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How a Plumbing Trap Can Lose Water | Ask This Old House

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Plumbing and insulation
By Quentin Peters
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Ask This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey explains several reasons why a trap may be losing water. (See steps below.)
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Steps for How a Plumbing Trap Can Lose Water:
1. If a washing machine drains a toilet, it could be because the system is not vented properly and air is being pulled in through the toilet. One possible solution would be to install an air admittance vent to let air in, but not let sewer gas out.
2. Traps can also lose their water from oscillation, which means too much air from wind outside the house could be getting into the pipes and may bounce the water out of the bowl.
3. An “s” trap could also empty a trap. Those are illegal in nearly every state. The long leg of pipe attached to the trap could be pulling the water right out of the trap due to too much velocity in the water as it moves through the pipes.
4. Capillary action could also be a culprit if something is stuck inside the pipe and it is wicking the water from the toilet bowl.
5. Evaporation is another possibility with the water just evaporating into the air in a dry house.

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Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we’re ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers—and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O’Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook.

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How a Plumbing Trap Can Lose Water | Ask This Old House
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Ask This Old HousediyDIY Ideasdo it yourselfhome improvementHome RepairHow To BuildHow To FixHow To InstallKevin O'ConnorNorm AbramPlumberplumbingplumbing repairplumbing trapremodelingrenovationRenovation IdeasRichard Tretheweyroger cooksinkThis Old Housetoilettoilet drainTom Silvatom silva constructiontom silva housetom silva this old housetom silva toolstommy silva

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  1. I wish I had seen this video a couple of years back. I spent 6 months trying to understand why I could smell something awful in the utility room. I checked for damp which might suggest sewage leaking into the concrete, I installed a new trap, resealed the sink and still couldn't understand the problem. Eventually I installed clear pvc pipes and a small camera to see what was happening (forgive my ridiculous approach but I'm a scientist and I had to eliminate everything in a systematic way). During a storm I noticed the water in the trap rocking backwards and forwards, this trap was also linked to our washing machine. If I turned the machine on during a storm the extra fluid from the machine resulted in a slight vacuum effect which resulted in an intermittent air gap which allowed air from the sewer to creep into the utility room and cause an awful stink.

    If only I had seen this video I could have resolved the problem without all that hassle!

  2. How long exactly does it take for an unused p trap to dry out? For example, if we're going on vacation for a month, will the P traps have dried out completely by the time we're back? It's difficult finding specific info on this.

  3. TIP: Hey people, did you move your laundry to another location? Maybe to the 2nd floor or basement so you can have beautiful closet space in that half-bath? CAP THE PIPE. I inspect homes and most times the laundry is moved no one thinks to remove, or simply cap, the old pipe. Egh, what's that smell? Poop

  4. Bought a flipped house with a 20 yo probably homeowner built addition. In the addition the bathroom smells although all the fixtures are used frequently. What would be the cause, and how do I tell a plumber without sounding like I think I know more than he (or she) does, because I sure don't!

  7. Brilliantly explained, thank you. Just a question. You mention the phenomena of wicking where there is string like material in the u bend that allows the water in the trap to travel by capillary action and so drain out. Could the wick be created by lots of long human hair caught up in the ubend? Many thanks for any thoughts. Tony

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