subject: In Your Basement, It's A Trap [print this page] In Your Basement, It's A Trap In Your Basement, It's A Trap
Believe it or not a house trap on a sewer line is vitally important in many ways that you would probably never think of. That "thing" you see in the bottom of a pit in your basement can cause an awful lot of aggravation or damage if it is not functioning properly, is in poor condition, or is not operated properly.
The Danger Of Improperly Fitting Or Missing Sewer Trap Plugs Or Caps
Will allow sewer gases to escape into the premises from your sewer line.
Allow for rodents, insects, but not alligators, to enter into a premises.
Can allow raw sewerage to enter into a premise if a back up occurs.
Trap plugs or caps cost around $15.00 or less each, come in at least three varieties, and are readily available from any plumbing supply or local hardware store. They are easily installed on a house sewer using basic household tools or can be installed by your plumber. Whoever installs a new plug or cap it is a small price to pay for preventing damage, inconvenience, rodent or pest infestation, and a foul sewer smell from affecting your property from your house sewer line. This is another case where performing minor plumbing maintenance is well worth the effort.
Why A Double Vent Trap Is So Important
A double vent trap allows for cleaning in two directions. A house sewer can be easily cleaned either out towards the public sewer, or towards the inside of the house drain. A single vent style unit is not legal for a sanitary sewer in NYC, and makes it much harder to perform cleaning when required.
In addition water is held in the bottom of a house trap. This creates a water barrier preventing any harmful or unpleasant sewer gases from entering into your property. Sometimes when a sewer is unused for some time there will be a foul sewer smell in a property because the water in the bottom of the house trap dried up. Simply running some water inside the property (such as running a sink, or flushing a toilet) will fill the bottom of the house trap back up again and solve the problem.
How To Open A House Trap Properly And Safely
Again what sounds so simple is not, and if done improperly has the potential to cause extensive damage to your property. Sometimes licensed professionals should be trusted for even what seems like a simple task.
Whenever possible make sure the public sewer is not backed up prior to opening a house trap. If a public or NYC sewer is backed up and a house trap is opened is could be disastrous. The public or NYC sewer will then drain out of your house drain and fill your premises with raw sewerage. This can potentially cause extensive damage with severe health ramifications.
Always open the "street side" plug first. That way if there is a trap stoppage the back up will flow over the opened plug and out to the street when the "house side" plug is opened. If the "house side" plug is opened first and there is a stoppage the back up will have no means to escape and will fill up your sewer pit or dump on your floor.
Mishandling or not understanding how a house trap for a sewer line works can leave you with possible sewer repairs and unexpected problems that can be quite unpleasant. Never underestimate the mess you can get yourself into!
