Replace a Sink Trap

Few locations of a kitchen take more unseen abuse than the area beneath the sink. The sink trap often bears the brunt of the worst misuse. Pipes can be damaged when they are jostled. Also, many traps in sinks in older homes have outdated installations. Bruce Norman, a plumber from Portland, Ore., describes his simple technique for replacing a sink trap in this "Building Skills" article. Norman begins the process by combining the tailpieces, then building from the bottom up. Next, he dry-fits the connections before gluing them together. Then he finishes the project by gluing together the parts except for the threaded connections, which are coated with pipe dope. This article includes a sidebar about air-admittance valves, a sink-venting alternative.

Plus, watch this technique start to finish on video as Bruce Norman goes step by step through the process in our Build Like a Pro video series. Watch the video...