Thread: Type of Trap

Hi, new inspector in training wondering if anyone can tell me what type of trap this is and what there is to know about it. Thanks in advance, Joe.

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Google drum trap. They're no longer allowed.

Wow, copper, if some of our locals saw that, the Natural Light sales would go up for a few days.

Originally Posted by Joe Dach

Hi, new inspector in training wondering if anyone can tell me what type of trap this is and what there is to know about it. Thanks in advance, Joe.

Joe:
This is an older style of drum trap.
They tend not to self scour as efficiently as the "p" trap.
Inform the client that this style should be upgraded by a
qualified plumber. There may be a cleanout screw cap on top
of the trap but I cannot tell by your photo.

Ask if you can place it in your museum when he replaces it.

T.Neyedli CHI
www.alphahomeinspections.ca

Originally Posted by Paul Kondzich

Wow, copper, if some of our locals saw that, the Natural Light sales would go up for a few days.

Did you notice, no solder drips or flux goo. What holds this stuff together?

Originally Posted by Paul Kondzich

Wow, copper, if some of our locals saw that, the Natural Light sales would go up for a few days.

So, what are you saying?

What can I say... it was on sale.

I see a couple houses a year with copper waste plumbing. Usually 1960s or so. It's pretty amazing to get in a crawl space under a bathroom with all copper. Depending on the price of copper it would probably pay a profit to tear the stuff out and cash in and replace it with ABS.

I have 2 drum traps in my house and I am a happy camper.

I would have 3 of them if I had not been routinely exposing it to a strongly alkaline chemical that I used for photographic development. I would put this NaOH liquid in one of my tub drains and would let it sit too long so it ruined its 80 yr old lead trap. This trap had its top cap conveniently flush with the bathroom floor so it could be easily opened without the hassles that accompany P traps.

Now the P trap replacement, that a low end plumber installed, makes access impossible and if it were not for actively trapping hairs at the drain with a stainless steel screen and all the hassles of cleaning the screen after every use I would be up the proverbial creek without visible means of propulsion.

I love drum traps. They are versatile and can be accessed from top or bottom. I had my licensed plumber install a plastic drum trap in the cellar ceiling with the access facing down so I could retrieve items that my wife allowed to drop into a drain. In this case access is from the bottom as top access was not feasible in this instance.

I have yet to understand why they are allegedly “not allowed.”

All traps that are siphoned are reconstituted with a fraction of the amount of water used in hand washing or teeth brushing.

"I have yet to understand why they are allegedly “not allowed.” "

It is not "allegedly".

P3201.5 Prohibited trap designs.

The following types of
traps are prohibited:
1. Bell traps.
2. Separate fixture traps with interior partitions, except
those lavatory traps made of plastic, stainless steel or
other corrosion-resistant material.
3. “S” traps.
4. Drum traps.

5. Trap designs with moving parts.

The main reasons are:
They are not self scouring. Which means that they become clogged more often than a P type trap.
When they become clogged they cannot be cleaned with a snake.
In fact, many are damaged by using a snake on them.

Looking at the photo, I think that is either the wrong type being used, or improperly installed. The removable cap should be on the bottom.
There were two types:
One with the cap on top (as pictured), designed to be mounted in the floor, and cleaned from the top, and one with the cap on the bottom, designed to be cleaned from the bottom, as in a crawlspace or basement.

Joe, I am curious, is the pipe beyond the trap in contact with or under the light fixture as it appears in the photo?

Originally Posted by Rick Cantrell

"I have yet to understand why they are allegedly “not allowed.” "

It is not "allegedly".


P3201.5 Prohibited trap designs.

The following types of

traps are prohibited:
1. Bell traps.
2. Separate fixture traps with interior partitions, except
those lavatory traps made of plastic, stainless steel or
other corrosion-resistant material.
3. “S” traps.
4. Drum traps.

5. Trap designs with moving parts.

The main reasons are:
They are not self scouring. Which means that they become clogged more often than a P type trap.
When they become clogged they cannot be cleaned with a snake.
In fact, many are damaged by using a snake on them.

I have been a master plumber for 10 years now and worked for a drain cleaning co. before starting my own business and you can clean a drum trap with a drain cleaning machine. It takes a little know how and a lot of practise my former boss taught me how

Originally Posted by Rick Cantrell

P3201.5 Prohibited trap designs.

The following types of traps are prohibited:

4. Drum traps.

The main reasons are:
They are not self scouring. Which means that they become clogged more often than a P type trap.
When they become clogged they cannot be cleaned with a snake.
In fact, many are damaged by using a snake on them.

Originally Posted by Jerrod Christian

I have been a master plumber for 10 years now and worked for a drain cleaning co. before starting my own business and you can clean a drum trap with a drain cleaning machine. It takes a little know how and a lot of practise my former boss taught me how

Jerrod,

Okay, so you have addressed *1* of the reasons drum traps are not allowed ... what about the other reasons?

Originally Posted by Jerry Peck

Jerrod,

Okay, so you have addressed *1* of the reasons drum traps are not allowed ... what about the other reasons?
[/left]

no they are not self scouring, yes you can use a cable machine to clean them,no you will not damage them by using a cable machine on them. Good enough for you?

Originally Posted by Rick Cantrell

Looking at the photo, I think that is either the wrong type being used, or improperly installed. The removable cap should be on the bottom.
There were two types:
One with the cap on top (as pictured), designed to be mounted in the floor, and cleaned from the top, and one with the cap on the bottom, designed to be cleaned from the bottom, as in a crawlspace or basement.

The few I have seen had the cleanout on the bottom as well.

Inspected a 71 year old home last week. Had a drum trap under the bath tub visible from the basement. The bottom had rusted out sometime in the past so someone "fixed" it.

gotta luv those fernco caps

Cap needs to be on bottom so you can rod the darn thing.
Drum traps clog easy.

Originally Posted by Jerrod Christian

no they are not self scouring, yes you can use a cable machine to clean them,no you will not damage them by using a cable machine on them. Good enough for you?

"no they are not self scouring"

Good enough to know that they are not code approved and why, and to wonder why anyone, much less a stated licensed plumber to try to defend their use.

I am not defending there use today but at the time of there manufacture they were the type to use on a bathtub.Now since then the molding of plastic fittings have made it better to use a glue style trap if not accessable or a compression trap if ready access to the trap for tightening purposses.

I am sorry I am late to this threads party. It all depends on what plumbing code you follow. Here in Illinois a drum trap is legal.

TITLE 77: PUBLIC HEALTH
CHAPTER I: DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH
SUBCHAPTER r: WATER AND SEWAGE
PART 890 ILLINOIS PLUMBING CODE
SECTION 890.410 FIXTURE TRAPS/CONTINUOUS WASTE

Section 890.410 Fixture Traps/Continuous Waste

e) Drum Traps. Drum traps shall be 3 or 4 inches in diameter and provided with a fixed water seal of at least 2 inches. The trap cleanout shall be one size less than the trap diameter.