As water is used in various fixtures in a home, the purpose of drain plumbing is to discharge it as waste water, also called bad or white water. What comes in must go out. There are certain basic elements to a properly functioning drain-waste-vent system. Certain rules of thumb need to be kept in mind while installing or repairing these systems.

Water enters through a system of supply lines, under pressure. For this reason it will flow evenly throughout the system, even up hill. This same water exits the home as waste, by means of gravity. It will not flow uphill. For this reason all lines must have a pitch, or slope, angle at which it will easily flow. As a general rule there should be a drop of 1/4 in (3.175 cm) per foot (30.78 cm).

These pipes should be large enough to allow water to flow easily without the pipe clogging. As a rule none of these pipes should be less than half the diameter of the fixture, or 1.25 to 2 inches (3.175 to 5.08 cm). For showers they should be a minimum of 2 inches (5.08 cm). When connected to a toilet they should be 4 inches (10.16 cm) in diameter.

These lines are made of several possible materials. Today ABS plastic, cast iron, or copper are common. Some older homes still use lead.

While these lines must allow water to exit freely, they must also prevent sewer gas from rising through them, into the house. This is done by means of a trap. The trap is a curved section where in a small amount of water will accumulate and gravity will prevent its escape. In looking underneath the bathroom sink such a trap will be noticed. If the line exits into the wall a P trap will be seen, if it goes down into the floor a S trap will be evident.

This water in the trap will seal the line, preventing gas from passing through. As additional water is run through the fixture it will replace this water leaving the same amount again in the end. If a fixture is not used for an extended time this water will evaporate out allowing gas to rise into the home.

The next element which makes the whole system function properly is the vent. Every fixture line should have a vent attached to it, leading directly, or through a stack, to the outside, usually through the roof. This vent serves several purposes. First it serves to exhaust gases from the home. Second it allows oxygen to enter the system for aerobic sewage digestion, and to minimize slime buildup and corrosion.

Thirdly, it normalizes the internal air pressure of the system with the outside or ambient air pressure. As a column of water passes through the pipe air must be allowed to enter behind it. Otherwise water in the traps will be siphoned out allowing gas to enter the home. Without a vent the pressure in the drain plumbing could also build to the point where the water in the traps would be forced up and out of the drain, again allowing gas and sewage to enter the home.

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