“The first indication of trouble may be the toilet gurgling or not flushing properly as water is pulled from the traps to replace existing water and air flow,” Scherer says. The gas, primarily composed of methane and carbon monoxide, will have an obvious “sewer” smell however, some harmful gases are odorless. If the end of the vent pipe is plugged, proper draining will be hampered and air will be pulled into the piping, which will drain the traps of water fixtures. Hard, drifted snow also can plug the end of the vent pipes. This frost layer can seal the pipe partially or fully, forming a plug. During extended periods of very cold weather, sewer gas containing water vapor will condense, then freeze to form a frost layer in the exposed uninsulated end of the vent pipe. The sewer pipe and vent pipes are connected so wastewater flows downward and sewer gases rise. Sewer pipes have to be vented to allow air into the pipe for proper flow. All are important and necessary for a properly functioning house sewer system. A house may have one or many sewer vent pipes. House plumbing systems include sewer pipes, vent pipes and water traps. Sewer vent pipes on the north side of the roof also may be more prone to frost plugging than those on the south side of the roof. Typically, the short, smaller diameter vent pipes (less than 4 inches) can freeze shut. ![]() ![]() The diameter of the vent pipe varies from 1 1/2 to 6 inches. Sewer vent pipes are on the roof of homes and other buildings. “Now, while the weather is nice and there is no snow on the roof, is the time to insulate or extend sewer vent pipes so they do not get covered with snow or freeze shut this winter,” North Dakota State University Extension Service agricultural engineer Tom Scherer says. That was the perfect weather to cause frozen sewer vent pipes on many houses.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |