Dear Tim,
I just read your article: Relocated Plumbing Vent Pipes. This swell article talks about the importance of keeping the plumbing vent pipes located on our roof clear of water and debris. This is a challenge since no one explains how to clear the problem pipes. I live in Washington state where the rainfall is nortorious and my neighborhood is filled with redwood trees that are hundreds of feet tall dropping cones and needles constantly. Would you please detail how and how often to clean our 2-3 plumbing vent pipes? Should the pipes have screens? Is there anything else I should know?
Thank you, Carla
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Carla,
A superb question! In a situation such as yours where there is a high likelihood of debris falling into a vent pipe, you should be checking them twice a year. The good news is that a plumbing system will frequently tell you when it needs service. When you flush a toilet or let a large volume of water drain from a fixture, an adjacent fixture will often gurgle. But the key is to prevent this from happening.
Cleaning plumbing vents is simple if they were installed correctly. It is a two or three person job the first time you do it and it really helps if you have two or three of those inexpensive family hand-held radios. These devices allow the people inside the house to communicate with the person who is operating the hose up on the roof. You need to make sure people are inside in case a vent pipe is cracked or leaks and the water starts to drip or flow inside.
Simply insert the hose in the vent pipes and turn it on full blast. The water should flow freely into the vent stack. If it starts to back up, that is a sign of problems.
Once clean, it is a great idea to install a plumbing vent metal bird cage that will stop pine cones and deflect needles from the pipe entrance.
Tim Carter
www.askthebuilder.com
W3ATB