What is a Sewer Cleanout on a sewer line?
A drain cleanout provides access to a drain or main sewer line and is located outside of your home in the front or back yard. Some Cleanouts can be found inside the building or home.
Cleanouts typically go unnoticed until there's a problem. They look like screwed on plugs or capped pipes flush to the ground.
Cleanouts for Cast Iron Pipe
Each cleanout fitting for cast-iron pipe shall consist of a cast-iron or copper alloy body and an approved plug. Each cleanout for galvanized wrought-iron, galvanized steel, copper, or copper alloy pipe shall consist of a plug as specified in the UPC Table 707.1, or a standard weight copper alloy cap, or an approved ABS or PVC plastic plug, or an approved stainless steel cleanout or plug. Plugs shall have raised square heads or approved countersunk rectangular slots. Each cleanout fitting and each cleanout plug or cap shall be of an approved type.
Cleanouts location
Each horizontal drainage pipe shall be provided with a cleanout at its upper terminal, and each run of piping. that is more than 100 feet in total developed length, shall be provided with a clean out for each 100 feet, or fraction thereof, in length of such piping. An additional cleanout shall be provided in a drainage line for each aggregate horizontal change in direction exceeding 135 degrees. A cleanout shall be installed above the fixture connection fitting, serving each urinal, regardless of the location of the urinal in the building.
Each cleanout shall be installed so that it opens to allow cleaning in the direction of flow of the soil or waste or at right angles thereto and, except in the case of wye branch and end-of-line cleanouts, shall be installed vertically above the flow line of the pipe.
Access to Cleanouts
Each cleanout, unless installed under an approved cover plate, shall be above grade, readily accessible, and so located as to serve the purpose for which it is intended. Cleanouts located under cover plates shall be so installed as to provide the clearances and accessibility required by this section.
Grade of Horizontal Drainage Piping
Horizontal drainage piping shall be run in practical alignment and a uniform slope of not less than 1/4 inch per foot or 2 percent toward the point of disposal provided that, where it is impractical due to the depth of the street sewer, to the structural features, or to the arrangement of a building or structure to obtain a slope of 1/4 inch per foot or 2 percent, such pipe or piping 4 inches or larger in diameter shall be permitted to have a slope of not less than 1/8 inch per foot or 1 percent, where first approved by the Authority Having Jurisdiction.
