Roof Vents Keep Sewage From Entering Your Home
Q: What are roof vents?
A: They are vertical pipes that are connected to your home’s plumbing system. They are designed to remove sewage and regulate air pressure within your pipes.
Q: How do they work?
A: Waste enters your plumbing system through the toilets, sinks, and other fixtures throughout your home. After waste exits the fixture, it stops at a “trap.” Traps are a dipped section of pipe that is attached to almost every piece of plumbing that you have in your house. These traps are always filled with water. The bend in the pipe stops sewer gases from entering your home.
Q: Why does the trap always contain water?
A: The water is used as a seal to help prevent sewer gas from passing up through your pipes and entering your home.
Q: Do I need roof vents in my home?
A: Yes! You definitely do not want those sewer gases to get into your home because they make you and your family sick. But you shouldn’t stress about whether or not you already have them, as most local building codes require every appliance in the home to have a trap, and every fixture to have a vent.
Q: So, if there is no water that is actually flowing through the roof vent, why is it so important to my plumbing system?
A: If you didn’t have roof vents, both clean water and waste water would not move properly through your pipes. Roof vents serve to preserve neutral air pressure within your drain lines so gravity can push and pull water and waste through the piping system.
Q: Can roof vents get clogged?
A: Yes they can, and there are a few things you should look out for so you know if they are clogged. If one or more of your drains is functioning really slowly, or you see abnormal bubbles in your toilet after flushing, that’s a good sign. Also, smelling sewage in your home is not normal, and probably means your vents are blocked up.
There’s a lot to know about roof vents, so if you have anymore questions call Essig today!
