Cristina Gassier on tue 22 feb 00
I was flabergasted by the popular demand for this article. Unfortunately, I
don't have a scanner, or I would put it up on the internet. I can't possibly
respond individually to everyone out there. This is getting $$$$ (I live in
France). So here's the next best thing. The article itself is just a couple
of paragraphs and a drawing.
the materials you'll need:
- a 5 gallon plastic bucket with lid (available from restaurants, etc...)
- a 2 1/2 gallon plastic bucket with lid
- large mesh screen cut in a circle with a diameter of the 2 1/2 gallon
bucket
- 2 old kiln posts
- a 1 1/2" metal drain pipe 6 to 8 inches long
- an A.B.S. plastic "P" trap with an ABS elbow attached to either side
- ABS nuts and fittings
- joint compound
- pipe tape
- X-acto knife
- ABS pipe cement
Take the smaller bucket and drill three rows of 1/2" holes right under the
last set of ridges at the top of the bucket. Place the two old kiln posts
inside the larger bucket. Place the smaller bucket in the larger bucket.
Cut holes in both bucket lids, using an X-acto knife. Make the diameter of
these openings slightly smaller that the 1 1/2" metal drain pipe. Force the
drain pipe through the big bucket lid, then the smaller bucket lid.
Attach the large mesh screen to the drain pipe an inch or two shy of the
bottom of the pipe (Ric Swenson doesn't say how). The smaller bucket lid is
now between the large bucket lid and the mesh screen.
Place the "P" trap and its 2 elbows on the pipe that joins the sewer line.
The nut that joins the "P" trap and the elbow that will feed into the large
bucket GETS NO CEMENT. It will become one of two disassembly nuts. The other
disassembly nut is the nut that joins the metal pipe to the sink.
Cut a hole in the side of the large bucket at the height of the three rows of
holes in the smaller bucket. Using an Xacto knife, make the hole slightly
smaller than the elbow pipe coming from the "P" trap, which is forced through
the hole. Use flexible joint compound to seal an ABS nut on the inside of
the large bucket and tighten it on its fitting on the outside of the bucket.
Use the compound to seal on both sides of the bucket walls. Disassemble the
large bucket from the "P" trap using the nut that joins the "P" trap to its
inside elbow.
Now place the 1 1/2" pipe on the two buckets making sure that the mesh screen
falls well below the three rows of holes in the smaller bucket. Attach the
lids to each bucket. Fit the trap under the sink by attaching the top of the
metal pipe to the sink (you can use pipe tape to seal -- do not use cement)
and reattaching the elbow to the "P" trap. Apply ABS pipe cement to all
permanent connections.
"Check to see that the exit speed of water through the trap will exceed the
volume produced by the tap(s), and that pipe placement and diameter are
sufficient to accept an exit flow from a sink full of water."
"Finally, leave space between the bottom of the sink and the top of the
bucket sufficient for a pipe wrench to fit. The trap should be emptied
periodically, and the materials it contains may be discarded or recycled."
Now, you're are surely asking what does the bucket sit on, since it's too
short to reach the floor. Ric Swenson's solution was to use a system of
plywood shelves. I just used cement blocks and bricks to adjust the bucket's
height to the ABS pipe. Good Luck!!! It really is easy to make.
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