How to Install an Outdoor Sink

If you’re an avid outdoor entertainer, you should install an outdoor sink to best utilize your cooking space. With an outdoor sink, you can have faster and simpler food preparation and cleanup with fewer trips in and out of your home.

For the most functional outdoor sink, you’ll have a cabinet with a countertop installed beforehand, and the sink will have both warm and cold water supplies as well as a drain running to a dry well. In just one day, you can have an attractive and practical outdoor cooking space with an outdoor sink.

To begin installing your sink, you’ll need the following tools:

• Level
• Groove-joint pliers
• Hole saw
• Supply and drain pipe fittings
• Screwdriver
• Shovel
• PVC pipe
• Drain bucket

1. Set up Supply Lines

To begin, run a supply pipe that’s rated for outdoor use from inside the house. If you want to have hot water running outside, also insulate the piping. For better drainage, slope the pipes slightly, then install them with two-hole clamps every four feet or less. At this time, install the shutoff valves and drain plugs at the lowest points of the plumbing.

2. Connect the House and Outdoor Plumbing

Now that the supply piping is in place, run it through the house wall toward the outdoor kitchen and up through the bottom of the sink’s base cabinet. Use thread adapters to connect the supply pipes to the sink. For a tighter seal, apply the plumber’s tape over the adapters.

3. Install Additional Outdoor Sink Plumbing

For a properly working sink, you'll need to install a drain pipe for the sink trap. Install the PVC drainpipe with an adapter to correctly connect it to the sink trap.

4. Dig a Dry Well

At least 10 feet from your patio or deck area, begin digging a hole — sloped downward — for the drainage pipe to empty into a dry well. Dig a trench to the well sloping at a rate of at least 1/4 inch per foot. Run the PVC pipe drain line through the trench, the diameter of the pipe being at least one and a half inches.

5. Fill the Dry Well

Drill a slot for the drain piping in the side of a drain bucket as well as a grid of punch holes in the bottom, then place the drain bucket inside the hole. The top of the bucket should be two inches below grade. Now, install the drainage pipe into the hole, and fill the drain bucket with coarse gravel to assist with proper water drainage.

Need Help With Your Outdoor Plumbing? Call Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Greater Syracuse

Installing DIY plumbing projects at home can be tricky for inexperienced homeowners. For assistance and guidance in installing your outdoor sink, call the professionals at Mr. Rooter Plumbing. We specialize in a wide variety of residential plumbing projects and can help you install functional and dependable outdoor plumbing with the proper tools and precision needed for effective installation. Call us today to schedule your outdoor sink installation project, or complete our online form with any questions you may have.