Bob_in_OKC
Addicted Member
I wonder...any plumbing experts around AK? I have a question about my bathroom sink. If anyone is knowledgeable about such things and would be willing to discuss I would mucho appreciate it.
Any plumbing experts here?
- Thread starter Bob_in_OKC
- Start date
No expert, but I'm getting the job done. PVC hard piping sump pumps.With all the rain we have gotten lately. I've been having problems with "cheap ass" convoluted flex tubing turning into "soaker hoses" piss'n out all over the place.
So what kinda problems you having with your bathroom sink? I do industrial plumbing at work.
Bob_in_OKC
Addicted Member
Thanks for the replies. My wife has a separate bathroom so I don't notice what's going on in there until she tells me. Yesterday, she told me the sink was draining slow. So I tried it out and based on what I saw I decided to remove the trap. I pulled it off and looked in and saw it was filled with mold or algae or something and what appeared to be makeup...maybe...it looked somewhat makeup-colored. The trap was not totally clogged....just semi-snug full.
Above the PVC trap is a brass tee with a 3/4-inch vent piped horizontally over several inches, up a few inches, out through the exterior wall and down about a foot, stopping short of the ground. The outside part is 3/4-inch copper with an open end facing down.
So my first question is, what does that vent pipe above the trap do? 2nd would be, did that pipe somehow contribute to this wad of mold or algae in the trap? The vent pipe is still somewhat clogged with the stuff, although the trap is clean. Would I be better off removing the little vent? And last...is it a plumbing code issue?
Above the PVC trap is a brass tee with a 3/4-inch vent piped horizontally over several inches, up a few inches, out through the exterior wall and down about a foot, stopping short of the ground. The outside part is 3/4-inch copper with an open end facing down.
So my first question is, what does that vent pipe above the trap do? 2nd would be, did that pipe somehow contribute to this wad of mold or algae in the trap? The vent pipe is still somewhat clogged with the stuff, although the trap is clean. Would I be better off removing the little vent? And last...is it a plumbing code issue?
ByteWrangler
Active Member
There are usually very knowledgeable and helpful folks on the doityourself.com plumbing forums. Maybe better than asking a bunch of audio geeks (myself included).
Bob_in_OKC
Addicted Member
I like the audio geeks. Many of us have other interests...like home maintenance. Here's a picture of the vent...
ByteWrangler
Active Member
Me too (both liking audio geeks and home maintenance), but for that kind of advice, I look there.
[edit] That looks really bizarre, BTW. Does it really go thru an exterior wall and just end? The vent is usually on the sewer side of the trap and goes up thru the roof.
[edit] That looks really bizarre, BTW. Does it really go thru an exterior wall and just end? The vent is usually on the sewer side of the trap and goes up thru the roof.
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Bob_in_OKC
Addicted Member
Thanks for the tip.
kangatoy
Crazy as a Loon
I'm not a plumber but have done my share of plumbing repairs over the years. I'm pretty sure the position of the horizontal pipe above the trap would function as an overflow, ie if the trap is clogged the sinks waste water would flow out the "vent" and not onto your bathroom floor. I've never seen a vent on a sink like that before. As for the mucky slime that grows in sink traps, more germs that the toilet bowl will reproduce in a sink trap. pretty much normal , as far as drains go.
fotno
Lunatic Member
Lavatory vents are normally plumbed (behind the wall - after the trap) into the larger septic vents, then go straight up into the attic or through the roof. I honestly have no idea why a plumber would plumb a vent like that... Kangatoy may be on to something in thinking it's some sort of overflow.
If it is a vent, then the sink likely won't drain well without it.
I would clean it all out, and leave it as is. Doesn't appear to be hurting anything, and I gather it worked well until it clogged.
If it is a vent, then the sink likely won't drain well without it.
I would clean it all out, and leave it as is. Doesn't appear to be hurting anything, and I gather it worked well until it clogged.
rmeade
Super Member
Greetings
Sink drains clog all the time. Soap, hair and the occasional mystery goo combine to form exactly what you found. I think that it happens as a matter of its 'duty cycle' (how it is used). So I think that it is independent of your piping design.
That being said a 'through the wall vent is not familiar to me. Typically the drain pipe is extended to the roof to allow air exchange that facilitates gravity water flow. The sink would be piped directly into this 2-3 inch diameter vent (via a 'P-Trap') the purpose of the P trap is to prevent noxious gases from escaping into the house via the sink drain.
