Kitchen sink waste line issue

[gablake]

I just moved into a townhome with myriad plumbing issues, and this is my first of, I'm sure, many posts. The current problem I'm having trouble with is this:

The kitchen sink is up against an exterior wall and (I thought) was draining just fine. Then yesterday while my wife was using the sink and I was outside I heard water splashing on the ground. There is an open (female threaded) pipe just opposite the sink's drain and all of the water was pouring out into the garden. I got out my drain snake and removed some clogs (up to a depth of about 4 feet), but the water still pours straight out this pipe. The townhome next to mine has the same pipe, but theirs is capped off.

My questions are:

What is this pipe for?
If the water is pouring out so easily, is this indicative of a larger waste line issue?
The opening looks like aprox 2" diameter, is there an industry standard cap for this?

 

[johnjh2o]

The open line is just what you used ir for. It's a clean out and it should be plugged. What is going on is the line has a stoppage and needs to be snaked. You need the proper sized power machine to do the job. Consider hiring a plumber to take care of this for you. There are many plumbing repairs that most home owners can handle but this is not one of them.

John

 

[gablake]

So you think there's a doosy of a clog down the line somewhere? I was kind of hoping that the water was just following a path of least resistance and going out the uncapped clean-out.

-Graham

 

[johnjh2o]

Can't say for sure what kind of stoppage you have but most can be cleared in less the a 1/2 hr. with the right equipment. Even more so seeing you have a clean out that is easy to get at.

John

 

[gablake]

Thanks for the advice, Johnjh2o! Problem solved.
For future readers: I got a "Mr. Rooter" guy out here for a free inspection and he bid $230 for the job. I said thanks but I'm going to shop around, and almost immediately he dropped the price to $135.

 

[johnjh2o]

That's how all the company's with ROOTER in there name do business. Doesn't give you a very good feeling about any company that first try's to make a score on you. Stay away from company's with ROOTER in there name.

John