I thought this message board was made available so we as home inspectors can learn from each other.I guess I was wrong!!
The picture of the" bottle trap" was actually taken by me,I asked that Nick or Deanna post it because I for some reason was unable.I took this photo of my hotel room vanity it had two wash basins,they each had a bottle trap.
The hotel’s name is RIU PALACE it is a five star hotel that is 2-3 years old. It is owned by a Spanish company.The hotel is in Los Cabos, Mexico.
Jeffry and Roy maybe you guys know better about these things than the Mechanical Engineers???
P.s. Have you guys even used a sink with one of the bottle traps,or have you even seen one?
You are right not legal here,I asked a building inspector Friend and they say that they turn a blind eye to them.Reason,when they leave after final inspection homeowners will switch them anyway.Usually are installed in high end homes.
There is a reason why these are not allowed in the States. I don’t profess to know that reason, all I know is that there are specific requirements for traps, which bottle and drum traps do not meet.
I hate to burst your bubble Jeff but the U.S. or Canada do not hold the monopoly on mechanical design.I know they are not permitted in the U.S. or Canada.
You have to be a little bit open minded.
Burst my bubble? I said “I don’t know why.” Where’s the bubble?
I’m sorry if you took offense to my reply to your statement, but I hear this from homeowners all too often.
Just because you have not noticed any problems, certainly doesn’t mean that problems don’t exist.
It may be that these work “just fine.” I don’t know the answer to that either. All I do know is that they are not allowed in my jurisdiction, nor is the flexible tail piece. But both items can be purchased from many local hardware stores.
When the model codes accept them, I will follow. How’s that for “open-minded?”
Bottle traps are used in many parts of the world but are not allowed in the US model codes. The reason why is because they rely on partitions that are hidden inside the trap for their seal. If (when) the partition corrodes away, the trap seal will fail and allow sewer gases to enter the home. Because the internal partitions cannot be seen without taking the trap apart, and it could still look ok to the average person while having failed, the homeowner could think it is still doing its job of keeping the sewer gases out of the home when in fact it is not. They are found a lot on “high-end” homes because they look a lot prettier than a standard trap when you have the under-sink plumbing exposed. Will they work ok? Yes, for a while, but the average homeowner will not know when they are not working ok.
I try not to limit my suggestions to “it isn’t allowed” or “it doesn’t work”–
but this I can, and will use. I always try to inform why it isn’t allowed or doesn’t work.
I’m an ICC certified bldg inspector for a local city here in WA State and here’s my 2 cents on this:
I saw one of these traps recently while doing a final inspection for occupancy on a “high-end home”. Actually, the 2003 Uniform Plumbing Code does address and allow installation of “bottle and drum” traps per approval of “the jurisdiction having authority”, (UPC 1004.0) Also, these traps will meet almost all of the code requirements regarding traps, i.e; min 2" to 4" max seal (UPC 1005.0), non-corrosive partitions, etc. However, there is some question as to whether or not they would be considered to meet the “self-cleaning” requirements of UPC 1003.1
But all that being said, I found this message board while searching for more practical info on design & use of these traps, as well as interpetation and enforcement of the code requirements. It was very helpful to read some of the info you guys had on these. Thanks for the help! - Ryan
These type of traps are great for those fancy $$$$ bathroom sinks that hang on the wall or in places where the plumbing is exposed and part of the design as in some $$$$ lofts. Although they do not meet code, plumbing inspectors turn a blind eye as stated earlier. Good post.
This bump of the thread jogged my memory. Since I originally posted I did some more research on the bottle trap and they are allowed for lavatories as long as the trap is made of plastic, stainless steel, or other corrosion resistant material. See 2003 IRC P3201.5.2.
Building the trap of corrosion resistant material takes care of the problem related to internal corrosion of the partition and loss of the trap seal. The bottle trap is not self cleaning so that is why its use is limited only to lavatories.
Yes they do look pretty when you have exposed plumbing under the lav.
