I don’t need no stinking Drum Traps!!!
Well from the frypan into the fire. I’m doing some bathroom renovations and had asked about drilling a shower drain hole through a 4″ X 8″ beam in another posting.
As I look closer at the plumbing I have more pressing issues to deal with.
The wife and I moved to Maine four months ago. The house we bought is supposed to have been built in 1987. The plumbing waste lines are PVC. All traps are PVC DRUM TRAPS which I understand are not code. House inspector did not notice or ignored them. The house was built by previous, previous, owner and contractor brother, so while some things are good, some are not so.
The second floor half bath is over the first floor main bath. The main waste pipe comes under the first floor bath with pipes accessable in the basement. This waste pipe goes up and services the second floor half bath, then vents out the attic and roof.
Sink, toilet and tub on the first floor are about a foot from the main waste pipe. There is a shower in the first floor bath that is 8′ from the main waste pipe (4″ PCV) and has only a 1-1/2″ drain pipe into a drum trap with 1-1/2″ pipe out, with no venting.
The second floor toilet and sink are about a foot from the waste line. There seems to be no vent lines and all traps are drum traps.
Do these drum traps funtion better without a vent line? Why would someone use them?
I assume the fixtures close to the main waste line are okay and don’t need additional venting. Am I correct?
I want to replace the drum traps with P traps. Any problems with this?
I know the first floor shower should have a 2″ drain and a vent. Is it working now without a vent because of the drum trap?
Replies
what's a drum trap?
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
"what's a drum trap?"think of a 8" piece of pipe capped at both ends but having a pipe entering on the side, on opposite sides of other end (one inlet one outlet). makes for good clogs.
bobl Volo, non valeo
Baloney detecter WFR
"But when you're a kibbutzer and have no responsibility to decide the facts and apply the law, you can reach any conclusion you want because it doesn't matter." SHG
FastEddie,A drum trap is a fat cylinder about 6" tall. The inlet pipe comes in low on one side and the outlet takes off high on the other side. That size is for 1.5" pipe. They were common in lead for use with bathtubs in the early to mid 20th century. The ones I have seen were protected by a vent, same as a p-trap. I have never seen or even heard of one in PVC before this thread. Some (maybe all?) drum traps have a threaded cover on the top that can be accessed from above to clean the trap. This cleaning ability seems to be the only advantage of the design nowadays.Bill
"what's a drum trap?"http://home.howstuffworks.com/how-to-do-drain-repairs.htm
BruceT
Drum traps used to be considered the ultimate in hair removal traps. 20 years ago they were required in Ohio for barber shops, hair salons etc. I can't say now as we don't do commercial stuff. I am surprised to hear they aren't a code legal item though. They work well, just have to be cleaned occasionally. But of course venting would be needed and I am sure that is a code requirement. DanT
http://plumbing.hardwarestore.com/52-333-pvc-traps/drum-trap-241364.aspx
Matt,Thanks for posting that link. First time I ever saw one of those. It looks like you glue the halves together onsite to get inlet/outlet ports pointing where you want them. Very cool, even if I never use one.Bill
>> All traps are PVC DRUM TRAPS which I understand are not code. House inspector did not notice or ignored them. <<
Just as an FYI, regarding code and home inspectors, A HI's job is not to find anything on the house that is up to current code. He is actually supposed to find things that were not up to code at the time they were installed, however even that is very difficult since, for example, who the heck is gonna know what the stair layout codes were in 1940. If the drum traps were not code compliant when the house was built in 1987, that is another issue. Also, a Home inspector often has no way of know when something was installed.
The fact is that in 1987 Maine may not have even had plumbing codes.
The HI is supposed to find anything that is a clear safety hazard, needs to be repaired, etc., etc, etc.
I think that the reasons drum traps are no longer in use is that 1) they require maintenance, whereas a 'P' trap should function without ever getting clogged, and 2) you can't snake a drum trap very effectively - again related to maintenance.
Personally I wouldn't be worried about the drum traps unless there is an obvious problem. If there is no venting on the plumbing system, I would be concerned about that.
I had drum traps in my last house (in Maine) and had no issue with them at all. As a matter of fact on a remodel of the bath and kitchen I bought drum replacements.
Where did you see that they are not code? I thought that it was personal preference.
Be careful in Maine not using a licensed plumber. There are very few inspections needed in the state. My new house is in LURC territory. The only inspection required was plumbing. In my area you get turned in. Not one other inspection was needed. Septic and plumbing only. It's the same permit.
Where are you up there?