New construction house in Florida. No DWV vents or AAV’s anywhere in the house. Wrote it up in the report and the seller (who built the house) said he doesn’t like roof vents and vented the DWV system out the side of the house (louvered vent).
While I know this is wrong in many ways, anyone every see this arrangement?
And the other picture is his DIY drain plumbing under the kitchen sink…
The second pic is a “Snappy” sink trap, has become pretty common.
Here is the 2020 FBC section of Plumbing Vents:
LOL Its still garbage and doesn’t meet code. Scary to think what the plumbing in the walls of this house looked like. Every plumbing connection had a press in fitting.
Here’s the FBC Residential- Plumbing - Vents:
Here’s the new (since 2020 FBC Residential) side wall termination provision
Looks like the new side wall termination revision stayed in the 2023 FBC Residential:
Vent terminals extending through the wall shall terminate not closer than 10 feet (3048 mm) from a lot line and not less than 10 feet (3048 mm) above the highest grade elevation within 10 feet (3048 mm) in any direction horizontally of the vent terminal. Vent pipes shall not terminate under the overhang of a structure where the overhang includes soffit vents. Such vent terminals shall be protected by a method that prevents birds and rodents from entering or blocking the vent pipe opening and that does not reduce the open area of the vent pipe.
I’m not a plumber so I’m asking this question; is air ever introduced into a plumbing system through the vent pipe? In my way of thinking, if the vent pipe helps with pressure, then at some point air enters to help stabilize pressure. Again, I’m not a plumber so I do t know. If that’s the case, would the louvered vents prevent air inflow?
When we’re running a plumbing fixture, we’re not talking about the force of a jet engine going through the pipes. Non issue so long as air can move into the pipes.
The big issue with this as the louvers operate when there is outward flow of air, a plumbing vent actually has inward flow when a toilet is flushed etc, and very little outward flow from sewer gasses, this means that the system is not going to work properly. Maybe explain this to the buyers to change it out with proper venting.
I’m sure this was all built with no permits and definitely not to any code.
Aka… Cheap arse DIY Homebuilder that refused to pay for a qualified Tradesman!!
@aponder those particular vents are not air tight, so like Martin said it’s a non issue as far as air flow is concerned.
Think about it like this. Ever take a straw in a full glass of liquid, hold your finger over the top, raise the straw to see it’s full of liquid, then lift your finger to drain it out? Same principal really. You don’t necessarily have to remove your finger from the straw completely to allow the liquid to drain, you only need to “crack the seal”…
It makes sense that the air flow is minimal and there will be no effect on the system with the louvres in place. Again, I’m not a plumber so I had to ask. Thanks for the clarification!
Yes, Air flows in and out…..and sometimes you can smell the sewage if you stand near the pipe on the roof. This is why the code says every home must have at least one vent that exits outside.
I saw one of those the other day. There was a big tag on it which said “approved by plumbing codes”…..So I guess it’s ok……
Only IF it’s installed properly. Many/most are NOT!
Probably not an issue in Florida. In Iowa, it would be. I’ve had my unscreened 3” stack frost over during extended cold snaps, creating that thumb over the straw.
I can believe it. This last winter while driving to work, when it was below zero outside, I noticed a few houses had steam coming out of the vents. Some looked like they had snow balls at the top.
Only wish I could have taken a picture of it.
The only solution I can come up with is climbing up the extension ladder in -30-degree windchill to drag an extension cord up 2 stories and install temporary heat tape.
Very normal in cold climates. Those nice hot showers keep the plumbing vents open.
