Washer drain missing P-trap?

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papakevin

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We recently purchased a house out in the country so my wife could have chickens. Seriously, we moved so she could have chickens.

The house we purchased at one point had the washer and dryer in the kitchen, but a previous owner moved it upstairs in a hall closet outside the bedrooms. The house came with a washer and dryer and I noticed the washer drain hose had a dryer sheet forced around it. When I removed it, I could smell gas from the grinder pump (on a septic system), leading me to believe they tapped directly into the septic and didn't install a p-trap.

My questions. Is this common? Is there an easy way to check to see if one is installed other than cutting into the drywall? If it is a straight run down to tie into the main line which goes to the grinder pump, any suggestions on what to do next?


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Been here, done this. NO, it is not common because people know better. Only time I have seen it was when the wall was so full of piping and wire there was no room for a p-trap. The result was exactly your experience.

Bite the bullet. Open the wall and look. If there is no p-trap, install it externally if needs be. Check for a vent pipe too. If there is no vent, the line will run slowly. In that case, you might consider using an air admittance valve (see pic)

Air Admittance Valve.jpg
 
papakevin said:
. . .leading me to believe they tapped directly into the septic and didn't install a p-trap.

Is there an easy way to check to see if one is installed other than cutting into the drywall?
Click to expand...

If there is a p trap that hasn't dried out and you force air into the pipe you will see a back pressure of one or two inches of "water column".

So, the trick is to make a transparent flexible p trap and fasten it to the output of the pipe with an airtight fitting.

Then, if you raise one end of your homemade manometer and the water level tracks the change then there is no trap downstream or the trap is dry. Dump some water in and try again.

If the water level resists readjusting its level then there is a trap or blockage downstream pushing back.
 
Last edited:
Wuzzat, brilliant idea! Thanks.


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Thanks.
I wanted to expand on this idea so it would tell the difference between a clogged drain and a clogged vent pipe, but that doesn't seem workable for a DIYer.
 
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