PermaFLOW Never-Clog Drain, 2 Pack

Do they make a toilet version?

I installed this a year when Home Depot was selling at this same price for just 1 unit.
Works like a regular trap a far as sewer gas goes.
Keep in mind that this is made of clear plastic. In short time the inside turns black from mildew, bacteria, bio-gunk. Will need regular cleaning with baking soda and vineagar. Therein lies my problem with these p-traps. The first one I bought had to be returned because of a tinyest of crack in seam causing leaks. The 2nd one worked out better but a year later I’ve notice a micro-crack in plastic in the same spot as the first unit. If you like to fiddle around under sink not a big deal to switch out. Most of us detest plumbing work and potential for damages. I would stick with regular metal p-traps. These are not worth the hassles for me.
Good Luck.

If you must buy, know this…

  1. It WILL leak at the wheel. This application needs a magnetic seal.
  2. It will seal poorly at your plumbing end connections.
  3. You can’t snake your drain line without removing this device.
  4. The relatively wide, open design at the seal leg encourages sedimentation as your drain flow velocity is near zero near the scraper. Sedimentation means that you will be spinning the wheel more regularly.

I may have missed seeing this, but I’m not sure this is well-suited in kitchen areas where it may see boiling water temperatures.

My wife has long hair that regularly clogs her bathroom sink. A couple times a month, I just unscrew the two nuts on the trap and dump it into a bucket to clear it out. 30 seconds is all it takes.

It makes no sense to me to replace this with something that is clearly going to leak eventually.

Great tip.

A couple times per month?! Holy mackerel. I’d rather tell my wife a couple times per month to not put her hair down the drain.

I’d tell my wife to shave her head like I do. :wink:

This is a scam product. I’ve done plumbing for over 20 years and have never seen a stoppage in the p-trap itself. All the p-trap does is hold water to prevent sewer gas from coming through. A blockage will always be further down the line.

Small children will love this.

Absolutely my experience. I’m picturing trying to get a snake past this thing without breaking it.

Why does it need the spinner-thingy if it “Never-Clogs”?

Based upon the reviews, it sounds like this crapola belongs at the outlet mall in the “Sold on TV” store, not at Woot.

Why can’t I snake the drain? If you just move the flipper to the north point before you do it and you can see the snake pass - your comment doesn’t make sense?

I’m going to have to call your post inaccurate and therefore mostly fluff without any actual education on the item. Of course I could be as wrong in my assumptions as you were in yours … :slight_smile:

Looks like it’s legal in California.

I’m going to have to back the original poster on this one. If you have ever snaked a drain or have any idea of how it works, it is clear by looking at this that you won’t be able to get a snake through it.

Of course, the whole idea here is that you can break up the clogs with the little spinny wheel, so you shouldn’t have to (in theory) snake it anyway.

@Whitewind, sure, as long as you leave the “this material is derived from a petroleum product, may contain minuscule traces of lead, must be installed in an enclosure to prevent child exposure, and must not be used to supply potable water…” CA warning label intact.

CA = RON (Republic of Nanny)

I’ve cleaned my share of drains in my lifetime, and I can tell you in no uncertain terms that I don’t want a clear window to see that on a regular basis.

Even a drain that is functioning properly will be coated with grime - so this wouldn’t remain clear for very long. Then I would feel the need to clean it just because I can see it… adding more work than simply removing the trap if/when it ever has a clog.

Besides, in my experience most of the “clog” is typically hair stuck on the drain popup assembly, or it is further down the line where the horizontal waste pipe connects to the vertical main stack. Both of those conditions require the trap to be removed anyway, so aside from potentially seeing a misplaced ring in the bottom of trap I see no value in these.

I can just imagine what these would look like under a kitchen sink after a few years of grease, syrup, and all around nastiness being dumped down the drain. Nooooooope.

As someone who’s worked in plumbing in the past, this thing looks like a problem waiting to happen.

I think the design would lead to more clogs than a regular p-trap.

Ok, Am I the only one who say the thumbnail and thought that Woot was messing with us and selling the Jarvik artificial heart?

So, definitely not a plumber, but I have been messing around in sink pipes/traps/blowouts for mere survival for years. Every comment above mine that calls this thing out as silly and/or un-necessary is absolutely correct.

The trap is a simple design, but it is all you want at this point in the waste flow.

Sometimes people can’t resist the urge to “improve” simple, effective design. This would be akin to adding a waffle maker to a snow shovel.

“Wouldn’t it be great to be able to make a waffle while you shovel?”

I own it and it is installed in my laundry sink. I have snaked it since it’s easy to see the snake and with the valve in the horizontal position, it acts like any trap (i.e. the snake goes through the bottom and up into the horizontal toward your downpipe).

I didn’t get it because I expected it to unclog blockages. I got it so that I could see what is in the trap because it’s easy to drop things into a laundry sink. WIth this in place, I was able to quickly identify a couple of coins and retrieve them in minutes. In a few months, it will pay for itself. :wink:

Seriously, though, I have had no leaks although I rarely crank the valve. It has sealed fine and it is not black or obscured.

For a kitchen or often used bathroom sink, I might use a normal PVC met trap but I’ve liked the product so far (about 1 year installed).