Plumbing vents can go completely unnoticed by homeowners. They’re behind walls and rarely have issues.
Do you know how important plumbing vents are to your house? Or what could happen if your plumbing vent gets clogged?
This blog explains everything you need to know about your plumbing vent. You can also learn more by watching this video:
The attic is where most vent pipes go out. The vent pipe is tied to your sewer system down below.
What your plumbing vent does is help sewer gas go out through the roof. It also lets the atmospheric pressure in your plumbing system remain the same so your p traps don’t go dry. As long as you have water in your p traps, it keeps you from getting the sewer gas smell inside your sink or through your toilet.
Have you ever had problems with a sewer smell in your house? It may be because your plumbing vent is clogged up. We’ve even seen houses where a plumbing vent never got installed.
With the plumbing vent open at the top and a p trap full of water, the pressure is the same on both sides. This keeps the p trap from sucking itself dry, keeping the sewer smell going out the roof and the water going to your drain pipe.
The vent is actually tied to the drain. This helps make sure your drain pipe drains properly and does not create an s trap. An s trap will make the p trap dry, keeping the sewer smell inside the house.
One thing to remember is, if you have a sewer smell in your house, you may want to check out your vent system. You may also want to do a smoke test in your house to make sure there’s not a leak in your sewer vent system.
If you have a plumbing leak inside your wall, you will get that sewer gas smell inside your house. That’s not a smell you want.