Plumbing – How big of access panel for DWV cleanout

basementcleanoutplumbing

I have a 3" (I believe, maybe 4") DWV line that is running behind a basement wall. There is a cleanout that I need to get access to and the cleanout is not flush with the wall. I see that there are access panels by Oatey like the one below. The question is 1) How large does this need to be (is 8" x 8" sufficient) and once the door is open, 2) how do you unscrew the cleanout cap since it's not flush with the wall and 3) How do you keep the materials to be cleaned out from falling behind the wall? The plug is maybe 2" or so behind the drywall FWIW

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Best Answer

An 8X8 will work great. These clean outs are rarely used, and should the occasion arise, the cavity around the clean out can be packed with towels around the perimeter of the pipe to keep what possible goo from getting out of hand.