Cleaning out a drum trap

[freeflow]

A 4 inch rubber test cap(or what ever size you need) works great to seal drum traps after cap has been cut off. Then you can get it off and on easily with a screwdriver or a nut driver .This even works under house when drum trap is upside down,but would be tough if drum trap is buried in cement up to top of trap, then screw in a 3 '' pvc cap use silicone on threads to keep from leaking when it blocks again.Its up to you whether to drill hole in top of pvc cap and fix your self a place for future cleaning. In most cases the rubber test cap does the trick!! Easy @ quick, no worry about stripped threads.

 

[MilwN8]

Drum Trap Clean Out

I came across a neat little idea for cleaning out a drum trap that has worked out very well for me. I have a drum trap submerged in the concrete floor of my basement with only the lead top/cap exposed, so the trap cannot be easily replaced without costly concrete work to the floor. This drum trap is the style where the cap covers the entire 4" diameter of the top of the trap and has a 1" square nut in the center. This trap has been there since 1949 and the cap was sufficiently stuck to where it could not be removed without damaging the trap. I took a 2" hole saw and drilled a 2" hole through the cap, centered over/around the 1" nut. It took a little while, but ended up with a clean 2" hole, big enough to get the shop vac and snake through. When I was done, I used a 2", wing nut/compression style, clean-out cap to plug the hole. It is easily removed and resecured for clean outs as needed. Hope this is of value to someone out there as it was to me!

After years of issues, a trip to our hardware store, some cutting oil and a little patience... This solution worked very well. I purchased a tapered extention tube for my shop vac and now have a 1.5" tube to stick into the 2" hole. The trap is clean and this tub/shower runs smoother than ever!

Very simple.

Thank you!!!

In 2025, this advice still is effective! I have a clawfoot tub from 1921 on the 2nd floor of my duplex. The drum trap cover is below the tile and cement board that was added in 2002ish, and doesn't look like it would clear it all anyway. I haven't removed it in the last 11+ years I've been here, so wasn't sure how stuck it was. I tried to remove the top with a socket wrench, but couldn't get it to budge. But thanks to this thread, a 2" Milwaukee hole saw and Oatey plug, and I was able to snake the inlet clog out and have a working drain again. So another thank you for posting it!

(And, I'm well aware this is somewhat of a temporary fix. This bathroom will have to be gutted eventually, and the galvanized and cast iron DWV pipes replaced.... we'll put in a modern trap then, too, of course.)

-Nate R