How do I vent an old home but drainage plumbing improperly installed 10 yrs ago?
The laundry drain gurgles when i drain the bathtub and the bathroom sink gets an odor of sewer gas. Also when i drain the kitchen sink, which is a double basin model, the waste water rises up into the other basin about 1/2 inch above drain before draining out.
I don’t see any vent pipes inside or any vents on roof. No Studor type vents either. All plumbing fixtures are on main floor within 15′ radius.
My property is rural and sewer system is an underground holding tank with above ground pump-out/ejector system. I’m not worried about “code” at this point as I am looking for answers/suggestions. I will deal with “code” in our area before I begin the work. Your help is appreciated… Thank you.
3 Responses to “How do I vent an old home but drainage plumbing improperly installed 10 yrs ago?”
There is a vent for that i just forgot the name of it, my friend had the same stinky drainage problem and that fixed it.
Not knowing your drainage setup exactly, I will provide some information you might be able to use.
To properly vent your current drainage system may require that you install a complete plumbing system, which, if you are replacing plaster walls with Sheetrock walls, would be a reasonable solution. If not then building a loop system connected below the trap might be a solution for some of it, but again the walls.
There is an approved vent that goes into the system after the trap on a pipe that is constructed higher than the highest water level. When water goes down the drain the reduced air pressure at the valve opened the valve and vents the drain. I wish I had some method of showing you the installation, but a local hardware store should not only carry these but should also be able to assist you with the design of the drains system.
These are the most “usual” methods used, but sometimes it just take some ingenuity.
It appear you have isolated the problem areas, now you just need to vent them to the atmosphere.
Gurgling and sewer gasses go hand in hand with a venting issue in the drains.
A system not properly vented creates a vacuum when water goes down the drain — the vacuum empties the water used (in the J pipe) to block out gasses.
Each sink, etc, must be vented — the venting can be shared if they fall within the “critical distance” to the vent pipe.
The “run” determines the critical distance.
The link below is a schematic of a waste system with their vents.
Note vent placements related to sinks, etc.
Good luck with your behind-the-wall exploration.