My Stinks Pipe On The Roof Is Not Covered

Working up on the roof can be a dangerous task to say the least.

My stinks pipe on the roof is not covered.

A vent stack extends upward from the roof of every building that has waste plumbing. The function of this 2 or 3 inch pipe is to admit air into the drainage system and when it gets blocked the. It looks like the top of the pipe may have previously had a cover based on some decay uneven edges around the pipe. You won t be sorry.

Just as drain pipes remove water and waste from your home the plumbing vent pipe also known as a plumbing air vent removes gas and odors it also allows fresh air into the plumbing system to help water flow smoothly through the drain pipes however no water. The plumbing vent also known as a vent stack helps regulate the air pressure in your plumbing system. What is a plumbing vent. Generally keeping your roof clear can help you avoid issues with your roof vents.

One of the main jobs of vent pipes is to get rid of those nasty odors and gasses so if you smell something off it s time to check it out. Strong sewage smells are a telltale sign that your toilet vent pipe may be clogged. If you do run into a problem a professional can go through the pipes carefully. I noticed this uncovered pipe on my roof today when emptying my swamp cooler.

This is most likely to occur on a flat roof from which the snow does not drain properly or after a really heavy snowstorm that results in several feet of snow on the roof. If there is a clog in the plumbing vent those sewer gasses can t escape properly. It goes into a pipe in the attic that in pretty sure drains to the plumbing master pipe sump in the basement. Without the roof vent pipe the drains would gurgle up into your sinks tubs and.

In the short term your plumber can fix the issue by clearing snow away from the vent and melting any snow that has made its way down inside of the vent. This is true whether the roof is sloped or flat but the type of pipe boot depends on the type of roof. Climb the roof with a garden hose and spray water into the main vent opening. The purpose of the stink pipe as it s sometimes called is to enable the pressure in your drain system to equalize.

There are pipe boots installed on plumbing vent pipes that penetrate through roofs. It is possible to clean every part of the vent until they reach the roof by disconnecting the pipes. Pic 1 of basement pic 2 of attic pic 3 of. That s a sign that you need to clear the vent pipe with a.

When water and waste flows down your drains pressure in your plumbing drains increases as the air in the system is displaced by water and waste. Unfortunately the best place to clear a blockage in a vent pipe is from the roof.