Utility Sink Installation Part Two: The Drain

 

 

Here the conclusion of the utility sink installation.  If you haven't already, make sure you check out the first post & video where I covered the water supply.  In this video I am using an old garden hose section to complete the drain for this project for under $5. Whenever I try to do projects like this I always like to use things I have laying around before I go out and buy new parts. I would love to have done a full 1 1/2" drain pipe all the way over to the sump but had this broken garden hose laying around and could not resist trying to use it as the drain.

I picked up a couple of fittings to transition from the 1 1/2" PVC male adapter on the bottom of the utility tub to a 3/4" threaded male hose connection. Total cost was under $5 for those parts and the rest was made with a piece of hose.

 

The connection was simple, glue the pvc fittings together, hook up the hose, and run it over to the sump about 8 feet away. I then tested the drain rate by filling the tub up and letting it drain and running water continuously for about 5 minutes. The hose seems to keep up and drain the tub just fine so I am going to clal this a success for now.

 

The only concern I have is that the smaller diameter hose may get clogged easily if anything gets flushed down the drain like small pebbles, dirt, etc. I will keep you updated if this turns into a pain in the long term.

 

 

 

 

Utility Sink parts:
Utility sink - http://amzn.to/1Mj6q4u
Water supply valve - http://amzn.to/1GulDPN
Cheap faucet - http://amzn.to/1BYK8Uf

 

Tools of the trade:
Spark start torch head - http://amzn.to/1BMl54f
Mapp Gas cylinder - http://amzn.to/14G5DdF
1/2"-3/4" pipe and fitting cleaner combo tool - http://amzn.to/1BSy2ao
Tight spaces pipe cutter - http://amzn.to/1y0INKD
Pipe cutter - http://amzn.to/1xP2qDj
Lead free solder - http://amzn.to/1wGPqvL
Flux - http://amzn.to/1yPxXqA

 

All of these products and more recommended items from the SSL Family are available at the Simple Suburban Living General Store

 

Remember to follow us on.....

http://www.pinterest.com/simplesuburban/
http://www.facebook.com/simplesuburbanliving
http://www.twitter.com/simplesuburban5
http://www.instagram.com/simplesuburbanliving

Music - "Shadows in the Moonlight" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/ShadowsintheMoonlight


 

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Utility Sink Installation Part One: Water Supply

Check out this video to see how to install a simple utility sink in your home. Have some sort of utility tub or sink setup in your home is a must for any home owner. No more washing off paint brushes in the kitchen sink, no more greasy hand washing in the same area you wash you dishes. If nothing else, your wife will thank you! Since we have lived here in this home for a few years I have been wanting to get this installed and it kept getting put on the back burner. Until a few weeks ago I passed by a perfectly good utility sink at the end of someone's driveway as a giveaway. Call it divine intervention or just a lucky break but it inspired me to get this project put to the top of my list.

The fist step once you have a sink and faucet picked out is to locate a good spot in the basement for the sink. The best place will be in range of a floor drain and some overhead copper water supply lines. You want to make sure that your water supply is tapping into a 3/4" supply and not a 1/2" supply. 1/2" supplies are not meant to be split another times as they are already split from the main water supply line once.

Once you have  a good location get your supplies together and get ready for a messy, somewhat stressful, and eventful afternoon in your basement working with one of my favorite tools.....the torch:) Make sure to leave yourself enough time to account for anything that might go wrong since this project will require that the entire water supply to the home is turned off for a bit.
Start by turning off the water supply to your home and then hooking a hose up to the drain on your water heater. Next open the drain and a few faucets on each level of your home. This will allow air breath into the pipes and the water to drain completely back to the water heater which should be the lowest point in the system. Once the pipes are drained out, close the water heater drain and get ready for cutting and soldering.

Once you have your Tee in place on a 3/4" supply pipe go ahead and start measuring, cutting, and soldering your supply pipes over to your utility sink location. Remember to follow local codes and if you are unsure of where you can drill holes or how to run the lines consult with a professional plumber.


