Where is sink trap

The bucket can also catch the sink trap if it comes loose and slips out of your hands. Using a wrench or channel locks, begin loosening the slip joint nuts on either side of the sink trap. When the slip joint nuts are completely loose, remove the sink trap. Be sure to keep track of the o-rings on either side of the fittings.

These are essential to reattach the sink trap after your clean it. Using a small bottle brush or old toothbrush, remove any hair, gunk, or old residue from inside of the sink trap. In a just a few easy steps you can have your sink draining properly in no time. First, a few tips to try before removing your drain: First, run some very hot water down the drain in an attempt to clear blockage If that does not work, try using a plunger in the sink - push down slowly, then pull up quickly If these do not work, it's time to remove the drain.

Tools you will need to remove the drain: Bucket, wrench or channel lock pliers, rags, cleaning brush, masking or duct tape. Step 1: First, locate the drain trap under your sink. The pieces you will most commonly see under your sink are: a tailpiece, slip joint nuts, a "J" shaped trap "J" bend , a waste arm and a section of pipe coming from the wall.

Together, these pieces are commonly referred to as a "P-trap". Step 2: Place a bucket or dish pan under the trap to catch any water that might come out as the trap is being removed. Step 3: Unscrew the slip joint nuts on each side of the "J" section of the trap.

You may be able to do this by hand, but if your plumbing is older, it is likely you will need to use channel lock pliers or a wrench to loosen them. If you have a metal or decorative finish on your trap, use a strap wrench to prevent scratching the finish. Or, you can use masking or duct tape on the inside of your pliers to prevent scratching the finish. Another method would be to place a rag over the slip joint nuts before using the pliers or wrench, so that the tool does not come in contact with the metal finish.

Step 4: Once the slip joint nuts are loose, continue to untighten them by hand and remove the trap. Remember to have your bucket handy! This is where it can get messy as there is usually water in the bend of the "J".

Step 5: With the trap removed, you will notice that in between the slip joint nut and trap there is an o-ring. Be sure to put these in a safe place as they are very necessary to seal the connection. If a drain trap is dry, the sewer gas can escape and cause the smell.

This is usually a quick fix that can be remedied by running water down the drain and filling the trap back up with water. Sewer gas is hydrogen sulfide, which is created as organic waste decays. The smell is mostly an annoyance; although it's possible that a very high concentration could cause health problems, it is not very likely. The location of the drain trap is often obvious. The standing water in your toilet indicates the presence of a drain trap, for example.

If you look to the backside of the toilet , you can see the curved shape of the drain through which the water exits. Other plumbing fixtures have the drain trap in an out-of-the-way location, such as the kitchen or bathroom sink, where the trap is usually hidden in a cabinet under the sink. When you look at the sink, you cannot see the standing water, but if you follow the drain lines, you can see the required U or S shape where the water is held to block the sewer gas.

Sink traps have the added benefit of trapping small objects dropped into the drain, plus they are fairly easy to remove. Don't worry if you drop a ring or something valuable down the drain—it is likely safe in the trap. Traps also collect hair, sand, and other detritus , and also limit the size of objects that can pass through into the rest of the plumbing.

You can take apart most traps for cleaning, or they may have their own clean-out feature. Large plumbing fixtures such as showers, tubs, and washing machine drains also have drain traps, but they are not as easy to see because they are under floor level or behind walls.

Tubs and showers have traps that are harder to get to and either require crawling under the house or cutting a hole behind the tub or shower and digging out the area where the trap is located. Washing machine drain traps are mostly in the wall, and to access them you usually have to cut into the wall as well.