What type of trap is this on my sewage line?

Deck

Here this is a picture of my sewage line before it leaves the house for the street. Is it a running trap and do you notice anything illegal about it? The house is probably 50-100 years old. Thanks

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TarheelTerp

Illegal? It wouldn't be allowed today so it's entirely illegal.
If/when you do any more reno work (is that a fernco or sw?)...
expect to be replacing it in total... which you should do anyway.

(PITA to snake)

Deck

To answer my own question I've been reading through some threads and I think it's a whole house trap with a vent. I found another thread of a guy in Westchester with a vent/trap. I still don't know if that means it's a running trap.
Here's the thread:
Best guess as to what this is
Here's a pic showing something similar that the guy says is a whole house trap with an external vent. The other guy in the thread from IL says it's a running trap.

Deck

Ok thanks. I actually have another problem with part of it but I'm not ready to post it until I can do some research to see if I can answer the question before I ask it. The rubber thing with the metal casing is probably a fernco, or whatever I got from Home Depot. I'll check and update this post with the info. (Update: They're Fernco Proflex Couplings).

To snake to the street, I take that black piece of pipe out, drill out roots every few years and then put in rootx dry, then put the pipe back together and then flush the toilet so that the water forces the rootx down the line.

TarheelTerp

Uh huh. You are entirely too familiar with a task that most homeowners will
NEVER need to do in their whole lives; and the rest... maybe once.

This indicates that you are OVERDUE for a "dig 'em up".
Get the water service done at the same time.

TheEplumber

Sounds like the rootx is a waste of money.

Deck

It's preventative maintenance. Even though I drill for roots every few years that's only because a while ago we found roots in the line. I have no way of knowing if they're regrowing I just want to stop them if they are.

joecaption

Or replace the lines with PVC, no more roots, no more chance of that old cast leaking, and you would also be adding a clean out where it makes the turn to make any future cleanings much easer.

psilva8

I agree that it's likely time to dig it up and fix it. It may not be the big of a task looking at where the line leaves the foundation. Does it take a nose dive once outside, or before the municipal cleanout? If not, it could likely be done farely easily and you won't have to worry about the roots anymore. Those roots will only get worse over time.

Have you ever had problems with the cast trap? Do all the fixtures also have traps?

fa_f3_20

Since the subject has come up... exactly what is a running trap supposed to accomplish? I've never seen one in person.

Deck

Yes, unfortunately it does take a nose dive. And it would be really, really expensive. We have sewage line insurance from the exit to the street now. They will only replace the line if they can't fix a clog and even then it's only up to a few thousand. They don't offer RootX either. For right now I'm fine with it as I have a bigger plumbing problem with a cracked cast iron pipe.


The cast trap actually saved me because some chunks of another piece of pipe that is coming apart gathered in the trap and I was able to take them out. There are traps throughout the house.


I read somewhere that it is/was a safety measure to prevent natural gas from coming in from the sewage line. I'd also like a definitive answer on this as well.