The one part you’ll find beneath every toilet, sink, bathtub, and shower is called a P-trap. The P-trap is a u-shaped bend in a plumbing pipe that helps prevent sewer gases from escaping the pipes and coming into your home. When it is functioning optimally, there should be no sewage smells in places like your kitchen and bathroom. If there are, this could hint that there’s some sort of clog or blockage happening in your P-trap due to the vast amount of waste that goes through your P-trap. To prevent unpleasant odors from popping up in your home, here’s how to keep your P-trap clean and functioning as it should in four easy steps:

What You’ll Need

• A bucket where all of the water from the pipe and other debris can go.
• Either an adjustable wrench or pliers to help remove the P-trap.
• A wire brush to help clean the pipes

Shut Off the Water

The first thing that you should do after you have gathered your supplies is to turn the water faucet off. This will make removing the P-trap in future steps much easier for you. After you’ve shut off the water, take your bucket and place it under the pipe. This is to ensure that things don’t get too messy later on.

Remove the P-Trap

Once the water faucet has been turned off, you should then use either a wrench or pliers to help remove the P-trap. Unfasten the nuts that are holding the pipe in position with your chosen tool. Before removing the P-trap, keep in mind that there will be some leftover water in it. Make sure that your bucket is in a good position and then take out the P-trap. When you get the trap disconnected, pour out all of the water remaining in the P-trap into the bucket.

Clean the P-Trap

Cleaning the P-trap is one of the steps that shouldn’t be too difficult. Take your wire brush and wet it a bit. Once this is done, push the brush around inside the pipe, cleaning every inch of it. After you have thoroughly cleaned out your pipe, give it a close look to see if you have missed anything.

Place the P-Trap Back

Now that your P-trap is clean, it is time to place it back to where it should be. Hold the pipe in the proper position and use your wrench or pliers to screw the nuts back into place. However, your job is not done yet. You need to ensure that nothing has gone wrong and that everything is functioning correctly. Turn on your water again and have it run for a few seconds. There shouldn’t be any leaks or unpleasant smells. If neither are present, your job is completed. 

If anything ever does happen to your P-Trap or any other plumbing pipe, get in touch with the professionals at ProFlo who have a solution for it all. ProFlo has faithfully served the Murrieta, Temecula, and Canyon Lake communities by providing world-class plumbing services that are of the highest quality and reliability. Our stellar team will work with you to address any of your residential and commercial plumbing needs. To experience just how dependable our services can be, call us today at (951) 327-7688 or fill out our online form to schedule an appointment or to request a free estimate.