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If you work with clay a lot, you should use a sink trap.
This collects the clay that you put down the drain, preventing it from clogging your pipes.
You can make one yourself from common parts.
We have adjusted the sink trap this one to meet our needs.
We did not have a water source in the pottery studio.
So instead of hooking up to the water and septic system that was there we adjusted the idea so that none of the water or clay went into any existing pipes.
We set up a waste can with an outdoor water spicket using a 4 foot hose with a garden sprayer on the end.


Materials You Need:

1 deep utility sink with legs
1 seven gallon plastic waste cans. (with lids)
2 old kiln posts
1 four gallon plastic waste can
1 1/2 inch PVC drain pipe
1 inch flexible drain pipe
ABS nuts and fittings
water proof silicone
X-acto knife

With the X-acto knife cut a hole just under the ridges on one of the larger cans big enough to fit the drain pipe.
Our drain pipe is than routed through an outside wall of the studio and into a 3 inch PVC pipe routed away from the studio.

Place the two old kiln posts inside the larger bucket.
Place the smaller bucket in the larger bucket on the posts.



Attach the drain pipe onto the sink long enough to reach 3/4 of the way into the smaller can.
Seal around all joining pieces with silcone and let dry for 24 hours before using.

The water and clay is emptied into the smaller can. The clay will settle to the bottom of the can and the clearer water will spill over into the larger can. Eventually the large can will fill enough to empty into the drain line leading out of the building.



The trap should be emptied periodically and the materials it contains may be discarded or recycled."


You don't NEED to put clay down your sink.
Many studios do not use running water at all.
I always rinse things off in a bucket of water, not under running water.
That water, plus all my throwing water, gets added to my bucket of clay being recycled.

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