How do I drill a hole in my house?

[New&no clue]

Here is a picture from the sump pump to the outside drain. The pipe on the left comes up from the sump across to the hole on the far right. Now that I see it I believe it drains back into the yard somewhere. That pipe is 1.5”. The larger pipe coming from the top and exiting on the right is the main drain and going to the sewer. That pipe is 4”.

This 4” pcv I believe is the drain from the bathroom. Right on the other side of the wall is the fish room.

 

[New&no clue]

I'd drain to the sump like @dadnjesse , as it already goes to the sewer line. Now post a pic of the sump pump nameplate and we can determine if it is saltwater suitable.

 

[fishguy242]

no floor drain ? near furnace or water heater ?

 

[New&no clue]

no floor drain ? near furnace or water heater ?

The sump hole is all I got

 

[New&no clue]

Alright, handyman/remodeler here in a fellow freezing cold state. (Wisconsin)

Ideally your AWC drains into an existing drain, INSIDE the house. Anything outside the house WILL freeze eventually. All it takes is one time to cause some serious issues. Salinity creep, ruined pumps, ect. Plus, what happens to the saltwater once it exits the house? If it just drains into the yard, the continual salt build up will kill the grass or plants in the area. Once it starts to freeze outside, you'll have a giant icicle forming on the ground. This extra water constantly being dumped in the ground next to the the house has the potential to cause issues with the foundation as well. A huge risk with an easy alternative.

Now, that being said. I see you haven't answered if there is an existing drain line in the basement. I'm willing to bet 100% your main drain line runs down into the basement and under the basement slab. It would be a large 4" diameter PVC pipe. You can easily tie into this pipe if need be.

How do you connect to a 4” line? I was thinking a push connect but I can only find ones up to 1.5”.

 

[fishguy242]

i'd say tap into 4" below Y and above clean out.
would worry about sump pipe if expelling into yard.

 

[New&no clue]

With a long drill bit. Duh.

Masonry bit will go through the concrete, it's done all the time but generally requires a hammer drill which I'll assume you don't have.

I wouldn't recommend discharging 2-3g under your deck through the winter, though admittedly I'm not basing that on any actual experience. While saltwater does have a lower freezing point, it gets cold enough around here that most likely the small (1/4"?) diameter line would freeze/block on a semi-regular basis. If it doesn't, you still would likely end up with a growing ice pile or other complications. Not guaranteed, but suspected.

There are ways to discharge into the waste line directly. Firstly, what height does the main line leave the building? You mentioned the sump pump discharges into the sewer line (is it actually city sewer?). Forgetting that it's "disallowed" to discharge sump pumps into city waste water lines (I do it, don't sweat it) then where that pump enters the main line could potentially also house the AWC waste line. Or cut a new trap in with stand pipe and don't worry about venting it because the volume is so low... I might be getting too far down the road.

Circle back: how far away and what's the plumbing for your sump pump to waste line look like?

The sump pump is about 15-20 feet away. I posted some pictures.

 

[fishguy242]

Cut and add another Y ,then reduce to what you need.

 

[New&no clue]

i'd say tap into 4" below Y and above clean out.
would worry about sump pipe if expelling into yard.

Cut and add another Y ,then reduce to what you need.

 

[LeftyReefer]

So you would rather drain salt water out into your yard rather than pump it out via your sump pump line? I would not want to drain a bunch of saltwater into the yard around my house. saltwater is not good for concrete, nor plants/soil. Your sump pump outlet should be a ways from the house and often drains into ditch or something.

if you are worried about the pump and saltwater, just route your RO/DI drain into it also and the constant supply of fresh water will help rinse out the saltwater. If your sump pump is stainless, I would not worry.

 

[Beau_B]

Assuming you’re using RO tubing for this AWC system. Drill and set a John guest fitting in the clean out cap. It can be replaced when your done reefing.

It’s not legal, but perfectly functional. Put a loop (literal circle, or coil) in the discharge line for sewer gas prevention, though it wouldn’t really be a concern.

Alternatively, yes, cut a 4x1.5 wye in with a p-trap and stand pipe. Lot more work. Still not really legal depending on the existing venting.

 

[fishguy242]

Here is a picture from the sump pump to the outside drain. The pipe on the left comes up from the sump across to the hole on the far right. Now that I see it I believe it drains back into the yard somewhere. That pipe is 1.5”. The larger pipe coming from the top and exiting on the right is the main drain and going to the sewer. That pipe is 4”.

This 4” pcv I believe is the drain from the bathroom. Right on the other side of the wall is the fish room.

