The plumbing system of our homes plays a vital role in ensuring the flow of freshwater, wastewater, and other systems run smoothly. Many homeowners take the plumbing system of their house for granted. All homes are also designed with plumbing vents which play a vital role in ensuring the bad smell and gases have a path to escape the house.
This is essentially a vertical pipe that usually goes through the roof and has nothing to do with the water flow. This article explains the importance of your home plumbing vents and is a must-read for those with the question like “Why does plumbing need a vent?”
Importance of plumbing vents
The plumbing vent is a major achievement and is something that is implemented in all houses for centuries. It has evolved a little over time however the concept remains the same.
Those wondering how plumbing vents work, a stack is designed to be placed downwards into the sewer line and also exposed to the air by jutting out of the roof.
No homeowner would want to experience what happens if you don’t vent plumbing? Listed here are the reasons why a vent is important:
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Ventilation is very important for any plumbing system and the vents do the job of fulfilling this.
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The special U or S bend design of the pipes in your sink is there for a good reason. As one would expect, water gets collected in these bends to ensure no wastewater backs up through the sink. The plumbing vents play a vital role in avoiding a siphon effect in the sink drainage and effectively prevent the bad odours from entering the house.
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A good, well-ventilated space prevents foul odour from entering the house, it plays a huge role in ensuring the water and sewage is drained in the right manner every time you flush or use the taps.
What is a special venting system?
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Circuit vents:
Apartments vents that have many fixtures often require a special system. A circuit vent is an ideal vent system since it can minimize the number of exit points necessary. A horizontal vent can be connected to eight fixtures and also be networked with multiple circuit vents. This type of system is ideal for large buildings.
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Chicago loop:
It is not uncommon for several buildings to have a custom configuration. In this case, a standard vent will not suffice. A good example of this is a drain in the kitchen island which introduces special complications for the draining system. A Chicago loop is the ideal venting system to be implemented in this case.
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Studor valve:
This is a good alternative to a standard vent however, it is not possible to use these values at all places due to the rules & regulations. The way this works is when the water drains from these pipes the values open allowing air to come in.
It also helps release the pressure buildup in the pipes. However, these are prone to getting stuck and wearing off easily.
Signs that your vents are blocked
There are several signs that suggest an issue with the venting system like water draining slowly, blocked drains, extremely bad smell in the drains, gurgling sound in the drains and stagnant water in the bathtub or sinks.
The best course of action in this case is to call the expert plumbers like a sewer plumber to help fix this issue. The professional plumbers have special equipment like CCTV drain cameras to get to the bottom of the problem and fix it.