Once your water supply is run, solder on some supply valves and turn them to the off position. Now you are ready to get your water turned back on and start to fill up those pipes and check for leaks. This is that somewhat stressful time I talked about:) Did it leak, how do your joints look? I can say from experience that no matter how diligent you are sometimes in hard to reach places leaks can occur. Make sure to let the system sit for a bit and then keep checking for any drips. If you find any drips you will need to drain everything back out and re-solder the leaky fitting.


Now that you are all hooked up and leak free it is just a matter of hooking up your flex water lines from the valves to the faucet and you are in business. All you need now is a drain....... more on that later.


Parts used listed below........

Utility Sink parts -
Utility sink - http://amzn.to/1Mj6q4u
Water supply valve - http://amzn.to/1GulDPN
Cheap faucet - http://amzn.to/1BYK8Uf

Tools of the trade -
Spark start torch head - http://amzn.to/1BMl54f
Mapp Gas cylinder - http://amzn.to/14G5DdF
1/2"-3/4" pipe and fitting cleaner combo tool - http://amzn.to/1BSy2ao
Tight spaces pipe cutter - http://amzn.to/1y0INKD
Pipe cutter - http://amzn.to/1xP2qDj
Lead free solder - http://amzn.to/1wGPqvL
Flux - http://amzn.to/1yPxXqA

All of these products and more recommended items from the SSL Family are available at the Simple Suburban Living General Store

Please check us out at www.simplesuburbanliving.com

and follow us on....

http://www.pinterest.com/simplesuburban/
http://www.facebook.com/simplesuburbanliving
http://www.twitter.com/simplesuburban5
http://www.instagram.com/simplesuburbanliving


Music - "Shadows in the Moonlight" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/ShadowsintheMoonlight

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How to Solder Copper Pipe

Check out this video to learn some basic soldering skills that can be utilized in so many ways around your homestead. Adding new sinks, fixing leaks, repairing hose bibs, adding new hose connections, upgrading water supply lines, building a boiler, additions, new home construction, and so many more! In past experience I worked as a residential heating and cooling installer and learned so many valuable skills from that job. Although I did not make it a career I can take what I learned there and apply it to our homestead moving forward. Throughout our journey to becoming more self sustaining and self reliant I will be sharing any of these basic skills that I feel may benefit someone else out there looking to do some of these very same things.

 Being able to repair your own plumbing and install new plumbing fixtures is a skill I think that every home owner should know. It starts with picking up a few basic tools that you will never regret getting. I have a list of some of the items that I use at the bottom of this article. A good torch, pipe and fitting cleaner, solder, and flux is about all you really need to get started. Once you have what you need grab a few scrap pieces of copper pipe and a few fittings and solder a couple of joints following this video. You will quickly be able to get the hang of it and be ready to take on any repair or plumbing project in your home.
 

 

 

In an upcoming article/video I will be installing a utility tub in our basement and running the water supply lines. We are getting ready to have a place to clean fish and also handle other cleanup from various projects around the homestead. I was surprised when we moved into this house that there was no utility tub in the laundry area or basement and I have finally gotten a chance get one put in.


I hope this video has encouraged you to take on some of your own plumbing projects and as always please let us know if you have any questions!

 

All of these products and more recommended items from the SSL Family are available at the Simple Suburban Living General Store

 

Spark start torch head - http://amzn.to/1BMl54f
Mapp Gas cylinder - http://amzn.to/14G5DdF
1/2"-3/4" pipe and fitting cleaner combo tool - http://amzn.to/1BSy2ao
Tight spaces pipe cutter - http://amzn.to/1y0INKD
Pipe cutter - http://amzn.to/1xP2qDj
Lead free solder - http://amzn.to/1wGPqvL
Flux - http://amzn.to/1yPxXqA

 

 

 

 

 

 

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