Posts Tagged ‘drain lines’

Plumbing 101|Residentail Drain Plumbing

Quite often a home owner’s first experience with a plumbing problem is when a drain in their home backs up. Knowing how your drainage system works and the most common causes of back-up problems with different drain lines can really help you when it comes time to get your drains serviced. This information will make it easier for you to get the right solution to your problem, and make life easier for the plumber who is trying to explain it all to you.

Let’s begin with a little plumbing theory. Please keep in mind, that depending on your area, your lay-out may be different. I will give you a simple layout to give you an idea of how drains tie together. Your plumbing may be a bit different, but the theory will be the same.

We will start with a 1 bathroom home, for the sake of simplicity. Let’s say that the toilet is at the back of the house. That is the end of your house sewer line. Your toilet will connect straight into that main line (3 or 4 inch), go towards the front of your house, and continue through your front yard and into the street where it ties into the public sewer. Maybe you have a septic system, and the line runs straight to the back of your house where it ties into the septic tank. Either way, the thing to remember here is that your main will usually run from the furthest toilet, as straight as possible, until it reaches whatever it ties into (public sewer, septic tank, etc.).

All of your other plumbing fixtures will drain into smaller drainage lines (1 ½”- 2” lines called secondary lines) that tie into the main at different points. Your bathroom sink may tie into your shower line before it goes to the main, or your laundry line tie into your kitchen line, but they all tie into the main. The only plumbing fixture with direct access to the main is the toilet. A 2 bath house is the same, but with more tie-ins.

Read more...