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rorycn

Plumbing and wall surprise behind kitchen sink - help needed.

I gave my kitchen cabinets and countertops away to a friend for his son's kitchen. He is a tradesman, but not a plumber, and owns some rentals that he has rehabbed. This is the situation that was behind the kitchen sink. He said I need to get a plumber in to look at this because it looks very sketchy. There was no drywall behind the sink when he removed the cabinets


FWIW we bought this house in 2016 from a flipper and have spent that last 8 years fixing all kinds a half-assed stuff they did. The cabinets were new when we moved in. I am going to call some plumbers but in the meantime can anyone comment on this situation and what is needed to get it right? I know nothing about plumbing and don't want to reinvent the wheel if I don't need to.




Comments (11)

  • last year

    The black pipe on the right is capped and the one in the wall is also capped.




  • PRO
    last year

    Yes sketchy. You also want to put an outlet inside your new base cabinet and plug in the dishwasher (not hard wire) that’s been the code for awhile. The whole way the supply and drain lines are handled look weird and will make a clean install impossible. Spend the $500 to fix it, put up some drywall (tape it and one coat of mud) and move on. Don’t leave this for the next pwroan

    Rory (Zone 6b) thanked HALLETT & Co.
  • PRO
    last year

    Hahaha person

  • last year
    last modified: last year

    This is somewhat typical sink plumbing. Again, I'm not seeing anything crazy.

    Sure, the supply lines could stand to be stubbed out properly, and probably want to cap the drain line on the right more closely in the wall, but this isn't a big deal. I've seen much worse.

    Ideally, you want a hot, cold and drain line stubbed straight out of the wall. Then you want drywall, that's been taped and mudded (doesn't need to be finished though).

    With things properly stubbed out, you can cut reasonably tight holes in the back of the new cabinet, slide it into place and cover the holes with escutcheon plates.

    Once things go back together, shutoffs will be added for the sink and dishwasher and the drain to the DW will connect to the disposal or air gap.

    Rory (Zone 6b) thanked Jake The Wonderdog
  • last year
    last modified: last year

    It looks messy and jerry-rigged. I presume it sort of works - your faucets and drains and D/W function, no leaking or odors? I guess the NM cable shown is for the D/W, I can't see a ground conductor? No garbage disposal?

    Personally I would clean it up then drywall.

    The weird convoluted supply plumbing bothers me more than the mysterious capped off and unknown-purpose drains. It will never be easier to clean this up, with the wall open and everything accessible. Should only take a decent plumber less than a day. (Edit: a couple hours)

    Electrically, add correct grounded GFCI receptacle for D/W, and another circuit with switched grounded GFCI receptacle for garbage disposal.

    Rory (Zone 6b) thanked John Liu
  • PRO
    last year

    Very DIY looking, in that it's ODD.

    Rory (Zone 6b) thanked Minardi
  • last year

    The dishwasher is plugged in. The wire is for the disposal. New set up will still have single bowl and disposal, but the drain is off-set to the right rear of the sink. The old sink had a centered drain. I think the black capped pipe on the right may be in the way of the new disposal.


    My DS is an electrician and will be coming over to add an outlet for electric trash opener and will fix any other wonky electric.


    Hopefully this plumbing won't costs too much to fix. Thanks all!!

  • PRO
    last year

    We need a more comprehensive look. How far are these drain and vent lines from the main stack? I'd like to see the top drywall removed and see if there's a loop vent. Loop vents are allowed at the inspector's discretion, so calling inspection may become problematic.


    Get a professional plumber in to take a look please.

    Rory (Zone 6b) thanked Joseph Corlett, LLC
  • last year

    I will try to get more details tomorrow. I believe the main stack is below this set up in the utility room which is directly below the kitchen. The utility room has a sink on the same wall, directly below the kitchen sink. There is washer dyer hook up and water heater on the same wall. Washer and dryer hook ups are not used in the lower level.


    Calling plumbers tomorrow.

  • last year

    It'd convenient to add a stud to the right of the right drain line. It'll make drywall simpler. It would allow an electrical box to clean up wiring through the drywall whether you hardwire the disposal or use a recepticle and plug.

    Rory (Zone 6b) thanked dan1888