# PPP pressure drop trap primer



## WrenchMonkey (Feb 24, 2010)

I was at a call today and could use some help with this one. Customer had a small flood in a suite at a building we take care of. When I got there the customer said the trap primer had been shooting water out of it's ports and had flooded the suite. At the time I arrived it was not doing this, so I took the unit out and looked it over. nothing seemed out of the ordinary, I reinstalled the primer and set it up with the needle vlv. Tested it by running the sink and confirming it's operation, all was good. At this time I was a little confused. I was talking to the customer when behind me I heard water running, turned around and saw the primer shooting water out of its port. So now i pulled it out and got a new one from my truck stock, before I installed it I took the time to flush the line out with a hose into the sink just to see if I had sediment or scale in the line by running it through a white rag, nothing. Hooked up a pressure gauge to the line and kept and eye on it for a while, but nothing seemed wrong. So I put the new unit in and set it up, and tested it. Was working ok for awhile, but just as I was thinking I might be ok and was thinking about packing up it started shooting water again. I shut it down for the weekend and I'll get back there on monday for another job so I'll deal with it then. It's friday at 5:00pm, me and the building manager just wanted to hit a patio for a drink and I just didn't have the patience to deal with it at that moment. Sooooo. does anybody have some advice for me:thumbsup:


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## AKdaplumba (Jan 12, 2010)

house? what is supplying the primer?


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## Bayside500 (May 16, 2009)

does the drain line work or is it clogged ?


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## WrenchMonkey (Feb 24, 2010)

The primer is in a retail suite on the second floor of a comercial building, I checked the line and it seems to be clear, ran some water down it and did't seem to have any problems. This line feeds the bathrooms in this suite which all have crane flush valves on the toilets and this primer is on a branch coming of the same mainline which also feeds the bathrooms.


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## waldrop (Dec 18, 2009)

disconnect primer and use one of these code approved


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

waldrop said:


> disconnect primer and use one of these code approved


Redwood shakes his head in disbelief and wonders what this world is coming to...:whistling2:


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

maybe the vent is clogged

just joking

the primer line to the ptrap has to be blocked for the water to come out of the air gap


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## WrenchMonkey (Feb 24, 2010)

The thing that is really confusing me is why the primer wants to dump continuosly. Usually this type of primer gives a squirt when the fixture on the line it shares is used, but someting is causing it to open up and not close. The only way to get it to shut down is to shut off the valve feeding this line and then reset it using the set screw. It will work for a bit but them something causes it to open up full bore. The line to the trap is clear I've run water down it and it is getting to the trap. It won't allow a large volume of water to drain into the trap but its only supposed to take a small amountg of water at a time. I could smash up the floor and run a new larger line but it still doesn't solve the problem of why the primer is behaving this way in the first place. I've changed this primer twice now so I don't think it's a issue with them being defective. The manager is very easy going I told him that I don't have an answer for him as to why it's doing this. He understands that some things no matter how simple they seem to be take time to fix.


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

WrenchMonkey said:


> The thing that is really confusing me is why the primer wants to dump continuosly. Usually this type of primer gives a squirt when the fixture on the line it shares is used, but someting is causing it to open up and not close. The only way to get it to shut down is to shut off the valve feeding this line and then reset it using the set screw. It will work for a bit but them something causes it to open up full bore. The line to the trap is clear I've run water down it and it is getting to the trap. It won't allow a large volume of water to drain into the trap but its only supposed to take a small amountg of water at a time. I could smash up the floor and run a new larger line but it still doesn't solve the problem of why the primer is behaving this way in the first place. I've changed this primer twice now so I don't think it's a issue with them being defective. The manager is very easy going I told him that I don't have an answer for him as to why it's doing this. He understands that some things no matter how simple they seem to be take time to fix.


How much MegaLoc did you smear on the threads?:whistling2:


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## WrenchMonkey (Feb 24, 2010)

not a drop just teflon as per the instructions.


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## RealLivePlumber (Jun 22, 2008)

WrenchMonkey said:


> not a drop just teflon as per the instructions.


!!!


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

WrenchMonkey said:


> not a drop just teflon as per the instructions.


