over-sizing the waste pipe. The water still has to go through the smaller orifice.

Were you planning on having the washing machine dump into the sink? Or is it connected to the house waste pipe already?
Click to expand...
No, it's not connected to the washer.
 
MaryP said:
I use that sink to wash my dishes, as it's the only one in my apartment. I was just worried about stuff going down the drain and clogging the trap. I am extremely careful to either brush off or wipe off any bits or crumbs before I wash the dishes, or if I have a real mess on my hands, to put the dirty water through my fine mesh sieve. That is a total pain in the ass that I'm hoping not to have to do when I get my new sink. I'll try to find a fine mesh sink stopper but it's often hard to find one that fits just right. So I wondered if a larger trap would be necessary to carry bits.
Click to expand...
Then that reads as if the other advice being offered is right on target. Somebody wrote it quite right; don't fix what ain't broke or doesn't need fixing. Just don't tighten anything too much and strip out the threads. Then you've got a problem, obviously. Don't forget the O-rings. And be darn sure it is stable upon installation. No good having your sink wanting to dance around. That'll do more than strip out threads. And as you are asking questions here it is obvious you are careful about things, so I suspect you'll do just fine.
 
MaryP said:
No, it's not connected to the washer.
Click to expand...
So then it's just a matter of keeping the drain clean, which you already seem to be doing.

Might I make a suggestion? As soon as you're all hooked up, stop up the drain, fill the sink to the top, and put a stopwatch on the drain time. Do it a couple of times and record the time. (the timer on your smart phone can be used for this) Whenever you suspect that the sink is no longer draining properly, you can always repeat the above to see if the drain has remained clear.

If the trap is filling up with gunk, the drain time will slow down, and you can take remediation action - perhaps as simple as putting a little Dawn dish detergent in the drain. The surfactants are so powerful, they very often remove a clog without having to resort to caustic drain cleaners. Easy-peasy.
 
MaryP said:
I'm replacing my little bathroom vanity sink with a larger laundry room sink--it's shallow (9") but 20x23" with a high arc faucet. My question is, do I need to get a larger drain pipe/trap? I've never had a kitchen sink with such a small drain pipe/trap and I'm just wondering.
Click to expand...
How big is your drain pipe? Typically drain sizes are either 1 1/2” or 1 1/4" both are fine. If your drain is too small it won't hurt anything but it will slow down how fast your sink empties.
 
MamboDervish said:
So then it's just a matter of keeping the drain clean, which you already seem to be doing.

Might I make a suggestion? As soon as you're all hooked up, stop up the drain, fill the sink to the top, and put a stopwatch on the drain time. Do it a couple of times and record the time. (the timer on your smart phone can be used for this) Whenever you suspect that the sink is no longer draining properly, you can always repeat the above to see if the drain has remained clear.

If the trap is filling up with gunk, the drain time will slow down, and you can take remediation action - perhaps as simple as putting a little Dawn dish detergent in the drain. The surfactants are so powerful, they very often remove a clog without having to resort to caustic drain cleaners. Easy-peasy.
Click to expand...
Oh, good! I already use Dawn for my dishes and always let the water run awhile after I empty the sink, so maybe that's keeping it clean.
 
MaryP said:
Oh, good! I already use Dawn for my dishes and always let the water run awhile after I empty the sink, so maybe that's keeping it clean.
Click to expand...
Bleachy water is good on clogs too
 
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