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Keep water seal in your floor drains from drying out with a thin layer of cooking oil. It'll keep foul odors out of your house.
Fill the P-trap with water. Then pour a thin layer of cooking oil onto the water to keep the water from evaporating.
Under every drain in your house, there's a trap that holds water and prevents sewer gas from flowing up into the air you breathe. But if you have a shower that's been abandoned since the kids moved out or a floor drain that never gets used, the water in the trap can eventually evaporate. That lets in stinky—or even dangerous—sewer gases. The solution is a few ounces of cooking oil. Dump a bucket of water down the drain to refill the trap. Then add the oil. The floating oil forms a seal over the water and prevents evaporation—without raising your cholesterol.
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March 16, 6:15 PM [GMT -5]
As a senior plumbing designer, I can tell you this idea is against all plumbing codes. The traps do dry out, so just pour in water. There is a new product out called "Trap Guard" as made by Proset. You remove the grid strainer, than place it in the tailpiece. It allows water to pass through, than closes up to prevent sewer gases from escaping. They last 10 years and cost just a few greenbacks. Fearless
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