House Traps in Woonsocket, Rhode Island

The worst condition for sewer and drain cleaners to take on is a clogged sewer with a house trap or building trap. The absolute worst condition for sewer and drain cleaners to be challenged with is a house trap in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.

If you don't know what a house trap is, congratulations. You have not had to experience clearing a clogged main sewer line with a house trap. Or, you have not had the misfortune of living in a home with one of these installed on your main sewer line. Here is a diagram to give you an idea as to what a house trap is...

The diagram above depicts the house trap as being buried in the floor of a basement.  It is the "U" shape to the bottom left. 

The trap has two covers on both the inlet side of the trap and the down stream side of the trap.  In Woonsocket Rhode Island, the traps are often buried beneath the soil or concrete.  You will be a bit more fortunate to have a basement with a dirt floor.  In Woonsocket, Rhode Island, the trap is often buried in the ground and sometimes completely unserviceable under cement floors.

In the diagram above, the vertical pipe extending up from the horizontal to the left of the trap is a vent.  Venting was almost understood in the era main line traps were installed.  In reality, the theory of venting a house trap was to supply air to the line when the sewer line had become completely inundated with water.  In the case of the trap, it is completely choking off the flow of air, down stream of the trap.  Venting the trap actually is accidentally accomplished by whatever air and gases are in the sewer system downstream of the trap.  Think about it, the vent through the roof supplies air upstream of the trap.

In Woonsocket, Rhode Island, the vent is often on the side of the building.  The diagram above shows the vent penetrating the basement wall and eventually making a vertical turn to the ground surface.  Again, a common mistake is to bury the trap vent when it is revealed in the ground. 

The house traps purpose was to inhibit sewer gases from the sewer from entering the dwelling or place of business.  That much the trap did do successfully.  However, once the sewer, upstream of the trap was soiled, the residence or place of business had noxious gases infiltrating the interior.  So, it was mandated that all fixtures be trapped with their own p-traps or drum traps.  The house trap is obsolete and a nuisance.

In some areas of Rhode Island, such as Cranston or Providence, house traps are often serviceable.  There is often at least one side of the trap where the cap can be removed and a cable manipulated up or downstream of the trap to clear a blockage.  However, since they are obsolete and in the day and age when disposable wipes are flushed, just have the trap removed.  If you have not had the misfortune to have a blockage due to a trap collecting debris, your time is coming.  Count your blessings while you can and plan to have the trap removed.