Fun with Drain Traps

Beebo (being Beebo) accidentally dropped her wedding ring in the bathroom sink last night! I heard an "Aaagh!" coming from the bathroom and I sensed immediately what the problem was. First I instructed her not to run any water and looked down the drain with a flashlight--no ring.


Then, looking under the sink I saw a plastic U-shaped pipe with two easy-to-undo rings. Beebo cleared out all the toiletries from the underside of the sink and stuck a bowl under the pipe. I unscrewed the rings, turned the pipe section upside down over the bowl, and then heard a satisfying clink!


Apparently those pipe sections are made that way* because people drop things down the drain all the time! It makes sense when you think about it.

Still, I'm glad it wasn't the bathtub. And Beebo will never let that happen again--right, Beebo?

*It turns out I was wrong--John informs me that "they're for keeping stinky sewer gas from coming back up into the room. the trap stays filled with water and that acts as a natural block or "trap" for sewer gas". Who knew? Not me, obviously.