Building Services and

Entrepreneurship Development
• Lecture details :-
Plumbing – Types of Traps in Sanitary Plumbing System

• Lecture :- 6

Presented by :
Mr. Soham Mukherjee (Lecturer)
S.N. BOSE GOVERNMENT POLYTECHNIC
 Plumbing
(Types of Traps in Sanitary Plumbing System)
E-CONTENTS:-
Sl. Slide
Description
No. No.

1. Use of Traps in Sanitary Appliances 3-4

2. Requirement of Good Trap 5

3. Types of Trap – Gully Trap 6

4. Types of Trap – Floor Trap 7

5. Types of Trap – Intercepting Trap 8

6. Important Definition related to Sanitary Pipe System 9 - 12

7. System of Plumbing 13 - 16
 Use of Traps in Sanitary Appliances:-
 Traps :- Traps have been defined as fittings placed in drainage
pipes (in the form of bend or depression), which prevent the
passage of foul air or gases through drains, waste or soil pipes and
thus prevent their entry into the interior of houses or buildings.
 This is possible because traps are equipped with water seals having
a minimum depth of 25 mm.
 Depth of water seal represents its strength or effectiveness so that
greater the depth, more effective is the trap. [The strength is the
ability of water seal to resist the passage of air or gas through it
and is determined by the vertical height to which water in the trap
can rise above the dip to resist this passage.]
 Use of Traps in Sanitary Appliances:-
 Water Seal :- The vertical distance between inside lowest point (or
dip) and inside highest point (or crown weir) is known as water seal
or Seal in Trap.
 Depth of seal in practice varies from 25 mm. to 75 mm; 50 mm.
depth being quite common.
 Trap is bent in the shape of a P, Q or S so that it always retains
liquid and acts as a barrier preventing the entry of foul gases into
buildings from sewers.
 The intercepting trap is housed in a manhole provided with a
removable cover.
Requirement of a Good Trap:-
a. It should be made of non-absorbent material.
b. It should provide good depth of water seal all the times having
large surface area.
c. It should be of self-cleaning nature having no projections inside
which may obstruct the flow of sewage.
d. It must be provided with suitable access for cleaning.

