The way to Loosen PVC Sink Traps

The way to Loosen PVC Sink Traps

The P-trap below your sink holds a little pool of water in its inverted “P” which maintains sewer gases out of your house, but that’s not all of it holds. It is a repository for jewelry and other tiny items which drop the countertop to the drain, and to recover the items you have to be able to loosen the nuts holding the pieces of the trap together. That should not be tough if the trap is made of PVC, since PVC fittings do not get locked by rust. Nevertheless, they may still be too tight to flip.

Locate the compression nuts on the ends of the trap assembly. One connects the trap into the tailpiece, that’s the pipe which extends from the sink, and one connects to the drain. Additionally, there might be an adjustable swivel connection at the point where the inverted “P” rises to become flat.

Loosen the link between the trap and the tailpiece by holding the trap with one hand and turning the compression nut with another. Turn the nut counterclockwise with respect to the tailpiece. It might take a certain amount of strength, but you should be able to flip it.

Put on a rubber glove to increase the friction between your hand and the nut if the nut is moist and your hand slips.

Grip the nut using adjustable pliers in the event that you can’t flip it by hand. Hold the trap steady while you turn the nut. When it begins to turn, conclude unscrewing it by hand.

Use the exact same technique to loosen the nut on the opposite end of the trap and the swivel nut in the center.

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