Plumbing Vent: What It Is, How It Works & Why You Need One
During a typical day at your home, you use between 80-100 gallons of water to wash dishes, do laundry, water your lawn, and of course for cooking and drinking. While you may think it is only your home’s pipes that are important in helping you have the water you need, a plumbing vent also keeps everything flowing smoothly. What is a plumbing vent and how does it work? Here’s all you need to know.
What is a Plumbing Vent?
Unlike your drain pipes, a plumbing vent never carries water. Instead, it is responsible for regulating the amount of air within your plumbing system. By regulating the airflow through your pipes, the plumbing vent works to keep the water and waste that flows through pipes doing so at a proper pace, ultimately making sure everything drains out of your home.
If you did not have a vent pipe, the result would be a vacuum within your plumbing system, meaning you would have very slow drainage or no drainage at all.
How Does a Plumbing Vent Work?
While you now know that plumbing vents work to regulate the air inside your plumbing system and keep water and waste moving along at a normal pace so that they drain properly from your home, the vent pipe also serves some other important functions.
When regulating the air, the vent also allows oxygen into your home’s waste pipes. By doing so, bacteria can break down within the sewage, which is always a good thing.
The vent also maintains equal air pressure on both sides of a trap, which is key to keeping a small amount of water inside the trap. If the air pressure gets out of balance, the water then gets sucked out toward the part of the pipe that has the lower amount of pressure.
Why is a Plumbing Vent Necessary and What are its Benefits?
As you now know, a plumbing vent is necessary to ensure everything flows through your pipes as it should. It is important to remember that your home’s drain pipes can only work well when your plumbing vent is also working. If you have water or waste that is not draining properly from your home, you may need our hydro-jetting services to get things flowing freely once again.
The vent pipe provides two major benefits to your plumbing system:
- First, it prevents vacuums from forming that can slow drains or bring a complete halt to drainage of water and waste.
- Second, your vent pipe also removes sewer gases that not only smell terrible, but can also be dangerous to you and your home. Believe it or not, it is common for sewer gases to flow from your sewer system into your home.
To ensure these gases are set free, your plumbing vent is always installed on your home’s roof, in an area that is away from windows or your air conditioning. If it were not, it would be too easy for sewer gases to re-enter your home.
Types of Plumbing Vents
Anytime we install a new plumbing fixture, our Boss Plumbing plumbers need to make sure it is properly vented. When doing so, different types of plumbing vents may be used. Here are some of the most common types, as well as where they are usually installed.
True Vent
The most common type of plumbing vent, the true vent is a vertical pipe that is attached to your home’s drain line. It is vented from the roof, since no water runs through it.
Common Vent
This is used between two plumbing fixtures that are installed on opposite sides of a wall in your home, such as sinks that may be back-to-back. A common vent is connected to the stack via a sanitary cross.
Auxiliary Vent or Re-vent Pipe
When we need to use this type of plumbing vent, we attach it to the drain line or behind the plumbing fixture. To get to the roof, it runs up and over the main vent.
Air Admittance Valve (AAV)
The AAV usually vents for more than just one fixture. It differs from the other vents in that it is a valve that opens when wastewater drains. The purpose of the AAV is to allow air to enter, then use gravity to stop sewer gases from entering your home.
What are Common Issues with Plumbing Vents?
Like other parts of your home’s plumbing system, your plumbing vents may experience problems along the way. When they do, you will notice other problems as well. Some of the most common issues include:
Clogged or Blocked Vents
If your plumbing vents are clogged or blocked, this presents a number of problems. First, sewer gases can build up in your home. Along with smelling bad, sewer gas also contains methane, meaning the gas could ignite and cause a fire or explosion.
The vents could also be blocked by pests that could enter your home. In fact, it is not uncommon to find plumbing vents blocked by wasp nests. Once you suspect you have a clogged plumbing vent, get it inspected and repaired right away.
Improperly Installed Vent Pipes
When vent pipes are installed at a home, they must be done so according to very specific codes and regulations. If they are not, you can expect to experience a variety of problems.
Once you get a Boss Plumbing pro to your home, you may find you will need an extensive repair job on your plumbing vents and other areas of your plumbing system. Rather than face this scenario, always ensure your vents are installed by experienced and licensed plumbers.
Standing Water in Sinks and Tubs
When plumbing vents are blocked, not installed in the proper manner, or are in need of repair, you will start to notice standing water in sinks and tubs and possibly toilets that won’t flush properly.
Gurgling Sounds in Drains
Remember, your home’s plumbing vents are crucial to maintaining proper pressure within your pipes. When this is not happening, expect to start hearing gurgling sounds in various drains throughout your home.
While you may not think much of it at the time, it could be the start of something much bigger and more costly in terms of repairs. In fact, the longer you let your plumbing vents stay clogged and not able to function efficiently, the greater the chances you may need major sewer line repairs that could add up to thousands of dollars.
Sediment Buildup
Finally, when your home has a blocked plumbing vent, it can start a chain reaction of plumbing issues. When wastewater cannot properly drain out of pipes, it backs up and begins to create sediment buildups. Over time, the sediment will begin to eat away at pipes, meaning you may need your sewer line replaced if the sediment is allowed to build up long enough, which can often be the case with older sewer lines.
Don’t Let the Problem Get Worse
Since you now realize the importance of plumbing vents to your home’s plumbing system, don’t let a small problem get worse. Instead, get in touch with us here at Boss Plumbing to discuss your problem and schedule a plumbing repair call.
