This pipe is in our upper kitchen cabinet on the left side of our sink.
by
Miranda B
+21
We have no idea what it is. It wasn't spoken about in our inspection or anything when we purchased the home back in March. It has yellowing like it may have leaked in the past, however, since we've owned the house nothing has happened with it - no water has gone through it, nothing... Any idea what it is? Thanks for your hep in advance!
random, weird pipe thing
24 answers
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Looks like an old and painted cast iron drain from something somewhere! Odd it wouldn't have been disconnected if it's dormant as you think...does the kit back to another wet room? (bath, shower, laundry etc) Yellow could just be rust bleeding through many layers of latex (and lead?!?) coats of paint. Maybe even a vent stack from way back for the sink drain? They don't build 'em like that anymore! Hope we solve the mystery...BOOO 2 U! JL
JL Spring & Associates
on Oct 30, 2011
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Nope, the bathroom is all the way across the house and the laundry is in the basement under the bathroom. It I am exterior wall that it is in... The house is a 1950 ranch. Have no idea what it could be! Hope to get it resolved without having to call someone in for a consult.. We want to do a reno of our terrible kitchen (why was our house left out of the larger 1950 kitchen era!?!) and want to know if it's something we can maybe put a soffit over or remove all together. Thanks for your thoughts!
Miranda B
on Oct 30, 2011
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Sorry for any typos typed on my iPhone
Miranda B
on Oct 30, 2011
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Vent stack
JL Spring & Associates
on Oct 30, 2011
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Miranda, if you think the pipe is dormant and is not leaking I would box it off with drywall and get it out of sight. But first make sure it is inactive. I would hate to have a yellow thing in my kitchen cabinet!
Yamini LEED AP at Urbanmotifs
on Oct 30, 2011
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Sorry for any typos typed on my iPhone
Miranda B
on Oct 30, 2011
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So if it is a vent stack do you think it is ok to remove it or box it off? What would you suggest? @yamini I DO hate having the yellow thing in my cabinet it's so yucky! I want a kitchen Reno soooo bad!
Miranda B
on Oct 30, 2011
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Miranda, It shouldn't be a problem, not that you are shutting it out permanently, you are only going to box it off. I am thinking what would a vent stack do there when the bathroom is all the way on the other side of the home? Could it be from an old bathroom that was relocated? Whatever the reason maybe If the pipe is inactive you can hide it during the Reno. Are you going to gut the kitchen or just do small doable portions?
Yamini LEED AP at Urbanmotifs
on Oct 30, 2011
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@Yamini: I don't think the bathroom was ever relocated--the kitchen is on the very front of the house and the bathroom is down the hallway in the ever common 5x8' size. Looking at the front of the house from the photo that we took the day we closed, I realized that it does exert to the outside...(see photo). We want to completely gut the kitchen (see additional photos). It's not functional as there is very little counter space with the microwave taking up a usable portion of it, the awkward placements of the door (one going into the living/dining area, the other going into the landing that goes out to the garage and the stairs to the basement) and it just not working for us (or at all, we're constantly tripping over things because doors can't be open and the fridge at the same time, so the fridge is awkardly placed...etc)
Miranda B
on Oct 30, 2011
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Looks like a stack vent from the exterior, I guess when you are ready to gut the kitchen all your questions will be answered and you will make an educated decision about this, box it a Gut it! I see you do not have any counter space, is there a way you can break the wall between the 2 doors? What is the size of the kitchen? It looks like it can be planned well and built functionally. Try uploading a rough plan with dimensions and placement of appliances, I can help you with some planning when it's time.
Yamini LEED AP at Urbanmotifs
on Oct 30, 2011
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Its a vent stack. Most likely there is a toilet somewhere below this area. Perhaps long before you purchased the home. You can have a local plumber check it to see if its even required anymore but my guess it needs to stay. In any regard you can box it in. I would suggest however before you do this to purchase a few cans of spray foam and remove the fiberglass insulation around it and foam it to stop the obvious air leaks that are happening around it.
Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com
on Oct 30, 2011
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I agree it is best not to mess with it. Box it in the way Woodbridge said and forget it. I have found when fixing anything, that does not need fixing, in older units of any type you will cause more problems then you started with.
