Loss Of Seal By Momentum

Theoretically, a trap may lose its seal by

momentum. If a trap is placed directly
beneath a fixture, but some distance
below it, a flush of water might acquire
sufficient momentum to carry it through
the dip of the trap and into the waste pipe
beyond. As a matter of fact, however,
there are modifying conditions to prevent
such loss. Most fixtures as now made have
outlets so obstructed by strainers or crossbars that the outlets are of less area than
that of the waste pipe, consequently the
pipe could not fill full bore and the velocity
would hardly be sufficient to acquire the
necessary momentum. If it did, no harm
would result, as sufficient water would
adhere to the long inlet pipe and to the
sides of the fixture to again seal the trap.
Nevertheless, traps should be placed as
close to fixtures as possible, not only to
prevent possible loss of seal by
momentum but also to avoid a long

stretch of untrapped waste pipe.

Answers (1)
Manage My Life
Traps may lose their seals by leaking, but there are other, more subtle causes
to look at. Traps can lose their seals by

direct siphonage

. We've talked about this. It's the-siphonage that occurs if we don't have a
vent just downstream of a trap. There are other ways traps can lose their
seals.

A fixture on a second floor can cause a fixture on the first floor to siphon. The
liquid falling through the stack can draw in air from the trap arm downstream
of a first floor trap. As this air is pulled into the stack, the air pressure on the
fixture side of the trap is greater than the pressure in the trap arm.
Atmospheric pressure pushes the water out of the trap and the seal is lost.
This is called

indirect siphonage

. It's because of indirect siphonage that plumbing fixtures on the first floor are
not allowed to be wet-vented by the soil stack from fixtures on the second
floor. A separate vent is required for each floor level.

Back pressure

is caused by air being pushed ahead of a slug of waste. The back pressure
can sometimes push through the water in the trap back out into the fixture,
allowing sewer gases to enter the house. This can happen on a multistory

house with a slug (mix of solid and liquid) from the top-floor-level fixtures
falling through a stack and pushing air up through the traps on lower fixtures.
Separate venting of lower-level fixtures prevents this back pressure from
going through the trap and allows the positive air pressure to escape through
the vent. This is another reason why wet-venting is not permitted from one
floor to the next.

The seal at traps can be lost because of

evaporation

. This is common on floor drains and other fixtures that are not used regularly.

Capillary action

is a less common method by which traps lose their seal. Foreign material
such as a combination of hair, lint and soap film gets hung up in a trap and
extends over the crown weir of the trap. In much the same way that a paper
towel will draw liquid up off a counter top, the hair or lint, for example, will
draw the moisture out of the trap, up over the crown weir. The water will
either evaporate out of the hair or will run down the trap arm and into the
drainage system. Eventually, the seal will be lost.

When the trap seal is very small (less than 1.5 inches), the

wind pressure

blowing over the top of the vent stack can cause water levels to fluctuate in
the traps. As the water level moves up and down, water will be spilled over
the weir of the trap. Eventually, enough water may be spilled over that the
trap seal is lost. Wind effect, evaporation and capillary action, for example,
may work together to defeat trap seals

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