I need to make sense of this, im going to redo this stretch of pipe.



They Y on the right is the inlet for a sump pump. There is an AAV upstream as seen in the photo and then there is a kitchen sink upstairs and upstream of this entire setup.

The sink gurgles when the sump pump activates. Someone tried to correct this I suppose with the AAV.

In the photo the Y with the cleanout plug.... do you think that was intended as a tap in for a new appliance, actually a cleanout or something else?

I was going to just get rid of it.... however, I fear its some sort of standpipe for the sump discharge.... also I would love to stop the gurgling!!



As you can see I have a mess, any suggestions on how to correct this (besides pumping to the outdoors... this sump setup can pump outside to daylight or into the sewer during freezing months via 2 shutoff valves).

So the "standpipe" or "cleanout" or whatever the heck it is... what do you think?

If you can replace the AAV with a vent to the outside , that should stop the gurgling. I'd use a cleanout tee, instead of that wye- 90 - cleanout.

My fear is that its not intended as a cleanout. Rather someone put it there as a standpipe, say to accommodate suds from a washer or overflow from the pump that would otherwise come out the sink upstream.

Or does that not make any sense?

As for a cleanout there is another at the end of that lateral run about 2' past that AAV. So that's not an issue.

unscrew the AAV and activate the pump float by hand. see if the gurgling goes away. if it does, you have your answer. extend that vent to the outside or into an available vent stack.
I think the 2" plugged pipe is a cleanout.

Its all speculation, but the cleanout plug was my doing... whoever had originally installed it just had the pipe cut and capped with a furnco cap.

Is something like that ever fashioned as a standpipe to aid in drainage?

No, because the run is capped the air is trapped and the water won't fill the pipe.

Your real problem is that the sink drain cannot be vented, otherwise it would NOT gurgle.

The sink is to the right of the AAV and up one level. It has a vent stack out the roof. I have poured water down the vent from the roof and it does not appear restricted.

if the kitchen sink IS properly vented and there is still gurgling then one other possibility is a partial clog in the piping.
fill the kitchen sink to the brim and let it drain. see how fast the water goes away and if there is any gurgling after it fully drains.

What is the slope of the drain pipe? With the Wye I assume the flow is from right to left as we view the photo. There certainly doesn't look like there is much slope in the pipe.

"if the kitchen sink IS properly vented and there is still gurgling then one other possibility is a partial clog in the piping.
fill the kitchen sink to the brim and let it drain. see how fast the water goes away and if there is any gurgling after it fully drains."

When the kitchen sink drains a full sink full there is no gurgling at all and it appears to take the water down quickly enough with a siphon effect.

The gurgling when the pump activates is not during the entire cycle, only right when the pump stops. Could this indicate a clog at the main? (ie: MAIN>PUMP>AAV>KITCHEN SINK (UP ONE LEVEl).

It may be the water flowing back down into the pit from the pump side of the check valve downward. If there isn't a hole to admit air into the pipe, it does tend to make a gurgling-chugging sound.

It may be the water flowing back down into the pit from the pump side of the check valve downward. If there isn't a hole to admit air into the pipe, it does tend to make a gurgling-chugging sound.

Im not quite understanding. Isnt there already a factory air gap/hole installed on the pump? I remember reading in the manual it was not necessary to drill such a hole on my pump?

However, the noise is certainly louder directly below the kitchen sink right at the pump inlet by the AAV. I think the noise is transferring back up thru the kitchen unless the water in the kitchen trap would deaden the sound if it was present and not being siphoned.

Your pump may have the hole already in there, and it may be clogged. The easiest way to see is watch the pump while it is pumping and see if water is spraying out of the relief hole somewhere. As far as sound being conducted, Plastic conducts sound quite well. Nothing like having a toilet flushed overhead with pvc lines; sounds like a flood is coming down on your head. I think the smooth pipe walls bounce sound more effectively, whereas cast drains are uneven and disperse sound. You could try putting in some fiberglass batt insulation in the joist spacing and see if this stops a lot of the noise from the pump. Short of one of us standing there while the pump cycles, it is hard to say for sure from this end.