Nicholas S
on Oct 31, 2011
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Need to keep it or reroute it....it should be a vent stack and back when this house was built it was pretty common to run a separate vent for each toilet or sink. It's unusual that they would have cut it through the kitchen wall like that though? Is there a full crawlspace under the house? If so, try to trace the pipe down just to see what it goes to....LUCK?
HandyANDY - Handyman & All Repairs, LLC
on Oct 31, 2011
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Miranda, If you don't mind, I'm going to steal your line from the photo caption...."random, weird pipe thing" and use it again... it is perfect:) Remodeling is often a mystery...trying to figure why something was done the way it was. Might have been the easy answer so as not to have to mess with structural components...and I would rather see that than some of the "OMGs" we see where structural integrity was compromised to run the plumbing. Regardless, when you eventually remodel the kitchen they can look at a permanent fix. Tim
Hewitt Remodeling Services LLC
on Oct 31, 2011
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I doubt there was another bath there, folks normally don't take a bath out...just a poorly planned vent from the kit sink or even from a kitchen located clotheswasher from way back..just box around it with sheetrock squares and paint. You can probably use an adhesive caulk like the QUAD caulks and not bother wood framing it out...just sort of stack like a house of cards and use the QUAD...it won't move once it's set! best 2 you! Happy Halloween! JL
JL Spring & Associates
on Oct 31, 2011
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I'm trying to think of a "pre-made" box that she could simply screw or even silicone in to cover it up..like a washer box... or even a plastic storage box..something she could simply trim one end to slide over the top of the pipe.
Hewitt Remodeling Services LLC
on Oct 31, 2011
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It looks like there is a shelf just under the pipe, if this is a permanent shelf, all you need is two peices of wood one on the left side and one in front
Nicholas S
on Oct 31, 2011
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This is a vent stack to then roof to carry the sewer gasses out of the house. For whatever reason, the plumber could not cut it straight up thru the top plate. Some things plumbers do create mysteries for future generations. He stepped over from the sink because there is a window there preventing him from going right up from the sink. There are alternate ways of routing or venting with modern codes, but they may require a LOT of demo work on existing trims and finishes. Just box it in and paint the covering and ignore it. The water stains could be from condensation on it driping back down. If so, caulking the cover box can prevent moisture from getting to the pipe to be able to condense. Or the water stains could be from leaks at the roof boot flashing where it passes thru the shingles up above. A flashing that old might need replacement or at least a bit of roof caulk.
Nichter's Home Services Corp
on Oct 31, 2011
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Thank you all for all of your discussions. To whomever suggested there may have been an additional bathroom, there wasn't. Under the kitchen is an unfinished section of basement with cinder blocks and wooden storage that was put in. Sadly we have one bathroom, haha. Thank you to those who suggested boxing it off; I believe that it something we will do when full demo comes to play, hopefully in the next couple years. You are correct in thinking that is a shelf under it, however, though it is permanent, when the cabinet is removed, the shelf will be removed also, thus bringing into play what I could do with it. If making sure that it's properly sealed and everything before we box it in, I think that is what we will do. The yellowing is quite old as we've had pretty heavy rains and giant storms just this year alone, and it was checked during and after every, single one... and there was no new wetness, so we believe that it is properly sealed from the flashing and other areas. It's just yucky to look at! Ha! @Nichter, you are absolutely correct, there is a window over the sink and this makes sense for the weird routing of the pipe.
Miranda B
on Oct 31, 2011
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Here are some renderings of our small kitchen. You'll see why we want to redo it. The pipe is located in the cabinet directly to the left of where the sink would be beneath the window (for some reason didn't show up in rendering) in the upper right of that cabinet. I have no idea how we'll finagle a new kitchen in this small 8'4" x 10'6" space. Any suggestions and ideas definitely welcome!
Miranda B
on Nov 01, 2011
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looks like an old steam pipe.
Plumbrite
on Nov 15, 2011
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Can you tell me how you got the renderings. What computer program etc. Thanks Nick
Nicholas S
on Nov 16, 2011
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I would like to know as well.
Suzy Myers
on May 26, 2013
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It wasn't uncommon for the washer and dryer to be located in the kitchens, back when.... Maybe that is why they needed the vent pipe.
Chris B
on Sep 17, 2014
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