December 12, 2009
What Is A Plumbing Drum Trap ?
In order to provide a serene plumbing setup to your home, certain components deserve a necessary accommodation. One of them is the plumbing trap.
A plumbing trap is a component that performs two basic functions. First, it prevents the sewer and waste gases from entering into the spaces of the home. Secondly, it acts a trap to catch all the heavy items that have been drained mistakenly. Hence, the name ‘trap’ can be attributed to this particular function of plumbing traps.
A plumbing drum trap is a variety of the traps that is not in practice anymore. They are considered outdated and are replaced by more advanced and sophisticated p-traps and s-traps. The piping setup is made less cumbersome under the new types of traps. However, the drum traps offered their own advantages. If your plumbing setup is equipped with a drum trap then there is no need to go for the replacement as long as it is operating normally.
If you want to determine whether your trap is a drum trap or not then move to the vicinity of a plumbing segment such as a sink, bathtub or toilet. The presence of a miniature capped segment at the surface of the floor confirms the presence of a drum trap. This visible fragment is actually the access cap of the drum trap that allows easy unclogging job. To retrieve a heavy item from the drain, open the lid of the trap and remove out the concerned object.
The ease of access associated with the drum traps is one thing that popularized them sometime back. This feature helps the plumbers a lot during the unclogging job of the drainage pipe. The plumber’s snake tool also finds an easy entry into the trap and the clogs in the form of hair, debris etc. are easily removed.
A water-seal should be maintained in the trap as it enables the trap to keep off waste gases from reverting back. Sometimes the water level in the trap goes down which in turn reduces the efficiency of the trap. Hence, proper supply of water should be fed to the trap to maintain its water-seal.
Always remember to keep a large-sized bucket or container at you disposal while opening the access of the drum trap. The pressure of the water may result in an overflow. Also, keep the expertise of a professional in tact throughout the life of the project.
If you decide to replace your drum trap with a more advanced one then avail the services of a plumber.
Scott Rodgers is a fine author who has been authoring on plumbing works for a long time now. His unique guidance has given inspiration to a number of workers, ranging from Washougal Plumbers (Need one?click here!) to Powell Plumbers (Need one?click here!).
Filed under Work From Home by Scott Rodgers