U Bend If You Want Too.

[Cheesey69]

Hi. 
so while cleaning Autumns shower room, I noticed serious corrosion around the plug hole connection into the plastic u bend. 
Time to change it. 
Easy job. Unscrew retaining nut, undo plastic connection to u bend, push up plug hole. 
Nope. Years of corrosion made the nut fall apart and someone in their wisdom had glued the plastic hand nut to the metal threads. 
Anyway the question is, why do I need a u bend when the sink empties straight out?

Tradition?

it would make winterisation a little easier. 
Thoughts oh hive mind. 

[kpnut]

My basins and kitchen sink don’t have u bends and they aren’t half draughty in the winter. I keep the plugs in!

[grendel]

I can only think its to catch small objects that are accidentally dropped.

[Vaughan]

1 hour ago, Cheesey69 said:

Anyway the question is, why do I need a u bend when the sink empties straight out?

Quite right. No need for it.

When the builders bought the sink unit for the galley, in those days, it probably came with a drain fitting, so they fitted it!

[kpnut]

1 hour ago, grendel said:

I can only think its to catch small objects that are accidentally dropped.

Yes, Grendel. I did curse when I was fitting a new plug and the little metal thing that goes into the holes in the plug fell out down the plug hole - twice I had to buy new plugs, all of 50p each in the diy shop in Stalham. 

[Smoggy]

Mine is straight out the side, I wouldn't change it.

[BroadAmbition]

Ours for the shower, two fwd sinks and the galley sink all are straight through with no 'U' bends or traps as all they are primarily for is to stop drain smells coming back at yer.  On boats we have fresh clean Norfolk/Suffolk air coming back at yer

Plus less restrictions  and bends means a faster out flow

Griff

[Meantime]

Both sinks in the heads on my boat go straight through the bottom of the boat, so effectively there is a water trap, it's called the river. The Kitchen sink on the other hand goes straight out the side of the boat without any water trap. Apart from keeping draughts out or stopping flying insects from finding a way in I don't really see the point of a u bend.

[socrates]

Had this conversation with BroadAmbition a few months back. Personally, I would rather have a bend to prevent draughts and catch small objects such as the stone from my wife's engagement ring. However, our new shower room basin doesn't have a bend - thanks to the person who recently tiled the bathroom and changed the position of the basin. When it is finished, the new shower room will look good.

[PCL023]

The sink in the heads on our boat has no u bend, however after springing a leak on a fresh water connector today, (why is it that every job no matter how simple it should normally be, ends up being a right pain on a boat?), the failed connector was well hidden away, so a large amount of the galley units had to be removed. While repairing with my head in the under the sink cupboard what was left of it, I noticed we have a u bend kit that’s at one time been installed to the galley sink.

As the boat sometimes gets left for a while, I can imagine whatever is left in the U bend will not be in its first bloom of health when we return. For now will make sure to flush it well through each time we leave and arrive as I thought it was straight through, I would prefer this to be straight out, so another little job for the end of the year. (Bet it’s not as simple as it should be 🤔🤪).

Kind regards 

Paul 

[ExSurveyor]

My sink waste has no trap, one cabin basin has and one hasn't. To be honest there is no difference between the two as far as smell and flow are concerned.

The only reason for a trap domestically is to prevent smells from the sewer.

I do wonder if smell would be more of a problem in a marina where they is less change of water as compared to a river mooring.