Just checking...:whistling2:


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## justin (May 14, 2010)

waldrop said:


> disconnect primer and use one of these code approved
> View attachment 6752


nice. i dont waste time with old fashioned primers. kill it. install trap gaurd and leave. i put them on every floor drain subject to evaporation. also , on new jobs it saves time and money. cause when i used copper lines under slab they would always get hit by friggin concrete goobs. now if they could just make a chrome painted plastic p-trap. plastic is way more cheaper than chrome. if there out there would someone please let me know


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

justin said:


> nice. i dont waste time with old fashioned primers. kill it. install trap gaurd and leave. i put them on every floor drain subject to evaporation. also , on new jobs it saves time and money. cause when i used copper lines under slab they would always get hit by friggin concrete goobs. now if they could just make a chrome painted plastic p-trap. plastic is way more cheaper than chrome. if there out there would someone please let me know


Yep go through life taking the fast and easy approach...:whistling2:
Every post you make I'm thinking less of your plumbing abilities and work ethic...
Whether it's thinking a rolled up condom makes a good trap seal, Setting a toilet flange below the finished floor, thinking a lack of a vent can stop the flow of water in an open pipe...

Or maybe it was just that intro post....

Good luck to ya kid...

Your gonna need it....:whistling2:


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## Rambo (Jul 10, 2010)

justin said:


> now if they could just make a chrome painted plastic p-trap. plastic is way more cheaper than chrome. if there out there would someone please let me know


 
they do i dont know who makes them but ive seen them before....and no they werent painted buy some chump....sold just like a bag trap but chrome painted


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## justin (May 14, 2010)

Redwood said:


> Yep go through life taking the fast and easy approach...:whistling2:
> Every post you make I'm thinking less of your plumbing abilities and work ethic...
> Whether it's thinking a rolled up condom makes a good trap seal, Setting a toilet flange below the finished floor, thinking a lack of a vent can stop the flow of water in an open pipe...
> 
> ...


i guess your work ethic is to waste the customers time and money . awesome work ethic. why make something more complicated than it is . its like this site is a bunch of insecure old farts. times have changed . you can waste time or you can make use of it. i choose to make use of it. in with new , out with old.bye bye old guy.


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## Optimus Primer (May 20, 2009)

justin said:


> i guess your work ethic is to waste the customers time and money . awesome work ethic. why make something more complicated than it is . its like this site is a bunch of insecure old farts. times have changed . you can waste time or you can make use of it. i choose to make use of it. in with new , out with old.bye bye old guy.


because someone uses a product that has been proven for years is considered bad work ethics? but using something that the chinese made up over night and probably doesnt have any approval letters on it makes you a top notch plumber?


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## Christina (Jul 14, 2009)

justin said:


> *I* guess your work ethic is to waste the customer*'*s time and money*_?* *_A*wesome work ethic. _(incomplete sentence)_ why make something more complicated than it is*_?* *_I*t*'*s like this site is _(full of, lacking, in need of)_ _*a bunch of insecure old farts*_. *_T*imes have changed*_*. *_Y*ou can waste time or you can make use of it. *_I* choose to make use of it. *_I*n with _the_ new*_*, out with _the_ old.*__B*ye-*B*ye old guy.


(singing voice)

:laughing: Stupid boy, you can't fence that in
Stupid boy, it's like holdin' back the wind...:laughing:

Or maybe stupidity just comes first nature!


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## justin (May 14, 2010)

Christina said:


> (singing voice)
> 
> :laughing: Stupid boy, you can't fence that in
> Stupid boy, it's like holdin' back the wind...:laughing:
> ...


what? south central ok. !!!!!!! christina, i thought you were smarter than that. you sound like a pretty smart girl. but tell me this. would you waste your time fixing a trap primer , not one time but twice, then go home and think about it. start a topic on it etc.etc.? or would you go to supply house and buy a code approved trap gaurd , install it , write a ticket, and offer a no fail warranty? why would you waste your time? tell me. maybe i am doing it all wrong. should i waste my time and gouge customers by trying to make something so simple so very very hard? no !!!!! i like this site except for the 5 or six people that pick away at everybodies topics that arent members. " a blocked vent wont slow a drain!!!!!" dude come on!!!!! it will !!!! sometimes!!! these people are the same ones that dont even stay on topic. 

oh well , its just funny to me that people actually find fault in trap gaurds. They Work!!!! its like i need to start rebuilding fluid masters , and cleaning off flappers. Replace Them!!! whats so hard about that. any business owner in there right mind would fire you or go broke trying to waste time on stuff like the trap primer issue. home owners want issues fixed. period!! as long as its code approved and fixed they are happy. waste two or three hours on a trap primer?? hurry up and fix it !!! :blink:


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## Titan Plumbing (Oct 8, 2009)

Why not use a tailpiece trap primer? Traditional trap primers have always confused me regarding the cross connection standpoint.

http://www.plumbest.com/template.php?go=product_detail&id=924476


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## Optimus Primer (May 20, 2009)

Choctaw said:


> Why not use a tailpiece trap primer? Traditional trap primers have always confused me regarding the cross connection standpoint.
> 
> http://www.plumbest.com/template.php?go=product_detail&id=924476


 
in houses we do. but in commercial you have to use what is speced.i wonder if it was plumbed right. your supposed to poiint the branch of the tee up and the use two 90's to come back down so trash wont get in there.


