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1. Garbage Disposal Part - II
MAIN LINE SEWER TRAPS
The Old Method of Trapping Sewer Gas.
In areasof Massachusetts andRhode Island, sewer blockages and cloggeddrains are often the result of having a mainline tra p.
Main line sewer traps were originally installedwith a few purposes inmind. One reasonto install a trapon the sewer line was
to literallytrapdebrisor objects accidentallyfinding their wayintothe sewer line. Intendedto be easy, trap cleanouts were
installedwith the idea of a home owner being able to remove the obstructionbyremovingcleanout plugs and physically
removingthe items in the trap. The vision waslost somewhere inhistoryand main line sewer traps have shownupinplaces
where theyare difficult to service fromdayone of their installation.
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Throughout Rhode Island, a drain cleaning technicianwill encounter difficultywith mainline traps being buriedinsuchcities as
Pawtucket, Cranston, Providence andWoonsocket. The locations aroundSouthEastern Massachusetts where a sewer trapmay
or maynot be installedare not consistent. For Example, throughout New Bedford, the drain cleaning technicianmayfinda
street where a few houses have traps andothers do not have mainline sewer traps.
In the drawing above, you can see the trapas a ‘u’ shape inthe sewer line. It has two caps pointing to the sky. Here inthe
drawing, the cappedends are labeledas “cleanouts”. Thisis where the Sewer Cleaning Technician willfirst attempt to clear a
blockage from since sewer backups oftenoccur here at the trapor “house trap”. However, if the trapcleanouts are not
accessible, thenremovingthe cleanout plugfrom the downstreamside is not anoption. Insome cases, the trapis unearthedby
excavation and clearing the line of a blockage is much more expensive thanif the trapwere accessible to the technician. The
trap is no longer necessary. If the traphasto be excavated to service it, donot allow it to remaininthe line. Replace it with a
strait piece of pipe. Or, if your home or place ofbusiness is inRhode Island, the plumbingcode inRhode Island requires the trap
be replacedwith a backwater valve. Backwater valves are a great idea, anyway. Askanyone who hashadsewage fromthe
maincitysewer, back intotheir home. Not just sewer water from your house. So, you can’t control it. Youwill get sewage from
upstream of your house without a backwater valve if the citymainbacks up!
Reasons for drain cleaning difficulty

2. • the trap itself inhibits the abilityof the sewer anddraincleaningtechnicianfrom getting the sewer cleaningcable
across the trap. So, the outlet side of the trap must be opened.
• the trap maynot have been opened indecades. For the sewer anddraincleaningtech., this oftenmeans cutting the
cap out or usinga chisel to pryit out.
• the trap is oftenburiedin the ground, making the taskof opening the trap impossible for sewer and drain cleaning
technicians. Thiswouldthen meanthe technicianwill have to playa game of skill against the trap to manipulate a cable or a jet
hose throughthe trapto clear the cloggedsewer line.
More purpose wasgivento mainline sewer traps. Traps were installed inmainline residential sewers to prevent sewer gas and
rodents fromenteringthe house and allow the home owner anopportunityto prevent sewer blockage bytrapping foreign
objects that are not flushable. However, if the trapis not serviceable, andburiedin the earth, one of the advantages to having a
trap is gone.
House traps are alsoirrelevant due to the fact once the pipingon the house side of the trapbecomes soiled, noxious and
dangerous gases still infiltrate the home. So, the practice of installinga trap at everyfixture inthe house was implemented.
Havinga house trapinthe mainline anda trapat a fixture is what is known byplumbers anddraincleaners as double trapping.
The international plumbing code forbids double trapping. Double trapping initself caninhibit the flow of sewage andpromote
sewer anddrain back-ups. So, it is worthhaving the mainline trap removedinorder to avoidinconvenience andcostlysewer
clogs.
House traps are verycommon in Pawtucket, Rhode Island;Cranston, Rhode Island;Providence and Woonsocket. However, they
are spottyand often unpredictable as to where the sewer anddraincleaning professionals will findthem withinthe cities o f
Massachusetts.
Diagnosing and fixing the drainage problemfor a sink, shower or bathtubmaybe a long anddifficult process. Be safe. If fixing
the issue is something that is riskyor not beingunderstood, contact a drain service company. The range ofpricing for a
companywho cares to do the job correctlyis within$145.00 – $225.00. Main sewer line cleaning service can cost $245-$365.
This depends on material usedinpiping, age ofthe house which would help the plumber understand the plumbingcode that
was usedin assembling the plumbing system, access to the plumbing and what is assumedto be creating the blockage.