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Our bathroom sink is used multiple times per day but there is a bad odor almost every time we turn on the water, coming from p trap. We have found some bad DIY work in this house already, so I’m wondering if this trap is installed correctly.

enter image description here

isherwood
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Connie W.
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1 Answers1

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This is not the correct way to install a p-trap. The pipe exiting the sink should run vertically into the top of the p-trap, then exit the p-trap horizontally back into the wall and connect to the sanitary pipe via a sanitary tee fitting.

The configuration in your photo converts the p-trap into an s-trap. S-traps are known to fail due to self-siphoning. Your configuration also eliminates the proper venting of the drain line, which can cause slower draining of the sink. enter image description here

Unfortunately, it looks like you would need to open up the wall to remove the 90° elbow and reconfigure the piping so that the drain line is horizontal.

pdd
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