LESSON 5

PLUMBING VENTILATION AND TRAPS

A. Ventilation
 One of the most important parts of plumbing
 The real reason why ventilation is important for all ages and types of plumbing is that it
keeps the house safe
 All plumbing fixtures need to be ventilated, with the possible exception of floor drains.
> Usually, the way the fixtures are ventilated by running them through the attic and
out through the roof.
> Often, vents from around the house connect in the attic so that they create fewer
holes in the roof.
> This is better for the stability and safety of your roof, allowing it to last longer
 Ventilation of the plumbing system is that portion of the drainage pipe installation, designed
to maintain a balance atmospheric pressure inside the system to prevent problems like:
• Trap seal loss
• Retardation of flow
• Deterioration of the material

Ventilating a drainage system requires a thorough knowledge

of the principles governing the natural laws of nature such as:
• The principles governing the atmosphere
• The principles of gravity
• The principles of siphon, pressure, and vacuum

Atmospheric Pressure and Drainage System

> The surface of the earth is subjected to an atmospheric pressure valued at about
65.47 Newtons at sea level.
> Any elevation above or below the sea level would be subjected to minus or plus
pressure as the total volume of air above it is lesser or greater accordingly.
> Compressibility is one of the properties of the gas.
> Air can be compressed, or withdrawn from a space or container.
> When compressed, pressure greater than one atmosphere is developed.
> When withdrawn from a space or container is it called a vacuum or partial
vacuum depending upon the volume of air removed

A. Trap Seal Loss

 Vertical distance between the dip and the crown weir of a trap
 the water in the trap between the dip and the crown weir

Trap Seal Loss may be attributed to any of the following factors:

1. Siphonage
> occurs under two conditions:
A.the water may be siphoned out of the trap if there is sufficient negative air pressure
(think suction) on the drain side to draw the water out of the fixture’s trap.
B.Negative air pressure can occur as the water flows rapidly downward through a drain
stack

Two Types of Siphonage:

A.Direct or Self Siphoning
 > created when a rapid flow of water passing through the pipe siphon down the water seal
inside the traps with no vent provision
> occur in unventilated traps which serves as oval bottom fixtures like lavatories or slop
sink
B.Indirect or Momentum Siphoning
> result of a minus pressure in the pipe created by a heavy discharge of water from a
fixture installed on a line serving another fixture at a lower floor

2. Back Pressure
> caused by a plus pressure which blows the water out(of the fixture.
> happens when a large flow of water drops and forms as a slug and compresses the air
inside the pipe. The compressed air will find its way out through a weather point. The trap seal
will give way and blow out of the fixture

9.Looped Vent
> Used on fixtures in a room away from partitions.
> Common to beauty parlors, barbers shops and dental clinics, and surgical rooms

Traps for Plumbing Fixtures

Plumbing trap is a part of the drainage system
> designed to retains a small quantity of wastewater from the discharge, of the fitting to
which it is attached, as a barrier to prevent foul gases or air from entering the building.
Plumbing traps are an important component of the sewage system
> prevent the entry of foul air, insects, and parasites from the sewers into the building and
resist the spread of diseases
> Traps are constructed so that they retain a body of water which acts as a water seal.
> Maintaining the water seal is critical to trap operation;
> Traps might dry out, and poor venting can suction or below water out of the traps.
> This is usually avoided by venting the drain pipes downstream of the trap;
> by being vented to the atmosphere outside the building,
> the drain lines never operate at a pressure much higher or lower than atmospheric
pressure”.
> Water closets and in some cases, urinals are provided with integral traps.
> All other fixtures shall be provided with external traps with adequate water seals.
> The diameter of the trap shall in no case be smaller than the diameter of the outlet of the
fixture, to which it is connected.
> Traps should be of self-cleansing design with a uniform bore and shall not be dependent on
internal partitions or other movable parts for retention of water seal.
> The connection of a trap to another trap should not be practiced.
> The diameter of the outlet pipe from a floor trap shall not be less than the size of the trap
outlet

1. Water Sealed P-Traps are classified into Two:

1.Common Seal P-Trap
> 50 mm deep water seal between the overflow and the dip, that will offer resistance
against abnormal conditions, only to the amount of pressure a 50 mm water will develop.
2. Deep Seal P-Trap
> has from 75 mm to 100 mm column of liquid content between the overflow and dip.
> This trap may be used under normal conditions but it was purposely designed for
abnormal such as:
• Extreme heat condition
 • Increase & decrease in atmospheric condition
• Circumstances where total ventilation cannot be obtained
Permissible Type of Traps :
1. P -Trap
2 . Drum Trap
Other Types of Permissible Traps :
1. Strand Trap
2. Brass Trap
3. High Hub Trap
4. Low Hub Trap
5. Extra Heavy Type
Objectionable Type of Traps:
1.Full size S and ¾ S Trap
2. Bag Traps
3.Mechanically Seal Traps
4.Light Weight Partition

