Today I gotta share how I finally figured out that “four holes” thing everyone talks about. Seriously went down a rabbit hole trying to make sense of it myself.
Where My Confusion Started
It all began when my bathroom sink clogged up something fierce. Water wouldn’t drain, just pooled there mocking me. Took a flashlight and peered into that dark abyss under the sink. Saw two pipes meeting at this weird Y-shaped thing with multiple openings. Had no clue what each hole did. Tried pouring boiling water down every one – made zero difference. Just steamed up the cabinet.
Getting My Hands Dirty
Got fed up and decided to disassemble it. Screwdriver in hand, turning those slippery plastic nuts:
- First pipe came loose – pure dirty water gushed out all over my socks
- Second pipe was bone dry when I cracked it
- That middle connector piece? Turned out it had four separate openings pointing different ways
Wiped the grime off the connector. Saw little arrows molded into the plastic. Noticed one hole had a threaded cap with a tiny hole drilled through it. Kept poking at it thinking “what fresh plumbing hell is this?”
The Lightbulb Moment
Spent an hour reassembling it wrong three times before I got it. Finally understood:
- First hole (straight down) – This is your main drain where water escapes. Never put a cap here.
- Second hole (angled sideways) – That’s for overflow protection. When your sink’s about to flood, backup water shoots out here.
- Third hole (the threaded one) – Holds an air admittance valve. Lets air in so water flows smooth without glugging noises.
- Fourth hole (facing the wall) – Pure access point for snake tools when you’ve got a clog disaster.
How This Changed My Life
Replaced that middle piece since the old one was cracked anyway. Now when my kid leaves Legos in the sink, I unscrew that access cap and poke a wire hanger right through it to clear gunk. No more flooding disasters at 2am. Funny how something so simple had me scratching my head for weeks. Moral is: just start taking stuff apart when you don’t understand it.
