What’s a Plumbing Air Vent and Why Is It Important?

Regularly maintaining your plumbing air vents prevents clogs. For help, call Pride Services today at 516-528-3432! 

Plumbing problems come in many shapes and forms, and while we tend to think of clogged pipes, or water leaks, homeowners should also check their plumbing air vents. 

A damaged or clogged plumbing air vent results in venting system problems like clogs restricting airflow. Massapequa’s reliable plumbing experts from Pride Services quickly eliminate these problems. 

What Is a Plumbing Air Vent?

Sometimes referred to as a vent stack, a plumbing air vent regulates your plumbing system’s air pressure. Like how drain pipes eliminate waste and water from your home, your plumbing air vent eliminates gas and nasty odors. 

Your plumbing air vent also brings in fresh air, allowing water to move through your drain pipes smoothly.

However, no water runs through your plumbing vent pipes. This is because your plumbing vent is a vertical pipe fastened to your drain line and running through to your home’s roof. 

Why Plumbing Air Vents Are Vital

Your plumbing system’s primary purpose is to remove waste and water. To accomplish this task, your drainage and vent systems operate together. 

Your drainage pipes carry the waste from your home to a septic tank or your city’s sewer. In the meantime, your ventilation system provides fresh, clean air to every plumbing fixture inside your home. 

This process helps your system transfer water through your drainage pipes whenever someone flushes a toilet or drains a sink. 

Besides ensuring your drainage system is properly functioning, plumbing air vents also prevent unpleasant odors. With a plumbing air vent, sewer gases won’t enter your home and escape through your roof vent pipes. 

Located far away from points of entry like windows or air conditioning units, plumbing air vents keep your home clean and fresh.

Plumbing Air Vent Problems

While your plumbing air vent assumes a tremendous responsibility, it’s also a straightforward structure. Due to this, there aren’t many plumbing air vent problems, although clogging is the primary concern. 

Birds might construct nests on top of your vent stack, squirrels or other small animals might mess with your air vents, or organic debris such as leaves or twigs could clog your system. 

While homeowners can quickly clear out minor clogs, a significant clog impairs a plumbing system’s ability to function. Signs your venting system is clogged or obstructed might include: 

• Hearing strange noises: If you’re hearing strange, gurgling noises coming from your shower drains, tub, or sinks, something might be wrong with your plumbing air vent. 
• Slow drainage: If water drains slower than usual, you likely have clogged air vents. However, you should check if it’s a clogged drain first; plunging is a good test. If plunging doesn’t work, then check your vent stack. 
• Smelling nasty odors: A clogged vent stack means sewer gases can’t escape; instead, they collect in your kitchen or bathrooms. A foul smell wafting from your drains indicates you have a clogged vent stack. 
• Pooling water: Disrupting air pressure sometimes results in pooling water inside your tubs and sinks. Pooling water occurs even without using faucets. 

Ways to Maintain Your Plumbing Air Vent

Luckily, the only real problem you need to worry about when it comes to plumbing air vents is clogs. Some techniques that prevent the chances of obstructions include: 

• Regularly clean your roof and gutters of debris like wet leaves. 
• Trim low-hanging tree branches, especially if there’s a danger of them hitting your roof. 
• Keep out vermin like birds, chipmunks, rats, and squirrels. 

Two other issues that might create a clogged plumbing air vent are: 

1. A small vent pipe: If your vent pipe gets regularly clogged even with the proper maintenance, you might need to upgrade to a bigger size. 
2. An improper vent cap: Homeowners sometimes cap their vent stacks to keep out vermin. However, using the wrong vent cap results in clogs, especially when there is ice. 

Lastly, while you can try clearing out your plumbing air vent, calling a professional is your best bet. Besides the risks of climbing your roof, professional plumbers like the team at Pride Services bring the right tools and experience to accomplish the task efficiently. 

Give Pride Services a Call Today

Your plumbing air vent is crucial in helping your drainage system and eliminating unwanted sewer gasses and odors. However, a clogged plumbing air vent creates serious health problems. Contact Pride Services today for your plumbing air vent services.

Published: Jul 10, 2022