Plumbers installed traps with baffling bacteria farms
17 posts in the last 30 days, all from r/Plumbing.
“Awesome. Just add a P-trap in the laundry room off that 3-in pipe. The 3-in pipe will work as the vent usually. In my area, a P-trap standpipe can't be any taller than 30 inches”
“With the way the place is set up, it's so challenging to find a feasible solution. Everything seems disruptive, or may not work, and expensive. I hate whatever builder built this place.”
“Looks great! Been plumbing for 35 years and i hate when people use schedule.40 glued traps.. this is the way under lavs and kitchens.. i think the trap is at a good height seeing as how you needed to run the aav. It makes sense.. im old school so would of used copper where possi…”
Several posts highlight poorly designed plumbing installations, specifically mentioning traps with baffles that create breeding grounds for bacteria and sewer gas. Users express concern about the unsanitary nature of these designs and suggest alternative solutions like pulled bends or single-length copper pipes.
SOURCES (60)
“Awesome. Just add a P-trap in the laundry room off that 3-in pipe. The 3-in pipe will work as the vent usually. In my area, a P-trap standpipe can't be any taller than 30 inches”
“I can’t promise OP is from the USA but a p-trap and vent is common here. Pretty sure it’s required on all exits to a sewer or septic. (Not a plumber, just someone who has to work on his house occasionally.)”
“Contractor here, Basically if traps are getting sucked dry, it isn't vented properly. Why in the world did they install a sewage crock when you already have underground sewer?”
https://buildinginstitute.edu.au/blog-details/s-trap-vs-p-trap
“With the way the place is set up, it's so challenging to find a feasible solution. Everything seems disruptive, or may not work, and expensive. I hate whatever builder built this place.”
“Its piped in wrong. P trap needs to be lowered and trap arm go straight into the pipe coming from the wall.”
“P-trap, what p-trap? You have no p-trap! As others have said fire this clown and hire a real plumber! There's not one thing in that picture that's correct!”
“Looks great! Been plumbing for 35 years and i hate when people use schedule.40 glued traps.. this is the way under lavs and kitchens.. i think the trap is at a good height seeing as how you needed to run the aav. It makes sense.. im old school so would of used copper where possi le but see nothing wrong with any of it.. nice job”
Maybe, that is maybe where they are getting it. Like a 2% chance.
“You have a substantial belly, or sag, in your line. The transition between the house and the outside is pretty fucked too.”
“^ this. S traps are illegal. Because they cause a syphon that empties the trap and allows sewer gas into the living space.”
“The "12 HI" scribbled on the wall fitting is the kind of note that gets left behind and then haunts the next three homeowners. Top comment nailed it though, the trap itself isn't the issue, it's the whole geometry of the setup working against you. That disposal sitting level with the wall exit means you're fighting gravity every time it runs. If you're not dead set on keeping the disposal, yanking it solves the problem in an afternoon with zero drywall work. Otherwise y”
“Hello, put this trap in my shower pan. Smells like sewer gas in the bathroom since. Please help?! Thanks for your time. submitted by /u/MrMagilliclucky [link] [comments]”
“Hello, put this trap in my shower pan. Smells like sewer gas in the bathroom since. Please help?! Thanks for your time. submitted by /u/MrMagilliclucky [link] [comments]”
“Since it’s dry fit maybe this is a remodel. S traps were still allowed on remodels of existing ones in Philly until just a few years ago and for service you’re allowed to directly replace them. When I was at a bigger shop (17 trucks) they went through p traps to s traps at a 2ish:1 ratio, maybe 3:1. But still commonly used throughout.”
“Lousy work. Disgusting actually. Some rolls of black coloured self fusing silicone tape will at least cover the unsightly sight.”
“The fact that that is so easy to fix and your “plumber” cleaned it and walked away from that absolute abortion is a fucking war crime.”
“These flex pipes work but they will clog and stink as food gets trapped and causes oders”
“What sort of fresh hell is that? I don't see anything that looks like a proper P trap to me. The P trap is supposed to fill with water to a level that seals off any gases that may come from the drain. That set up looks like it was designed for a minimally skilled individual to install without having to actually fit any pipes. https://storage.googleapis.com/bocsfobocxmrqcxojxoblog/floor-drain-p-trap-diagram.html”
“I'm sure it is. That fitting is completely wrong...its going up hill and trapping gunk before it gets to the p trap.”
“Yeah, no shit it's smelly. All 3x drains should go to the far left, which then connects to the trap. The disposal in the middle just drains straight down into the flat section, and then the tee to go to the trap is a san-tee that is upside down, so it holds a little half inch of stagnant smelly water in it constantly.”
“the top of the tee needs an auto vent. P-trap isn't necessary if you want to smell the sewers in your home. lol (yes, FFS it needs it)”
“p trap at the sink drain. you'll need to run water in the sink periodically to ensure ptrap has water in it. seal that 3 foot pipe vent thing. theoretically this is all you need to do to make it work. assuming the electric sump pump is working.”
“Backwater valve. It's a backflow preventer that makes sure the city sewer doesn't back up into your building.”
“It's either the "trap" that's not working correctly due to terrible plubing or the AAV has failed and is now letting sewer gasses escape.”
“This is a manufactured home from the turn of the melinium. Now that I know what I'm looking for, I can actually see the hole from the original vent in the ceiling of the bathroom. I'm not sure why he decided to get rid of it, but ime not sure why he did half the shit he did in this house.”
Actually pretty amazing that nothing was leaking under there 😂
“A trombone trap. Honestly, the only way I ever expect to see something like this if it's a joke.”
“No if accordion is set to a ptrap you won't get sewer smells. This shit is because no ptrap and accordion lines are stupid”
“Was going up to the attic to flush the line as part of regular maintenance, thought this looked funny as I felt like it was just going to dump all the vinegar/water into the trap rather than down the line. Is this done right? Can I still flush down that vertical pipe? Am I supposed to be cleaning where the water stagnates or the full put line to the outside? Thanks! submitted by /u/TurretOtter [link] [comments]”
“This house was built in 1989. 4 of the 5 sinks (basement utility, basement bathroom, kitchen, and upstairs bathroom) have drum traps rather than p traps. I have no idea why. Is there any reason to think that replacing one of them with a p trap would be a bad idea? From what i can tell it looks like there is a normal plumbing vent on the roof. submitted by /u/amildiazu [link] [comments]”
“I think not. That's why they butchered it. It's possible that if the pipe coming out of the wall was cut and a new fitting was put on it, that was closer to the wall, a p-trap would work. Remember it's an inch and a quarter p-trap too. I think you should remove the existing bottle trap and then clean it out, and buy an inch and a quarter p-trap assembly, hold it up there, and see how bad it doesn't fit, at the same time that you are cleaning out the bottle trap.”
“Another undersink p trap post because I know you all love these. Roast me, reverse osmosis system has since been reinstalled but not pictured. submitted by /u/riyt [link] [comments]”
“EDIT: Thank ya'll for informing me that this is a drum trap. My updated question is why would a drum trap have been installed here? OG post: I'm changing out this sink and vanity. There is an unconventional trap where a typical p trap would go. I'm guessing it was installed this way because a p trap would have required cutting through the vanity shelf? I am new to plumbing and I just want to make sure I'm not making a mistake if I install a normal p trap instead of whatever this”
“you need a p trap. the point of the p trap is to trap water somewhere in the pipe so that it acts as a barrier against the sewer gases. you have one of those flexible shits so you could probably use the extra slack to bend a makeshift one into it until its properly fixed”