Roof Breather Pipe

When the vent pipe is clogged it shows up within your home in a variety of ways from ghost flushing from your toilet to a sink that won t drain properly.

Roof breather pipe.

The typical vent system consists of a network of pipes that connect to every drain p trap and extend via a main stack that pokes through the roof just above the main bathroom. A drainpipe attached to the p trap goes into an opening in the wall. The vent system those plumbing pipes that stick out of your roof may be clogged instead. In many an older home this drain pipe is perhaps 4 inches in diameter and stays that size all the way through the roof.

A full sized vent is a primary vent where the drain line transitions at some point and becomes the vent pipe that exits the roof. It channels the exhaust gases to the vent and helps maintain proper atmospheric pressure in the waste system. Vent pipes penetrate all the way through the roof in several locations of the house and each one needs to be maintained to keep water out. Standard aluminum vent portals plus insulation breathers and vents are used to prevent moisture vapor from becoming trapped in the roof system equalizing air pressure reducing the risks of ballooning blow off deteriorating insulation and separating deck seams.

This old house general contractor tom silva shows how to create a watertight seal around a vent pipe. It is a vertical pipe attached to a drain line and runs through the roof of your home. Vent pipe leaks during heavy rain can occur if you have cracks in your vent pipe boot or flashing. Upc i 906 1 and 906 2.

Vent pipes should extend to outdoors above the building roof and should terminate vertically not less than 6 above the roof surface nor more than 24 and must be at least 12 from any vertical surface such as a nearby sidewall. In most cases the vent pipe exits through the roof. Above the roof plumbing vent height. Venting is critical to the operation of a residential or commercial plumbing system.

Through the stack sewer gases are carried up to the roof through vent lines. You will need a ladder to access the roof. Why plumbing air vents are important. Behind the wall where you can t see a vent line and drainpipe lead to a soil stack which is the control center of the wastewater system.

See below for a shopping list and tools subscribe to. Other vent pipes that are smaller may connect to this full sized vent and that s perfectly fine. Look for a black pipe that is about three inches in diameter made of cast iron or pvc.