Clogged plumbing vents can create all sorts of headaches in the home. One symptom is slow draining water as air cannot get to your pipes due to being prevented from reaching through. Foul smells may also indicate that the vent has become blocked.
To unclog a vent, first cut through some pipe in your attic. Insert a drill and crank down to break up any blockages that might exist in its path.
Climb the Attic
Plumbing vents regulate air pressure in a plumbing system and serve to expel gases and odors out of a house, keeping water flowing smoothly and reliably. A failure in venting can disrupt all aspects of a home’s plumbing, including toilets and showers; issues can even come to affect all bathrooms and showers! Clogged vents are often due to birds or rodents nesting inside pipes or debris being drawn into them due to debris falling into them or freezing over. While it may not be safe for you to climb onto rooftops during wintertime, you may still manage to unclog clogged vents using patience and tools!
Locating your attic vent pipe should be straightforward: look for the vent opening on your roofline – typically, it appears as a vertical pipe that rises from it – and locate it above any U-shaped drain pipes below sinks or behind toilets that prevent toxic gasses from seeping into the home.
If your plumbing vent is blocked, you have several options for clearing it yourself: using a hose or snake will flush the pipe clean; heat tape can keep the pipe warm to melt any snow or ice that may be blocking its passageway; alternatively, you could hire a professional plumber who can come and unblock the vent from above. If this doesn’t work out for you, try hiring a roof plumber instead who can clear out your vent in no time at all!
Remove the Clog
Blocked plumbing vents can create numerous issues in your home, from slow drains to dangerous sewer gases leaking into living spaces. Sometimes, the solution lies simply in clearing them.
Most vent opening clogs are caused by debris entering through vent openings, such as leaves or animal nests, or by an accumulation of ice in winter. If you can safely climb onto the roof, remove obstructions that can be reached from around the vent opening before trying to use a hair dryer to melt any frozen blockages – be careful not to overheat, as this could spark a fire!
If these methods fail, hiring a plumber to clean out your vent may be necessary. Climbing on roofs can be dangerous if they feature steeper than average pitch or loose tiles; should you decide to take on this task yourself, make sure your shoes provide good traction and use a sturdy ladder.
Plumbers begin by placing their hand over the vent opening and having someone flush a toilet inside to create suction and determine whether or not a vent is actually clogged. If it is, they’ll use a pipe drill to clear away the clog in its line – this process may involve inserting and extracting multiple times until all obstructions have been eliminated from its path.
Cut a Section of the Pipe
The plumbing vent also referred to as an air vent stack, admits air from outside into your drain pipes in order to keep water moving freely and also get rid of harmful fumes such as methane and hydrogen sulfide produced by sewer waste. When your plumbing vent becomes blocked up, it could result in foul-smelling drains as well as increasing carbon monoxide exposure risk in your home.
Clogged vents can obstruct airflow through your drains, forcing them to work harder to pump water around your home and potentially decreasing water pressure – this, in turn, may affect individual fixtures like toilets and showers as well.
If your sinks and toilets appear to drain more slowly than usual, blocked vent pipes could be to blame. A plunger may help, while professional plumbers are experts at clearing away even stubborn blockages with ease.
Keep the area around your plumbing vent clean, and take precautionary steps to protect it. A screen or filter may be placed over it to block debris from entering, while foam insulation prevents cold air from freezing on it, and tree trimming helps ensure branches do not overhang your roof.
If regular maintenance and preventive measures such as pest control and tree trimming aren’t enough, upgrading your vent stack may be necessary. Depending on the size and number of drains running to it, a 2-inch stack may not be able to manage all the strain; in such a situation, an experienced professional should install new, larger pipework.
Repair the Pipe
Your drains drain to one large pipe called the “main stack,” which transports wastewater directly to either your city sewer system or septic tank (if applicable). Your plumbing also vents the air to the exterior through this same main vent stack. When this pipe becomes clogged up with debris, overflowing toilets, bathtub backups, and unpleasant odors could occur throughout your home.
If a clog occurs during winter months, snow or ice is often responsible. Instead of climbing onto your roof to remove the obstructions yourself, opt for going into your attic instead and using a hair dryer on it in order to melt away the ice blockage; alternatively, try insulating it to keep temperatures warmer for longer and prevent future episodes of icing over.
If the clog can’t be cleared with just the use of a plumber’s snake or garden hose, it may be time to call in help from a professional plumber. They will assess the issue and decide if it is safe for them to climb onto your roof; if it is, then they will clear away the blockage while also making sure your vent pipe connects appropriately to drains; additionally, they may guide you as to how you can prevent future clogging issues with vents.
