Bath Trap McAlpine Bottle Trap Getting Clogged with Hair

[chaoticj]

Hi,

Every few months our bath trap which is a McAlpine bottle trap with anti-syphon, gets clogged with my partners long hair!

I have to then remove the bath panel, put a bowl under the trap, remove said trap and clear out all of the hair of which there is usually half a head of hair, soap scum and gunge! and then refit.

The issue is then fixed for the next few months..

I would like to know is it usual to have a bottle trap attached to a bath?

Is there something I could swap it for, or something that we could do to prevent this from happening?

Here is a picture of said plumbing.. the bath waste and overflow connect together and into the top of the bottle trap, which then connects to some grey pipe with bits of (copper?) pipe in between.. this then goes down and into the soil stack.

Untitled

• chaoticj
• 15 Feb 2015
• 1

Thanks in advance for your help..
cj.

 

[Madrab]

Wouldn't say it's usual, nope, but if it works then nowt wrong with it I guess, chap must have had a spare one to hand or really needed the anti vac. Normally there would be a 75mm bath trap though if space isn't an issue.

http://www.mcalpineplumbing.com/traps/bath/bath-traps/1-189-x-75mm-seal-bath-trap.html

 

[chaoticj]

Hi Rob,

Cheers!

Thought not.. do you reckon I would need to adjust any of the pipework coming from the bottle trap if I wanted to replace with a proper bath trap?

Would this help with the long hair issue?

Thanks a lot,
cj.

Wouldn't say it's usual, nope, but if it works then nowt wrong with it I guess, chap must have had a spare one to hand or really needed the anti vac. Normally there would be a 75mm bath trap though if space isn't an issue.

http://www.mcalpineplumbing.com/traps/bath/bath-traps/1-189-x-75mm-seal-bath-trap.html[/QUOTE]

 

[chaoticj]

Oh and what is the bit at the bottom on the bath trap that you linked to? Is this a cleaning eye that would normally be blanked off?

 

[Madrab]

A bit of jigging required, where the waste pipe is just now. Depends on the space too but I'd be removing the pipe that's in the bottle trap and the connecting piece - looks like copper. Then it would be connecting from the trap down the soil stack if it's close.

Yes, that's the rodding eye, makes cleaning easier but you still get water etc.

Of course there's always one of these, cheaper and easier maybe?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sink-Stra...240?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4d25d055d0

 

[longdogs]

http://www.wickes.co.uk/Sink+Bath-S...CfULkoxax8QR2dEH4mY9OCTbLswZtCndYMaAoYg8P8HAQ

 

[Agile]

It seems it may be a trap with an air admittance valve. Perhaps thats needed because of the slope of the outlet.

I would say that you are better with that type as its easy to clean. The usual running trap would be likely to let hair pass through and this could block further along where you cannot access it.

I like long hair and running my fingers through it.

Tony

 

[Madrab]

What, straight out of the trap Tony or once it's dried?

 

[chaoticj]

Haha, thanks - I will manually clean the trap out and then try one of these hair catcher/bath strainers.. no point in over engineering a solution and definitely want to avoid any blockages further along in the system!

Thanks for all the help!

 

[Agile]

What, straight out of the trap Tony or once it's dried?

Er.... no!

Only on the head but fine when wet too!

Tony

 

[Peruse]

I generally find that the plastic pipe out of the trap has been cut with an hack saw and the rough cut has not been trimmed smooth, ideal for catching hair.

 

[Agile]

If you WANT to trap hair to stop if getting further down the drain and a single turn of thick wire placed in the trap. Make it from a coat hanger to help !

Tony

 

[TeaTime]

Have a small strainer handy, use it when you shower / when you pull the plug. This will catch the hair that would go down the trap.