P3005.2 Cleanouts Required

Horizontal drainage pipes in buildings shall have cleanouts located at intervals of not more than 100 feet (30 480 mm). Building drains shall have cleanouts located at intervals of not more than 100 feet (30 480 mm) except where manholes are used instead of cleanouts, the manholes shall be located at intervals of not more than 400 feet (122 m). The interval length shall be measured from the cleanout or manhole opening, along the developed length of the piping to the next drainage fitting providing access for cleaning, the end of the horizontal drain or the end of the building drain .

Exception: Horizontal fixture drain piping serving a nonremovable trap shall not be required to have a cleanout for the section of piping between the trap and the vent connection for such trap.

Building sewers smaller than 8 inches (203 mm) shall have cleanouts located at intervals of not more than 100 feet (30 480 mm). Building sewers 8 inches (203 mm) and larger shall have a manhole located not more than 200 feet (60 960 mm) from the junction of the building drain and building sewer and at intervals of not more than 400 feet (122 m). The interval length shall be measured from the cleanout or manhole opening, along the developed length of the piping to the next drainage fitting providing access for cleaning, a manhole or the end of the building sewer .

The junction of the building drain and the building sewer shall be served by a cleanout that is located at the junction or within 10 feet (3048 mm) developed length of piping upstream of the junction. For the requirements of this section, removal of a water closet shall not be required to provide cleanout access.

Where a horizontal drainage pipe, a building drain or a building sewer has a change of horizontal direction greater than 45 degrees (0.79 rad), a cleanout shall be installed at the change of direction. Where more than one change of horizontal direction greater than 45 degrees (0.79 rad) occurs within 40 feet (12 192 mm) of developed length of piping, the cleanout installed for the first change of direction shall serve as the cleanout for all changes in direction within that 40 feet (12 192 mm) of developed length of piping.

Cleanouts shall be the same size as the piping served by the cleanout, except cleanouts for piping larger than 4 inches (102 mm) need not be larger than 4 inches (102 mm).

1. A removable P-trap with slip- or ground-joint connections can serve as a cleanout for drain piping that is one size larger than the P-trap size.
2. Cleanouts located on stacks can be one size smaller than the stack size.
3. The size of cleanouts for cast-iron piping can be in accordance with the referenced standards for cast iron fittings as indicated in Table P3002.3.

Cleanout plugs shall be copper alloy, plastic or other approved materials. Cleanout plugs for borosilicate glass piping systems shall be of borosilicate glass. Copper-alloy cleanout plugs shall conform to ASTM A74 and shall be limited for use only on metallic piping systems. Plastic cleanout plugs shall conform to the referenced standards for plastic pipe fittings as indicated in Table P3002.3. Cleanout plugs shall have a raised square head, a countersunk square head or a countersunk slot head. Where a cleanout plug will have a trim cover screw installed into the plug, the plug shall be manufactured with a blind end threaded hole for such purpose.

Manholes and manhole covers shall be of an approved type. Manholes located inside of a building shall have gastight covers that require tools for removal.

The installation arrangement of a cleanout shall enable cleaning of drainage piping only in the direction of drainage flow.

1. Test tees serving as cleanouts.
2. A two-way cleanout installation that is approved for meeting the requirements of Section P3005.2.3.

Cleanouts for 6-inch (153 mm) and smaller piping shall be provided with a clearance of not less than 18 inches (457 mm) from, and perpendicular to, the face of the opening to any obstruction. Cleanouts for 8-inch (203 mm) and larger piping shall be provided with a clearance of not less than 36 inches (914 mm) from, and perpendicular to, the face of the opening to any obstruction.

Required cleanouts shall not be installed in concealed locations. For the purposes of this section, concealed locations include, but are not limited to, the inside of plenums, within walls, within floor/ceiling assemblies, below grade and in crawl spaces where the height from the crawl space floor to the nearest obstruction along the path from the crawl space opening to the cleanout location is less than 24 inches (610 mm). Cleanouts with openings at a finished wall shall have the face of the opening located within 1 1 /₂ inches (38 mm) of the finished wall surface. Cleanouts located below grade shall be extended to grade level so that the top of the cleanout plug is at or above grade. A cleanout installed in a floor or walkway that will not have a trim cover installed shall have a counter-sunk plug installed so the top surface of the plug is flush with the finished surface of the floor or walkway.

A fixture trap or a fixture with an integral trap, removable without altering the concealed piping, shall be acceptable as a cleanout equivalent.

Trim covers and access doors for cleanout plugs shall be designed for such purposes. Trim cover fasteners that thread into cleanout plugs shall be corrosion resistant. Cleanout plugs shall not be covered with mortar, plaster or any other permanent material.

Where it is necessary to protect a cleanout plug from the loads of vehicular traffic, cleanout assemblies in accordance with ASME A112.36.2M shall be installed.

The use of a threaded cleanout opening to add a fixture or extend piping shall be prohibited except where another cleanout of equal size is installed with the required access and clearance.