The Importance of a Plumbing Vent

When our home has a plumbing problem, we assume that it may have something to do with the pipes or the drainage. However, plumbing vents can also become clogged or damaged, which can cause their own batch of issues.

Once you understand what your plumbing vent is and why it is important, you will be better at keeping your plumbing operating at its best.

Before anything else, you need to know what your plumbing vent is and why it’s there. The plumbing vent, known as a vent stack, helps to regulate air pressure in your plumbing system. Whereas drain pipes remove water and waste from your home, the plumbing vent removes gas and odors. No water runs through the vent, instead, it is there to maintain proper atmospheric pressure in your waste system.

The drainage pipes in your home carry out waste to either the city sewer or septic tank. The system is aided by vent pipes, where fresh air is supplied to the plumbing fixtures in your house, which helps water through the drainage pipes with your sink drains or when your toilet is flushed.

Also, the plumbing vents prevent sewer gases from entering your home and allow wastewater gases and odors to escape. We place the vents all the way up on the top of your roof, far from windows or air conditioning units, so those gases and odors can dissipate and not re-enter your home.

When your plumbing vent is not working properly, then your plumbing will not work properly. If it blocks the vent pipe or vent, negative pressure builds in the drainage pipes, interrupted water flow. You may still clear out clogs or blockages, but the same issues might arise if it blocks the vent.

A blocked vent will show other signs via your drain pipes, such as standing water in sinks or tubs, slow drains in the kitchen or bathroom, or gurgling sounds from the drains. If drains can’t quickly be cleared with a plunger or drain cleaner, then the vent blockage could be severe. A blocked vent can create a vacuum, and you will no longer hear a gurgling in your drains or might even start to smell sewer gases.

Any homeowner can clear typical clogs, but when they become recurring problems or near impossible to fix yourself, then something might be wrong with your plumbing vent. In those unfortunate situations, call the professionals at Sunrise Heating and Plumbing at 616-293-9326. By providing exceptional customer service, our staff can handle any problem.