1st pic, 4" Y fitting ,16" pipe ,then clean out ,to wall.

cut out section of pipe , add Y ,then reduce Y to whatever size you need for drain.

careful when cutting!!
1 nobody uses any water in house...
2 when cutting allow enough pipe to accommodate sliding into Y.

 

[Kodski]

To make it as absolutely easy as possible. Go buy yourself one of these.

John Guest 1/4 in. O.D. x 1/2 in. MIP NPTF Polypropylene Push-to-Connect Adapter Fitting 803309 - The Home Depot

The John Guest 1/4 in. O.D. x 1/2 in. NPTF Push-to-Connect Male Connector is manufactured from white polypropylene and equipped with EPDM O-rings utilizing John Guest's push-fit technology to make an easy, reliable, leak-free connection. Developed to satisfy a wide range of applications it can...

www.homedepot.com

Drill the appropriate sized hole, right into that big 4" pipe right below the Y. Tap the hole with the correct threads, then use PTFE tape (pipe tape) and screw that fitting into the hole. Assuming you're using 1/4" line for your AWC. If now, buy the appropriate John Guest fitting for your size of tubing.

 

[Macdaddynick1]

I want to set up an AWC system next to my sumps in my basement, and I would like to have the drain line go outside through the wall. Forgive the obvious question, but how do I drill through the basement wall? Obviously, I'd need to do it above the concrete part. I think my big question is, what do I do once I drill a hole? What type of tubing should I use to run through the wall, something rigid or flexible? What should I use to fill the excess space between the hole and the tubing, such as caulking or another fill?

If that's a window, why don't you just drill a hole in an outer window frame? That does the least damage and the least amount of drilling. If you are going to be using an AWC device like DOS, then all you need to drill is one or two 1/4' holes and push the rigid R/O tubing through them. With a proper diameter drill, there should be no room for insects to get in, even then you can use a bit of silicone to seal it off completely. just my .02

 

[fishguy242]

To make it as absolutely easy as possible. Go buy yourself one of these.

John Guest 1/4 in. O.D. x 1/2 in. MIP NPTF Polypropylene Push-to-Connect Adapter Fitting 803309 - The Home Depot

The John Guest 1/4 in. O.D. x 1/2 in. NPTF Push-to-Connect Male Connector is manufactured from white polypropylene and equipped with EPDM O-rings utilizing John Guest's push-fit technology to make an easy, reliable, leak-free connection. Developed to satisfy a wide range of applications it can...

www.homedepot.com

Drill the appropriate sized hole, right into that big 4" pipe right below the Y. Tap the hole with the correct threads, then use PTFE tape (pipe tape) and screw that fitting into the hole. Assuming you're using 1/4" line for your AWC. If now, buy the appropriate John Guest fitting for your size of tubing.

if you do this ,leave 3" below Y ,just in case .
too close to Y if mistake is made .

 

[rmorris_14]

This made me laugh so hard. All these explanations make me feel this way lol.

 

[LeftyReefer]

Does OP have city sewer service or septic tank?

If septic tank, I would think twice about putting a bunch of saltwater into your septic tank. Not sure what that would do to the microbes or the concrete tank itself...probably not good, probably not good for the drain field either. I have a septic system and don't put any saltwater down it due to these concerns.

I also would be wary of just draining saltwater into the ground/soil near the foundation of my house... again, concrete and salt aren't a great mix. Not to mention what "salting the earth" does to your soil. although a mangrove garden might work. haha.

Chances are his sump pump pumps the water some distance away from his house, possibly into a drainage ditch or something. That seems like the best place to dispose of saltwater.

 

[New&no clue]

Assuming you’re using RO tubing for this AWC system. Drill and set a John guest fitting in the clean out cap. It can be replaced when your done reefing.

It’s not legal, but perfectly functional. Put a loop (literal circle, or coil) in the discharge line for sewer gas prevention, though it wouldn’t really be a concern.

Alternatively, yes, cut a 4x1.5 wye in with a p-trap and stand pipe. Lot more work. Still not really legal depending on the existing venting.

1. Stop telling me it's not legal you are ruining my case for plausible deniability.

2. I like that drilling into the cap would not be permanent. Not that I would ever stop reefing, but if I sold the house one day this is something that could be replaced beforehand. Also if I screw it up I can replace the cap and try again.

My question is will the water from the house flow back through the cap and into the RO drain line?

 

[New&no clue]

This made me laugh so hard. All these explanations make me feel this way lol.

Maybe I should have said 2

 

[rmorris_14]

Maybe I should have said 2

Everytime I read an explanation.