How to Repair a P Trap in a Kitchen Sink Drain
An under-sink trap is relatively simple, both in premise and repair. Traps are curvatures in plumbing that, due to shape, retain a small amount of water at all times. This water creates a seal that prevents sewer gases from entering your home. Modern homes commonly use two traps -- the "P" trap and the "S" trap. The P trap connects to a wall drain, but the S trap flows through a floor drain. If you encounter water leakage or just need to clean a clog out, removing the trap and possibly replacing it is an easy repair. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Pail or other large container
- Wrench
- Pliers or a similar tool
- P trap (may be purchased as a kit)
- Teflon tape (optional)
Instructions
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Drain the water in your kitchen sink and clear the area below your sink, if necessary. You want to allow room to work.
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Locate your water cut-off and turn it off. You may have a round knob on the water line below your sink, or you may have to turn the water off at the source.
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Set a pail or other large container directly beneath the trap portion you are removing. Water sitting in your trap can easily drain into the pail while you are removing it, instead of over your head or cabinet.
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Loosen the couplings on either end of the trap (leading to the sink and to the wall drain pipe). These couplings are large, circular rings that are wider than the pipes they attach to. Turn the couplings counterclockwise to remove. Use a wrench or similar tool to loosen if connections do not turn easily.
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Free the trap from the sink pipe and the drain, loosening the connection in the center of the trap to manipulate it out of a tight area, if necessary. Allow the water to drain out of the trap before completely removing from your workspace, if replacing the trap or cleaning out the trap and surrounding pipes. Reattach the couplings, threading them back in place, if you simply had a leak and needed to resecure the attachments.
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Test your drain for leaks before declaring the job complete. Assemble your new P trap if replacing the pieces. You can buy P traps as a kit, with all the parts needed. Simply place pieces together to reassemble the old trap.
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Raise the new trap into place, or the old one if you cleaned a clog out of your kitchen drain. Adjust the trap as necessary to fit it in place properly. Leaving the middle coupling loose when installing the entire trap may help you get it in place easier. Check that the trap feels "natural" in position -- an awkward installation where the trap does not want to stay in place on its own will lead to leaks and failure. Hand tighten couplings when the trap is in place.
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Turn the water source on, then fill your kitchen sink with water. Drain the sink once full, checking for leaks as the water escapes. The downward pressure of the escaping water will expose a faulty installation. Repeat steps as necessary to attain a leak-proof repair.
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Tips & Warnings
Turn the sink faucets on after turning the water supply off, both to make sure the water is off, and to make sure water can not run while you are working. While this is not strictly necessary, it may save you from a big wet mess.
In some installations, your trap pipe may have a larger diameter than your sink pipe or drain pipe. Add a transition gasket to compensate for pipe diameter.
You may also need to cut your trap if the pipe is too long or add a slip joint to extend your trap installation. Cut with a handsaw and proceed normally or secure the slip joint to the plumbing with a coupling.
Check building code for your area; always replace S traps with P traps if possible, and never replace a P trap with an S trap.
Do not glue parts in place; pipe threads may be wrapped with teflon tape, however, to create a better seal.
Transition from plastic pipes to metal using slip joints.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Comstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images down the drain image by Aaron Kohr from Fotolia.com
