Kitchen Sink Trap

Kitchen Trap

The Kitchen sink Trap Inspection

I am writing this article so as to answer several comments and questions I have recently heard and been asked about. To be brief I am answering the people who have told me they had a hack inspector miss a trap installed backwards and asked how it should properly look. The above picture shows a proper trap with the cleanout on the bottom but I must point out that many homes do not have this feature and that is NOT a defect. Above all the water must go down to a low spot trapping anything that you may not want entering your septic system. The trap adapter usually has a screw cap that tightens onto the sink drain tail piece, this piece I have often found loose and allowing a small leak. This is a defect and needs to either be tightened or have the plastic gasket  replaced.  If it does not have a trap cleanout, you will need to remove the entire trap which is why both ends usually have screw connectors if they do not have the cleanout. You must also check that the trap arm does NOT run uphill from the trap, this should be level. When a home inspector checks this trap, we grip the inlet and the outlet while water is draining to make sure it is secure and that there are no leaks.

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