Roof Breather Pipe

In many an older home this drain pipe is perhaps 4 inches in diameter and stays that size all the way through the roof.

Roof breather pipe. Why plumbing air vents are important. You will need a ladder to access the roof. Above the roof plumbing vent height. Drain pipes take the wastewater to the soil stack.

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. In most cases the vent pipe exits through the roof. This old house general contractor tom silva shows how to create a watertight seal around a vent pipe. Your vent pipe can become clogged from a variety of things.

Through the stack sewer gases are carried up to the roof through vent lines. Venting is critical to the operation of a residential or commercial plumbing system. The vent system those plumbing pipes that stick out of your roof may be clogged instead. 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.

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. It channels the exhaust gases to the vent and helps maintain proper atmospheric pressure in the waste system. Look for a black pipe that is about three inches in diameter made of cast iron or pvc. Vent pipe leaks during heavy rain can occur if you have cracks in your vent pipe boot or flashing.

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. The vent stack is the pipe leading to the main roof vent. 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. Other vent pipes that are smaller may connect to this full sized vent and that s perfectly fine.

A drainpipe attached to the p trap goes into an opening in the wall. 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. Upc i 906 1 and 906 2.