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Redwood said:


> Yep go through life taking the fast and easy approach...:whistling2:
> Every post you make I'm thinking less of your plumbing abilities and work ethic...
> Whether it's thinking a rolled up condom makes a good trap seal, Setting a toilet flange below the finished floor, thinking a lack of a vent can stop the flow of water in an open pipe...
> 
> ...





justin said:


> i guess your work ethic is to waste the customers time and money . awesome work ethic. why make something more complicated than it is . its like this site is a bunch of insecure old farts. times have changed . you can waste time or you can make use of it. i choose to make use of it. in with new , out with old.bye bye old guy.


Well Sonny...

If you haven't figured it out by now you probably never will...
But I knew it from day one that your Fast~N~Easy approach wasn't the route I wanted to take...:no:

In over 30 years of work it has yielded a steady supply of work, with a large number of repeat customers, and a lower than 1% callback rate including drain cleaning jobs...:whistling2:

You can call me an insecure old fart if you want but I consider the source and it makes me laugh...:laughing:

A two bit convict at age 17 that still hasn't learned the downfall of the Fast~N~Easy approach to life isn't the best course....

I myself have never wasted time rebuilding a Fluidmaster or cleaning off a flapper, but at the same time I would never consider it a waste of time to explore the reason why a vent sped up a drain or, why a trap primer didn't work properly as that is part of the job I was sent to do and I have the skill, knowledge, and ability to complete that task in a timely manner. There is a reason why a trap primer won't work or, a drain goes faster when you clear a vent which should be found and its all part of doing your job right.

If your business model is Fast~N~Easy with a lack of troubleshooting skills, covered up by hackity hack hack hack devices like the trap condom, thats fine it is what it is...

Just don't expect me to let you plumb at my house or, me to say you would be a good choice for hiring...:whistling2:

You are still stuck in that same easy way out mode of thinking that got you in trouble at age 17 and haven't moved on...:yes:


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## justin (May 14, 2010)

Redwood said:


> Well Sonny...
> 
> If you haven't figured it out by now you probably never will...
> But I knew it from day one that your Fast~N~Easy approach wasn't the route I wanted to take...:no:
> ...


we are both acting like 17 year olds. well, thats what my wife said, chuckling at me. nevermind you can call me fast and easy if u like. and i think my customers like it fast and easy, not slow and dragged out,,,,yada yada yada yada. i would like to befriend you ,as u seem like you are packed full of knowledge, and exploitation. thank u for reminding me of the convict i am :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:. thanks. that was uncalled for. any ways thank you for picking apart everyones posts. S.O.S!!! stuck on stupid. im sure that you are the one that the administrator sent an email to because of the negative behavior. oh well , i am off to save the day. i am going to scrape some crust off of a flapper cause maybe i can get another week out of it.:laughing::laughing:


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## Christina (Jul 14, 2009)

justin said:


> thank u for reminding me of the convict i am :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:. thanks. that was uncalled for


As was your statement of *"it's like this site is a bunch of insecure old farts*." That is why I made my statement of 



Christina said:


> (singing voice)
> 
> :laughing: Stupid boy, you can't fence that in
> Stupid boy, it's like holdin' back the wind...:laughing:
> ...


I could see this all coming... :laughing:


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## Don The Plumber (Feb 14, 2010)

Geeees! Have all you old farts forgotten already, or your brains maybe have gone numb, but don't you remember................ you knew it all at 17yrs old too:yes:.


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## Christina (Jul 14, 2009)

Don The Plumber said:


> Geeees! Have all you old farts forgotten already, or your brains maybe have gone numb, but don't you remember................ you knew it all at 17yrs old too:yes:.


"What you talk'n bout Willis?" I am 30 and female... I still know it all! :jester: J/K


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## Christina (Jul 14, 2009)

justin said:


> would you waste your time fixing a trap primer , not one time but twice, then go home and think about it. start a topic on it etc.etc.?


