What Is A P-Trap, And How Does It Work?
What Is A P-Trap, And How Does It Work?
A P-trap is a bend in a drain and waste pipe with a specific purpose. It’s also called a U-bend, S-bend, or L-bend. The P-trap has been around since ancient times, but it wasn’t named until 1817 when Thomas Crapper invented his patent toilet system, including them.
The main purpose of this particular type of trap is to prevent sewer gases from escaping into your home through drains or toilets by trapping them inside pipes before they get too far away from their source (i.e., where they come from).
When water flows down one side of the U shape created by two vertical sections connected at right angles by a horizontal section at their center point, there will always be some amount trapped between these three sections because gravity pulls everything downward toward Earth’s core–including air molecules.
Where Is The P-Trap?
The P-trap is a U-shaped piece of pipe that’s located under your sink, with one end connected to the wall and the other end connected to the drain pipe. When water flows through this part of your plumbing system, it seals off any gases or smells from escaping into your home.
The P-trap is the drain pipe that drains water from your sink. It’s shaped this way to trap sewer gasses and prevent them from coming out the sink as well as to catch debris that’s been washed down.
The P-trap connects to other pipes in your house by using either a saddle valve or a slip joint coupling. Either way, it will attach directly under where your faucet meets up with the sink itself.
What Are Two Main Purposes Of A P-Trap?
P-traps are an important part of plumbing design. They prevent noxious gases from entering a home and can also help recover small items that fall down the drain.
P-traps are required for any plumbing fixture that discharges wastewater into a sewer system or septic tank, including kitchen sinks, bathrooms with tubs and showers, laundry tubs/laundry sinks (if separate from kitchen sink), utility sinks (e.g., basements), floor drains and basement sump pumps.
Many people are unaware of the fact that p-traps exist in their homes until something goes wrong with them–or they have an emergency at hand.
In these cases (and many others), homeowners may need professional plumbers who specialize in repairing this type of plumbing problem as soon as possible before further damage occurs inside their home’s walls or foundation structure itself
What Causes The P-Trap To Fail?
The most common cause of a blocked P-trap is a foreign object in the pipe, such as hair or food particles. If you have not flushed your toilet after using it, these items can build up and cause blockage in the P-trap.
Another common cause of blockage is clogging from material like paper towels, sanitary napkins, or tampons that have been flushed down into the toilet bowl instead of being disposed of properly.
This type of material will eventually break down over time causing further problems with drainage systems within your home’s plumbing system.
