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What Is the Rough-In Height for Sink Drains? (Answered)

The kitchen is one of the most important sections of our home. It is responsible for taking care of our appetite and ensuring the cleanliness of our kitchenware.

The kitchen sink is specifically responsible for dealing with water and hygiene of the kitchenware – which makes it an integral part of the kitchen. In this abstract, you will learn relevant information about the installation and modification of sink drains.

What Is The Rough-In Height For Sink Drains?

The rough-in height for sink drains are usually between 20 to 24 inches, however, that relies on several factors such as the height of the vanity, counter, trap or the depth of the kitchen sink. You also need to consider the height of the vanity as well as leave enough space for the p-trap.

Sink drains are a component attached to all kitchen sinks that allow the water to drain out of the sink that has accumulated into the sink basin from the faucet.

The sink drain is connected to a p-trap that leads the water from the sink to the plumbing connection of your house that ends up in the drainage system.

Although the sink drain is an essential component of the kitchen sink, it can also be detached and replaced from the sink.

This is essential because the round-in height for sink drain depends on a variety of factors such as the height of the vanity, the depth of your sink and also the space for the p-trap.

Different houses can have different measurements for these, that’s why the standard rough-in height for the sink is between 20 to 24 inches.

If the vanity is taller or the sink has shallow depth, the sink drain will be further away from the ground – thus needing a greater rough-in height.

However, the rough-in height is not dependent on those two factors only – you also need to take the spacing for the p-trap into consideration. If the p-trap does not have enough room around its installation location, it will be difficult to replace it for repairs.

Therefore, in short – before you consider the rough-in height of the sink drain, you need to consider the height of the vanity or kitchen counter, the depth of the sink and keep sufficient room for the p-trap and the drainage lines.  

How high should sink drain be from floor?

Although the standard rough-in height for most sink drains from the floor range between 20 to 24 inches, the height of the sink drains primarily depend on the height of the vanity, counter and the space taken by the trap.

If you can measure and adjust their heights – you can determine the height at which the sink drain should be from the floor.

While making measurements for determining the rough-in height for your kitchen sink drain, you need to consider the location and the space for the p-trap and the pipe connections outgoing from the sink drain.

The type of the sink and height of the countertop are also necessary factors to consider.

The p-trap needs to be located at most 24 inches from the sink drain, if your sink drain is closer to the floor – the p-trap has to be closer to the sink drain.

Keeping all that in mind, if the sink is shallow in depth and the height of the vanity is greater – you would need to rough-in the height of the sink drain much higher.

How far from wall should sink drain be?

It is general knowledge that you should place the sink drain at a distance from the wall that is proper for a stable connection and for that reason, there are no standard measurements implemented for the distance of a sink drain from the wall.

As long as you install the sink drain from a minimum distance that keeps the pipes and traps adjustable, any distance from the wall is fine.

The key thing to note while making the adjustments is to pay close attention to the p-trap joints to make sure that they have enough space around them for future replacements or adjustments.

It is a best practice to keep the pipes and trap joints centered and maintain a distance of 4 to 6 inches from the wall just to ensure that they are adjustable and flexible.

Whatever the distance from the wall you install the sink drain to be, prevent the sink drain to be a tight fit.

3 factors in kitchen sink drain rough-in height

Below listed are the few factors you need to keep in mind while considering the rough-in height for a sink drain:

Height of the vanity:

If the height of the vanity is greater, the sink drain will further from the floor. Since there isn’t any standard height for the vanity, there can be different heights for the vanity.

Thus it’s crucial to consider the height of the vanity and its dimensions before you consider the rough-in height of the sink drain.

Depth of the kitchen sink:

The depth of the kitchen sink is crucial in determining the rough-in height of the sink drains. If the sink is shallow, the rough-in height for the sink drain will be greater and if the sink is deep, the rough-in height for the drain will be less.

Space for the p-trap:

Since leakages from the p-trap joints are common plumbing issues of the sink, there needs to be enough space around it for a plumber to remove the p-trap.

So depending on the vanity height and sink depth, you need to keep enough vacant space for the p-trap.

What are the kitchen sink plumbing rough in measurements?

Despite there being a variety of kitchen sinks and different types of kitchen sinks, most kitchen sinks follow the standard size between 24 to 36 inches and 30 to 33 inches depending on the manufacturer.

Single bowl sinks are around 30 inches long whereas double sinks can expand upto 36 inches in length.

The plumbing rough-in measurements for the kitchen sink is most crucial to prevent any leakage or drainage problems in the future.

There isn’t any standard size for the height of the vanity, therefore you can determine the dimensions and pipe layout for the sink based on the size of the kitchen sink.

On average across many houses, it has been observed that the kitchen sinks are placed at a height of 36 inches above the floor. You can use that measurement as a standard for your counter while adjusting the height by 10 inches as you see fit.

How to rough in kitchen sink drain?

The procedure for roughing-in a sink drain is detailed below:

Preparation before the installation:

With the sink’s height and depth in mind, mark the heights and points of installation of the sink and the drainage piping lines. Make sure that there is at least inches below the sink for the p-trap’s installation.

Attach the drainage pipe to the drainage line:

Once you have placed the sink, route the drain pipes out into the sewer lines while keeping a down slope of a quarter inch per foot to ensure a faster flow of water.

As the sink drain pipe is connected to the sewer line, use the sanitary tee to connect the pipes at such a dimension that the 2 inch ports connect the drain pipes with the 1½ port left empty to be connected to the vent.

Finally, fixate the joints with plastic cement and let them dry.

Adjust the sink drain route connection:

Draw the drain vent from the connection between the two pipes and attach it to the main vent stack. While maintaining the quarter inch per foot slope towards the sink, route the connection for the drain vent.

Attach the vent route:

After step 3, you need to connect the vent by routing it to the main vent stack at the highest fixture point of your house. Afterwards, connect the vent to the 1½ port you left empty in step 2 – which would connect the sewer to the drainpipe.

How much does it cost to rough-in plumbing for a kitchen sink?

Depending on the kitchen sink type, the plumbing cost may vary.

The sink installation cost depends on the counter and cabinet installation as well, but the overall cost of the sink and the plumber fees can be put around at approximately $350 to $2000 based on the variation of your kitchen sink and the additional adjustments needed.

Final Thoughts

The rough-in height for sink drains is typically between 20 and 24 inches, based on multiple factors such as the height of the vanity, counter, trap, or kitchen sink depth. Before setting the rough-in height, you must also consider the vanity’s height and give adequate room for the p-trap.