Topics
House traps & vents
The New York running trap and the fresh-air inlet. 4 items, each with key facts and sources.
- The house trap: the U-shaped fitting in many older New York basements
The running trap on the main drain was once standard in New York. The state code now bans new ones, calls the old design redundant, and sets rules for taking one out.
- House trap clogs and the cleanout plugs on top
When the U-bend on the main drain clogs, the whole house backs up. The capped openings on the trap are how a plumber clears it, and the reason not to touch them during a backup.
- The fresh-air inlet is a vent, and it can let sewer gas out
The pipe tied in beside an old house trap is usually called a fresh-air inlet. New York's code officials call that name inaccurate: it is a vent, and air moves through it in both directions.
- Removing a house trap under New York's plumbing code
New York bans new building traps, and a town cannot demand one. Taking an old trap out is legal, but it usually means adding cleanouts and doing the work to current code.