The Bathtub Drain Drum Trap Is Leaking

Trap Purpose

• A drum trap, like the curving trap pieces on modern drain lines, should always stay full of water if it is working properly. The drum trap has an inlet line toward the bottom of the drum compartment, with an outlet hole near the top of the drum. The water in the drum stops any sewer gases that are present in the house’s drainpipes from progressing further up the drain line. Without the trap, these sewer gases would enter your home and create health and safety problems for anyone living there.

Trap Location

• A bathtub’s drum trap does not necessarily sit right next to the bathtub itself. The drum trap may be in the floor in an adjacent room or closet. A previous owner of the house may have installed flooring over the trap, making accessing it from below an easier option than accessing the trap from the bathroom or adjacent room.

Trap Repair or Replacement

• Once the trap starts to leak, especially if the leak has started because of corrosion, fixing the leak may only temporarily take care of the problem. You must look at the trap from the floor below, which may require you to cut a hole in the finished ceiling, depending on what sits below the trap. If you see that the drum trap is corroding, you may be better off cutting through the pipes that connect to it, removing the cover from inside the bathroom, removing the old drum trap and installing a replacement.

Pipe Trap Replacement

• You may opt to replace the drum trap with a pipe trap piece to update your bathtub’s drain line. You must cut out the old trap and remove its cover from inside the bathroom before you can remove it. Find out what the plumbing codes in your area are so you know what kind and size of trap piece to fit on the pipes. Whether you are installing a metal or PVC trap, you must dry-fit the trap with the other drainpipes before you seal the connections.