2. P-Traps Installation
1. All traps shall be self-cleaning, capable of being completely flushed each time the trap
operates and no sediments will remain inside to decompose.
2. P-trap shall be installed as near the fixtures as practical not to require too long a vertical leg
between the trap and the fixture proper.
3. Short vertical leg eliminates high velocity of water discharge that creates siphon, the major
cause of trap seal loss.
4. P-trap shall be installed within 600 mm of the fixture it serves it shall be accessible for cleaning
through the bottom opening closed by a screw plug.
5. All traps are subject to stoppage, hence, shall be provided with a cleanout so designed that
could be assembled and disassembled with little effort.
6. Long Run Horizontal Pipe could be used only near the drain of the floor area or yard. It is also
called Running Trap not provided with hand-hole cleanout.
7. The dip portion of the trap shall be as shown possible to avoid retarded flow of water. The
horizontal leg connection to the waste pipe shall be reasonably short for effective ventilation.
8. Overflow pipe from the fixture shall be connected to the inlet side of the trap.
9. Each fixture shall have its own trap. The following fixtures are exceptions to the rule:
a. Two laundry trays and a kitchen sink are connected to a single trap.
b. Not more than 3 laundry trays using 1 trap.
c. 3 lavatories on a single trap

3. Drum Trap (water seal device)

> derived from its size being large in diameter
> consists of an enlarged ‘vessel' that holds a large volume of water
Features:
1. Drum trap is intended for fixtures that are set on the floor like bathtub, foot and sitz bath,
and other similar fixtures.
2. Drum Trap is used on fixtures that discharge substantial amounts of water. It is effective
where trap seal loss is more prevalent due to the velocity of the flow in short intervals.
3. Drum trap can also serve as a terminal for soda fountain, bar wastes, and any type of
indirect waste
4. Drum trap has two types: • 100 mm X 125 mm. • 100 mm x 200 mm
3. Evaporation
> a minor problem and less probable to drain the water inside the trap.
 > happens only on floor drains not regularly used to admit water but are exposed to
extreme temperatures.
4. Capillary Action
> seldom happens and is rarely experienced by homeowners
> caused by a suspension of a foreign object such as a string, rags, or strands of hair
extended over the outlet arm of the trap

C. Retardation of Flow
> The result of improper atmospheric conditions, because of insufficient ventilation of
incorrect installation of fittings.
> Increase pressure causes retarded flow in the vertical stack and also affects the discharge
capacity of its branch.

D. Ventilating the Drainage System

> Each type of ventilation has a definite function to perform in a complete plumbing system
that may be grouped into two major classifications:
1. The vent pipe used to ventilate the soil and waste pipes are the Main Soil & Waste
Vents.
2. The main vent and another subsidiary form of relief vents are classified to the
function they perform and they are called Relief vents and Yoke vents.
> This type of ventilation only serves the fixture trap indirectly.
> Their main function is to maintain the balance atmospheric pressure inside the
waste pipe system.
> Other types of ventilation whose main purpose is to protect the trap seal against
back pressure and siphoning are called:
a. Individual or back vent
d. Wet Vent
b. Unit Vent
e. Looped Vent
c. Circuit or loop Ven

1. Main Soil & Waste Vent

> portion of the soil pipe stack above the highest installed fixture branch extended
through the roof
> serves as the terminal for the main vent and other vents of the plumbing installations
General Conditions in Installing the Main Soil and Waste Ventilation
1. It must be installed as direct as possible.
2. Short radius fittings should be avoided because it reduces the flow of air.
3. As much as possible, long horizontal lines must be avoided.
4. Generally, it should have the same diameter as the soil and waste pipe

2.Main Vent
> serves as a terminal of the smallest forms of units and grouped fixture trap ventilation.
> connected full size at its base to the main soil or waste pipe at or below the lowest
fixture branch and should extend undiminished in size above the roof or should be reconnected with
the main soil vent at least 1.00 meters above the highest fixture branch

3. Individual Vent (back vent)

> portion of the vent pipe that serves a single trap.
> should be connected as close to the trap as possible
> should be located underneath and back of the fixture
 > must be connected to the main vent above the overflow line of the fixture
Distance of trap seal to vent:
1. No trap seal shall be placed more than 1.50 mts horizontal development length
from its vent.
2. The distance shall be measured along the center line of the waste or soil pipe
from the vertical inlet to the trap to the vent opening.
3. The vent opening from the soil or waste pipe, except for water closets and
similar fixtures, should not be the dip of the trap

4. Unit Vent
> portion of the vent pipe that ventilates two fixture traps.
> used in apartments arranged back to back.
5. Circuit or Loop Vent
> employed where two or more fixture traps are installed on a horizontal soil or waste
branch.
> use of a circuit vent generally reduces the cost of the plumbing installation.
7. Yoke or By-pass Vent
> On a long vertical soil pipe a relief vent is installed at 3 to 5 floor intervals.
8. Wet Vent
> Refers to the vertical pipe of the plumbing system used as ventilation of the
plumbing, installation, and fixture traps that receives and conveys liquid waste discharge from the
fixtures.
> Widely used for small groups of bathroom fixtures particularly on a one or two
storey residential houses