Clay Trap Installation: The 3 Questions We Get Most

A clay trap only works if it's plumbed right. And most installation questions we field come down to three things: where to put your drain, which part is which, and whether it'll fit under your sink.

Here's what studio owners ask us most.

Where do I rough-in my wall drain?

Center your drain pipe between 11-3/4" and 14-3/4" from the floor.

The tailpiece has a sliding gasket that adjusts across a 3" span so you have room to work with. If you're building out a new studio sink wall, anywhere in that window will connect cleanly.

One note: the 458mm dimension shown in section 5.2 of the TA 85 manual refers to the tank's own outlet. It's not your wall rough-in height. Use the range above instead.

I'm missing the long pipe from the illustration.

The illustration is misleading here, and it's a fair thing to get stuck on.

The piece with the flexible hose and the stepped opening at one end is the J-shaped pipe in the diagram — parts 4, 5, and 6 on the table. It doesn't look like a long rigid pipe in the box, but it's the same component.

Will it fit under my sink?

The trap stands 20.7" tall on its wheels. Minimum clearance to connect it is 21.75".

So if you're running a 36" countertop with a 13" drop-in laundry tub, you've got 23" to work with, plenty! The inlet uses a swivel fitting that threads onto your sink's outlet, and most of the clay trap pipe sits inside the chamber, with the open end near the bottom. That's by design: the chamber fills from the bottom up, so solids settle instead of swirling.

Fair warning at that height — you'll have enough clearance for the parts, but not much room to get your hands between the lid and the underside of the tub. If you have flexibility in your sink choice, an extra inch or two makes servicing easier.

A note on fittings

Plumbing standards vary state to state. There's no single fitting set that works everywhere, so depending on your setup you may need a rubber connector or two from your local hardware store. It's worth picking up before install day rather than mid-project!

Still stuck? Send us a photo of your setup. We'd rather answer a question than have you guess! You can reach us at hello@rohde-kilns.com.