A clogged 'through the wall vent' would not be working properly. Does your drain extend to the roof? Is it possible that the pipe you think might be a vent is actually a former drain for something like an outside sink - now gone? A 3/4 inch pipe is more likely a drain pipe and not a vent (air requires a larger diameter).
See what you get? you ask a question - you don't get an answer ... only more questions.
Picture: http://www.askmehelpdesk.com/attach...rap-connection-sink-plumbing-installation.gif
Drain waste piping; http://www.terrylove.com/images/dwv_b2.jpg
It is also not usual for a plumber to use a brass fitting in sink drain piping when plastic is permitted. Brass is very, very expensive. Consider replacing the plastic you have with something a little larger in diameter, eliminate that 3/4 pipe and incorporate a trap with a clean-out port.
Sink drains clog all the time. Soap, hair and the occasional mystery goo combine to form exactly what you found. I think that it happens as a matter of its 'duty cycle' (how it is used). So I think that it is independent of your piping design.
That being said a 'through the wall vent is not familiar to me. Typically the drain pipe is extended to the roof to allow air exchange that facilitates gravity water flow. The sink would be piped directly into this 2-3 inch diameter vent (via a 'P-Trap') the purpose of the P trap is to prevent noxious gases from escaping into the house via the sink drain.
A clogged 'through the wall vent' would not be working properly. Does your drain extend to the roof? Is it possible that the pipe you think might be a vent is actually a former drain for something like an outside sink - now gone? A 3/4 inch pipe is more likely a drain pipe and not a vent (air requires a larger diameter).
See what you get? you ask a question - you don't get an answer ... only more questions.
Picture: http://www.askmehelpdesk.com/attach...rap-connection-sink-plumbing-installation.gif
Drain waste piping; http://www.terrylove.com/images/dwv_b2.jpg
It is also not usual for a plumber to use a brass fitting in sink drain piping when plastic is permitted. Brass is very, very expensive. Consider replacing the plastic you have with something a little larger in diameter, eliminate that 3/4 pipe and incorporate a trap with a clean-out port.
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Instruct "who ever". That make-up goes on the face and not down the drain.LOL " joking of course"
Thats why there called P-traps.To prevent more serious & expensive clogs further down stream.Just clean it out and slap it back together.
Thats why there called P-traps.To prevent more serious & expensive clogs further down stream.Just clean it out and slap it back together.
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Bob_in_OKC
Addicted Member
To answer some questions...I've been confused by what I'm seeing. That copper pipe on the outside of the house is not connected to this, after all. It's coming from the water heater...a tankless type just a little off to the side. And there is indeed a vent through the roof above this fixture. I don't know where that separate pipe goes, but it still has some slime in it. I have cleaned out the trap and I suppose I'm understanding that's all that I really need to do.
Thanks for the input, folks.
Thanks for the input, folks.
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westend
Audiopile
My guess is that the previous user of the sink had drain problems and experienced some overflows (any evidence of this?). The 3/4" pipe is most likely an overflow drain. A vent in the bathroom should be higher than any of the fixtures (usually 40" +). If there is no vent for the sink, an assistive valve can be installed if your local inspectors allow it.
Bob_in_OKC
Addicted Member
I see now the vent that I thought was above the toilet is above this sink. I was misjudging the alignment, thus not realizing the stub through the outside wall is at the water heater and the vent through the roof is at the sink. I don't understand what this separate horizontal pipe is, but I know I misjudged what goes where on the outside wall. I think maybe I'll look under the house tomorrow. I don't see any evidence of water damage, but I'd be interested to see if that small pipe ties into the drain pipe below the house.
Bob_in_OKC
Addicted Member
If it's flowing into this drain rather than out, I guess I'd have a serious problem if it clogged. It would back up at the thing that drains into it.
fotno
Lunatic Member
Okay, I'm wide awake this evening as opposed to the half asleep state I was in last night, so I think I'm in a far better position to think on this...
It's not a vent, it's too small to meet code anywhere that I know of. It's not an overflow, because it's plumbed on an uphill run, and non-pressurized water can't defeat gravity. It's a drain running from another fixture, and a small one at that. I think Ausjoe nailed it. The only appliance that could get by with that small of a drain, would something that needed a condensate drain.
It's not a vent, it's too small to meet code anywhere that I know of. It's not an overflow, because it's plumbed on an uphill run, and non-pressurized water can't defeat gravity. It's a drain running from another fixture, and a small one at that. I think Ausjoe nailed it. The only appliance that could get by with that small of a drain, would something that needed a condensate drain.
