Why are kitchen sink drain pipes built that way?

[SpellforceFan]

I'm trying to fix up the shack in bumfuck nowhere I got, and there's a plumbing design choice that completely confounds me.

Photo taken from google, but it's the same everywhere - it's all held by compression fittings. The marked piece of drain pipe is just a straight PVC pipe with no flange or anything, that's held on both ends by rubber gaskets and plastic nuts. Even if you tighten the nuts really hard, all it takes is a couple of impacts or a sharp tug for the whole thing to come apart. I get that it makes it easy to adjust and replace, but why not at least add a lip to each of the drain pipe's ends, so a pull can't disconnect it without unscrewing the nuts? I'm storing a lot of shit under the sink, bottles of cleaning supplies and stuff, so each time I take it out and store it, it inevitably hits the drain, which I imagine in time might cause it to dislodge.

Adding a bit of a plastic obtrusion to the pipes to secure them better seems like such an obvious idea that it must have an equally obvious and disqualifying disadvantage that I'm too smooth brained to notice.

 

[We Are The Witches]

Like this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HShgE_8E1pQ&t=44s

 

[Shig O'nella]

Even if you tighten the nuts really hard, all it takes is a couple of impacts or a sharp tug for the whole thing to come apart.

You've never tried to take one apart, have you?
Even push fit fittings grip like a bastard.

 

[SpellforceFan]

You've never tried to take one apart, have you?
Even push fit fittings grip like a bastard.

I did, actually. Did two tests out of curiosity, one just yanking it out (didn't come apart at first, but then I dumped some boiling water down the drain to simulate draining pasta, and after that it came loose after a yank) and the other by wiggling it back and forth to simulate it being bumped by bottles of detergent (didn't completely come loose, but was noticeably looser than before I started).

Maybe you haven't tried pulling it with force.

Like this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HShgE_8E1pQ&t=44s

More or less, but it still has the lip on only one end of the pipe. I have pipes like that, but the thing is I'd like the lip be on both ends. It's like the plumbing R&D is halfway there. I could probably try heating and stretching the pipe on one end to form something like a lip, but I'm still worried that for an obvious solution like that it has to have a flaw that might bite me in the ass later.

 

[Baraka Obama]

It's meant to be easy to take apart if you drop something in there to clean it out, such as a chop stick or your wedding ring.

 

[McMitch]

The pipes are cut to size from a longer piece of pipe, so they naturally wouldn’t have a lip for things to grab on. Sounds like you need to change the screw caps or the o-rings.

 

[SpellforceFan]

It's meant to be easy to take apart if you drop something in there to clean it out, such as a chop stick or your wedding ring.

Well yeah, but you'd still have to unscrew both plastic nuts on the siphon to get to it in both cases.

The pipes are cut to size from a longer piece of pipe, so they naturally wouldn’t have a lip for things to grab on. Sounds like you need to change the screw caps or the o-rings.

Thought about that too, but the ends can be heat-molded to create a lip, and for the horizontal pipes, you only have 3-4 most popular configurations, so there should be some premade ones.

 

[Moths]

apply more pvc glue and plumbing tape until problem no longer persists

 

[SpellforceFan]

apply more pvc glue and plumbing tape until problem no longer persists

That's the Final Solution to Kitchen Drain Problem, and I'm not ready to use it yet.

 

[Hamstirer]

It should have a rubber or plastic wedge shaped washer that grabs the pipe as you tighten the nut.

 

[Alex Hogendorp]

In case you stick your dick in there and accidentally press the compost button.

 

[SpellforceFan]

It should have a rubber or plastic wedge shaped washer that grabs the pipe as you tighten the nut.

As I've said at the start, it's there but it doesn't seem like the grip would be enough for a proper, strong connection.

Anyway, I figured out a potential flaw - with the lip on both ends, the plastic nuts can't be replaced individually if they break without replacing the entire thing. I think I'll go with a configuration where the lip is at waste water "intake" part, and PVC glue next to elbows, T- and Y- pieces.

 

[stares at error messages]

That length is so it can give you space to open the trap U bend. I think it's also supposed to act like a syphon to prevent back-up. I don't know how practical it is because it makes it more difficult to get a bucket under the pipe. But then again in the united states of poverty you are supposed to have stupid stuff that doesn't work right and never gets fixed or change; it's called De-growth.

 

[Hamstirer]

As I've said at the start, it's there but it doesn't seem like the grip would be enough for a proper, strong connection.

Yes, but is it a new washer or a old busted one? New rubber ones have some wiggle to them but it they seem to do a fine job every time Ive used them. The plastic ones seem to bite on harder. Overall it's a tube that gets like 8oz of water through it at max flow, so it will never have the force of you yanking on it.

Anyway, I figured out a potential flaw - with the lip on both ends, the plastic nuts can't be replaced individually if they break without replacing the entire thing. I think I'll go with a configuration where the lip is at waste water "intake" part, and PVC glue next to elbows, T- and Y- pieces.

They do make a lot of different styles, it took me 5 trips to Lowe's to get the proper shit I needed to connect my kitchen double sink to my drain properly. Go to nearest store with a good return policy, buy every style of drain pipe they have , then go home and figure out what you actually need. Slice packages open gently on back with a razor knife so you can tape it back up when it's wrong. My rule is that it takes at least 3 trips and $100 to connect any type of plumbing. I built my own house and so far I haven't been wrong on that rule yet.

 

[Hamstirer]

Also, if you are doing any amount of new water line running, buy a PEX crimper and run PEX. It is the easiest thing you will ever run, bends extremely well if you have a little room, gives no fucks about freezing, and fittings come in bulk packs that aren't that expensive. Much easier and faster than PVC and copper is retarded. The pinch type stainless clamps are the ones most people use now.

 

[Prokhor Zakharov]

which I imagine in time might cause it to dislodge.

I've actually had this happen at my parents place. Someone shoved something under the sink hard enough to cause this to happen, and when it knocked loose it also managed to trash the thread at the same time. Of course, no one was aware of this until my mother tried to use the sink and water started pouring out onto the kitchen floor. So I tried to fix the damn thing and it was obvious right away that the threads were damaged. It was so fucking annoying. I have no idea why they make them this way, other than to create more business for plumbers.

 

[Iron Jaguar]

They're designed this way so that both plumbers and ordinary homeowners can quickly and easily undo them without requiring tools, in a confined space. You can disassemble that section of plumbing by hand, and also reassemble it by hand.

 

[Hamstirer]

ve actually had this happen at my parents place. Someone shoved something under the sink hard enough to cause this to happen

Were you the someone, or something?

 

[Prokhor Zakharov]

Were you the someone, or something?

Nope. I was just the one that had to deal with the "There is water everywhere!!!" call at 8 PM.

 

[SpellforceFan]

I have no idea why they make them this way, other than to create more business for plumbers.

That's most likely the case.