Types of Traps According To Use:-

 According to their particular use traps may be classified as:
➢ Gully trap
➢ Floor trap
➢ Intercepting trap.
Gully Trap :-
➢ Gully Trap : This is a trap provided in a drainage system with a
water seal fixed in a suitable position to collect waste water from
the kitchen sink, wash basins, baths, rain water pipes, etc.
➢ The top of the gully trap is provided with a CI grating to prevent
solid matter entering the drain.
➢ The gully trap is housed in a masonry chamber called gully
chamber.
Floor Trap :-
➢ Floor Trap : The floor trap is made of CI and used for admitting
waste water from floors of baths and kitchens into drains.
➢ It is provided with a CI grated cover to admit water and, at the
same time, prevent solid matter entering the drain and cause
blockage.
➢ This trap is also called Nahni trap.
Intercepting Trap :-
➢ Intercepting Trap : The intercepting trap is used at the place
where the house drain joins the main sewer.
➢ The trap is provided with an opening at the top called ‘cleaning
eye’ which is an opening to facilitate the clearing of obstructions
and is fitted with a removable plug.
➢ The water seal is at least 75 mm deep. The intercepting trap is
housed in a manhole which is provided with a removable cover
Some Important Definitions Related to Pipe
Systems in Sanitary Plumbing :-
➢ Soil Waste : This is discharge from water closets, urinals, slap
sinks, and similar appliances.
➢ Soil Pipe : This is pipe that conveys the discharge of water closets
or fixtures having similar functions, with or without the discharges
from other fixtures.
➢ Branch Soil Waste Pipe : This is pipe connecting one or more soil
or waste appliance to the main soil waste pipe.
➢ Waste Water : This comprises discharge from washbasins, sinks
and similar appliances not containing human excreta.
➢ Waste Pipe : Any pipe that receives the discharge of any fixtures
except water closets or similar fixtures and convey the same to the
house drain or soil or waste stack. It carries liquid waste that does
not include night soil.
➢ Main Waste Pipe : A pipe connecting one or more branch soil
waste pipe to the drain.
➢ Branch Waste Pipe : This is a pipe connecting one or more waste
appliance to the main waste pipe.
Some Important Definitions Related to Pipe
Systems in Sanitary Plumbing :-
➢ Stack : It is a general term used for any vertical line of drainage or
ventilating pipe. Pipe may be installed in vertical, horizontal or
inclined position.
➢ Vent Pipe : It is a pipe line installed to provide flow of air to or
from a drainage system in order to protect the water seal of traps
against back pressure and siphonage.
➢ Ventilating Pipe : The entire house drainage system requires to
be ventilated for following reasons.
❖ To prevent siphonic action on water seals to avoid breaking of
water seal
❖ To relieve pressure of foul gases, which is likely to break the water
seals and enter the house
❖ To dilute the foul gases in the drain
❖ To facilitate the circulation of air within the sanitary pipe work
system and protect the trap seals from a partial vacuum caused by
air movement within the system, ventilating pipe is provided.
Some Important Definitions Related to Pipe
Systems in Sanitary Plumbing :-
➢ Branch Ventilating Pipe : A pipe, one end of which is connected
to the system adjacent to a trap of an appliance and the other to
main ventilating pipe is called a branch ventilating pipe. It also
provides ventilating to the branch waste pipe.
➢ Main Ventilating Pipe : A pipe which receives a number of branch
ventilating pipes.
➢ Cross Connection: It is an arrangement connecting two piping
systems. One containing potable and other polluted water.
Some Important Definitions Related to Pipe
Systems in Sanitary Plumbing :-
➢ Back Siphonage : It is the flowing back of used or polluted water
from a plumbing fixture or vessel into a water supply pipe due to a
lowering of pressure in such a pipe.
➢ Anti Siphonage Pipe : It is a pipe to preserve the water seal or
traps through proper ventilation.
➢ Self Siphonage : It is the breaking up of the trap-seal as a result
of removing the water therefrom by the discharge of the fixture to
which the trap is connected.
➢ Induced Siphonage: Sanitary fittings in different floors are
connected to branch soil pipes which are in turn connected to the
main soil pipe. Sometimes it happens that as the discharge from
the upper floors comes down it sucks the air in the small branch
pipes and causes siphonic action to be started breaking the water
seals in the traps in the lower floors. This phenomenon is called
induced siphonage.
Systems of Plumbing:-
There are usually three systems of plumbing provided for the
drainage of buildings,
1. Two-pipe system
2. One-pipe system
3. Single stack system

Two-pipe system : In this system, two vertical stacks are provided,

one for the collection of foul waste from water-closets and urinal (soil
pipe) where as the second one collects unfoul water from kitchens,
bathrooms, house washings and rain water. The soil pipe is directly
connected to building drain whereas the waste-stack through a gully
trap. The system may also require ventilating pipes.
Systems of Plumbing:-
One-pipe system : One main vertical stack collects both foul and
unfoul wastes from sinks, baths, washbasins and water closets
which convey them to the building drain. Gully traps and waste pipes
are completely dispensed with. However, all the traps of water
closets, basins, etc. are completely ventilated to preserve the water
seal. In this system the lavatory blocks on each floor of a multi-
storied building should lie over the other so that they can discharge
to this common stack.
Systems of Plumbing:-
Single stack system : This is one pipe system without trap
ventilation pipe work. Apart from these three systems, another
system, midway between one-pipe and single stack is sometimes
used, as follows
Systems of Plumbing:-
Single-stack partially ventilated system : This system is in
between the one pipe and single-stack system. In this system only
one pipe is provided to collect all types of waste water foul as well as
unfoul. A relief vent pipe is provided for ventilating only the water
closet traps.