The Power of The P Trap

There’s another ingenious invention that exists in nearly every kitchen and bathroom across the United States – the P Trap. If you look under the sink, and sometimes around the side rear of a toilet, you’ll see a bending pipe that looks kind of like the letter P or the letter S. This is a P Trap.

P Traps are helpful for several reasons. They’re designed to hold a little reservoir of water inside the bottom of the bend. This can prevent sewer gas from entering your home. It can also slow down the movement of objects from your drain on their way to the sewer or septic system, which helps prevent clogs (and may even help you to retrieve lost jewelry!). Over time, sediment and other debris can build up in a P Trap, so it should be removed and cleaned out from time to time. There are plenty of YouTube videos out there that can show you how to do that.