Shifting into a brand new condominium at all times comes with surprises. And shifting right into a New York Metropolis condominium can open up a complete new world of prospects, from a bathe within the kitchen to a toilet virtually too small to slot in. However after I first moved into my Brooklyn one-bedroom, I didn’t discover any quirks till I went to take a bathe.
I turned on the tap, and after giving it a minute to heat up, I seen the bathtub was stuffed with water. No downside, I believed — simply open the valve. However after I couldn’t discover something that resembled the little steel change I used to be used to, I used to be perplexed. It wasn’t a toe-tap or a lift-and-twist drain, both, which I had utilized in different houses. I reasoned that the drain should be clogged, which was significantly disheartening after a day of shifting and a determined want for a bathe. Feeling misplaced, I texted my boyfriend, who is just not a plumber however normally has a good suggestion of what to do in difficult family conditions.
He replied with a voice memo advising me to take a bathroom plunger to the bathe drain and see if I may get the water shifting. After I did, the water degree didn’t decrease, however I did discover a movement of water coming from someplace virtually … exterior of the bathtub? I saved plunging with an ear out for the supply, till I lastly seen a brief, pipe-like steel protrusion within the ground proper subsequent to the bathtub. After which I spotted: That was the drain lever.
About six inches tall and notably not within the bathe, it hadn’t occurred to me that it may need something to do with the plumbing. However after I pulled the rounded high of the wand up, the trapped water all of a sudden swirled down into the drain. After a strenuous interstate transfer and a thriller solved, it was among the many most satisfying showers I’ve had.
However nonetheless, my curiosity wasn’t fairly glad. What was this drain pipe contraption that I’d by no means seen earlier than? I knew I needed to seek the advice of an knowledgeable to search out out extra.
“It’s an exterior drainpipe for a tub,” says Courtney Harmon, president of bluefrog Plumbing + Drain. The reply is so easy I’ve to chuckle — I virtually anticipated some mystical title. Additionally known as a standing waste or barrel waste drain, the way in which it really works is intuitive, too. “Water from the bath flows into the uncovered drain on the base of the bathtub, then down by the exterior drainpipe, which carries it to the ground drain or immediately into the drainage system of the constructing,” Harmon explains, including that “this method makes use of gravity to help within the water movement away from the bathtub.”
So why had I by no means seen this characteristic earlier than? For one, they’re extra generally seen in older houses. “Any such drain will be present in a wide range of buildings, however it could signify an older development the place plumbing was retrofitted,” Harmon says. “It may be simpler to put in in sure environments the place inner plumbing is just not possible or could be too invasive to put in.” On condition that my pre-war condominium constructing was constructed within the early Thirties, based on the itemizing particulars, it is sensible {that a} classic characteristic like this could find yourself in my lavatory.
These drains don’t solely seem for utilitarian functions, although. Harmon says some individuals go for exterior tub drains to make a method assertion. “It may be a design selection for a novel, industrial, or classic aesthetic,” she says. “It’s much less frequent in trendy, normal development as a result of desire for hid plumbing.”
Though standing bathtub wastes make for straightforward upkeep (for the reason that pipe is quickly accessible), they’re not with out their drawbacks. They’re extra susceptible to break, Harmon explains, as they’re uncovered. And, she says, they’re unpleasant to some individuals — particularly those that favor trendy design. To me, although, they’re good.
Supply: House Remedy
