Phoenix Plumbing Drain Parts: The P-Trap

Phoenix Plumbing Drain

If you look at your Phoenix plumbing drain under a sink, you'll probably notice a P-shaped section of pipe. This P-shaped piece might be a bit confusing or you might just be wondering why is it shaped like that? And maybe you've noticed that it replaced an older S-shaped piece that you might have seen before. Why did it do that?

Phoenix Plumbing Drain

This piece of pipe is called the P-trap. P for obvious reasons, and trap because its purpose is to trap gasses and bacteria down the Phoenix plumbing drain so that they can't return to your home through the pipes. This is what stops some of the foul odors and viruses from coming up your drains and stinking up your home or infecting your food or family. This is accomplished by a water seal, some water that is left standing in the bottom of the curve in the P-trap. This water seal keeps out gasses and bacteria, keeping you healthy and comfortable.

Phoenix Plumbing Drain

Previously, the P-trap was usually replaced with a S-trap. Same purpose, just a different shape. The S-Trap drained directly to the floor, while the P-trap drains into a wall. Doesn't sound like a huge difference, but it can be everything. An S-trap's design was flawed because it would easily lose its water seal after the water siphoned off. You wouldn't have known this until you started to smell the sewers drains through your Phoenix plumbing drain. To address this major flaw, the shape was changed from an S to a P, which maintains the water seal much better, meaning you don't have to worry about your Phoenix plumbing drain water seal!