There are customers out there that want things repaired. There are customers out there that want things replaced. There are the customers out there that you have to tell them- there is not repairing it, we have to replace it. Each customer and job is different and should be treated as such.



justin said:


> or would you go to supply house and buy a code approved trap gaurd , install it , write a ticket, and offer a no fail warranty?


It all depends on the situation, maybe not on a trap primer, but on repair in general. If I am called to an elderly woman's house who's fluidmaster is full of sediment and not working, I am likely going to kill the water, replace the top piece of the fluidmaster, charge her the minimal service call and go on to the next job. If it is some grumpy old man that wants me to fix what he has, I am going to do all I can to get the thing up and running- and possibly tell him he just needs a new one. Now, don't get me wrong, in most situations I will tell them they are better off just to replace it. But if the customer is insistant on what they want done- the customer is always right...:laughing:! 



justin said:


> i like this site except for the 5 or six people that pick away at everybodies topics that arent members. "


You will come to learn that a lot of these guys aren't just insecure old men that like to nit-pick at everything. You will start to look back at posts and see that 'figuratively speaking' they are all fatherly. If they see something that doesn't seem right- they say how they feel about a situation. And just like my dad, if I argued, they tend to come back a little stronger. Having too much 'youthful' pride on here tends to get your nose bitten. Being stubborn and hardheaded, not agreeing to disagree makes people flock to your posts to pick away, atleast for what I have seen. Slow down and listen to some of these "insecure old farts" they are full of wisdom. :yes:


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## GREENPLUM (Jul 27, 2008)

Christina said:


> There are customers out there that want things repaired. There are customers out there that want things replaced. There are the customers out there that you have to tell them- there is not repairing it, we have to replace it. Each customer and job is different and should be treated as such.
> 
> 
> It all depends on the situation, maybe not on a trap primer, but on repair in general. If I am called to an elderly woman's house who's fluidmaster is full of sediment and not working, I am likely going to kill the water, replace the top piece of the fluidmaster, charge her the minimal service call and go on to the next job. If it is some grumpy old man that wants me to fix what he has, I am going to do all I can to get the thing up and running- and possibly tell him he just needs a new one. Now, don't get me wrong, in most situations I will tell them they are better off just to replace it. But if the customer is insistant on what they want done- the customer is always right...:laughing:!
> ...


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## Christina (Jul 14, 2009)

GREENPLUM said:


> YouTube- Broadcast Yourself.


And Justin, some of them have wisdom overload and this is what they do with it... :laughing:


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## user4 (Jun 12, 2008)

justin said:


> i guess your work ethic is to waste the customers time and money . awesome work ethic. why make something more complicated than it is . its like this site is a bunch of insecure old farts. times have changed . you can waste time or you can make use of it. i choose to make use of it. in with new , out with old.bye bye old guy.


Now this is funny.


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## Titan Plumbing (Oct 8, 2009)

If I'm as old as Christina thinks I am, then I don't think I should be trying that "lighting" thing out....might burn a couple of things.


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

justin said:


> i guess your work ethic is to waste the customers time and money . awesome work ethic. why make something more complicated than it is . its like this site is a bunch of insecure old farts. times have changed . you can waste time or you can make use of it. i choose to make use of it. in with new , out with old.bye bye old guy.





Killertoiletspider said:


> Now this is funny.


:laughing:
Somebody might get a signature out of this guy yet...
:laughing:


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

I cant believe I read the whole thread and dont remember what it was all about 

It was all over the place :blink:


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

OldSchool said:


> I cant believe I read the whole thread and dont remember what it was all about
> 
> It was all over the place :blink:


Basically We started talking about a trap primer then the conversation shifted to hack plumbing...:whistling2:


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## Titan Plumbing (Oct 8, 2009)

OldSchool said:


> I cant believe I read the whole thread and dont remember what it was all about
> 
> It was all over the place :blink:


Age will do that to ya...........


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

OldSchool said:


> I cant believe I read the whole thread and dont remember what it was all about
> 
> It was all over the place :blink:


We know Old School We Know...

Take it easy and try to remember....

http://www.plumbingzone.com/f13/just-ask-redwood-9391/index2/#post124561
:laughing:


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

I think I am getting Al... Z.... HIMERS


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## WrenchMonkey (Feb 24, 2010)

Well I just got back from some time off and decided to see if there was any new ideas on this post I started. If I knew that a question about a trap primer was going to turn into this I probably would have just posted some funny cat videos or pictures. Look at this one doesn't it make you laugh.(Sarcasm) Now let's all just look at the picture and relax.:whistling2:


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