My Dallas Plumber

Posts Tagged ‘Drain Outlet’

The curved traps beneath kitchen sinks and bogs are crucial but exposed. Some of the water that flows off thru the sink or lavatory drain remains in the trap as a seal to keep odours and gases from backing into the house from drain and sewer lines. But traps are usually made with relatively thin walls because they are not subjected to the high water pressure of supply lines. In time, they corrode and leak, and must get replaced.

The traps we shall talk about, called P traps, are the ones typically found in most houses. They might be made of brass, galvanized iron, steel or ( where plumbing codes permit ) plastic. The best–and most expensive–are chrome plated for looks and relatively heavy for long wear. Choose the heaviest traps you can afford ; they are definitely a better buy, especially on fixtures that get substantial use. Choose a matching material and weight for the pipes that go with a trap : the tailpiece that connects the trap to the sink or can drain, and the drainpipe that connects the trap to a drain outlet.

The trap you choose could be either a swivel or fixed type. A swivel trap can be turned in any direction on a drainpipe by adjusting a new slip nut–a helpful feature when you would like to replace a tailpiece without first removing the trap, or when you must make a connection between a drainpipe and sink that are not in perfect alignment.

Fixed traps, which screw directly onto the drainpipe, are less flexible. You can , however , replace a tailpiece on a fixed pipe without removing the trap by using a pro plumber’s tactic. Plumbers “roll the trap”–that is, they free the tailpiece and drop it sharply into the trap ; then loosen the trap and roll it to one side to get at the tailpiece. The procedure may appear tricky, but it is surprisingly easy to follow, and it makes a tailpiece replacement as simple as on a fixed trap as on a swivel.

Replacing drainpipes, on the other hand, remains a tougher job ; regardless of what sort of trap you have, you must remove it utterly to get at the drainpipe.