: : : I would like to know if the venting is not done in a home: : : 1) Is there a possibility of sewer gas backing up into the home? : : 2) Is sewer gas harmful to humans? : : 3) What does venting involve ?: Beverly,: Q.What is a vent, and what does it do for the plumbing system?: A. If you look on your roof, you will see pipes sticking out of the roof aprox 12 high. �For every pipe that goes down, one needs to go up. �The obvious reason we have vents is that sewer gases need to be vented outside of the dwelling. �Not so obvious is what happens if they are not included in the waste and vent design. �Imagine yourself at McDonalds drinking a soda from a straw. �If you put your thumb over the straw, you can pull liquid up from the cup. Remove the thumb and see it instantly drain out! �When liquid goes down a pipe, air needs to follow it. �Without the vent pipe, the draining liquid will try to suck air through the P-traps on the plumbing fixtures,(tub, sink, etc.) glurp, glurp! �If it manages to do so, you may know it from the smell coming from the now dry seal on the P-trap. Without vents, draining one fixture may cause another fixture in the house to back up, yuck! A waste and vent system should keep sewer gas out of the dwelling and drain every fixture well. �: Note: : As for the danger, it depends on what people are putting down the drains in your local area. Sewer workers have come across meth and PCP labs that are using the public sewers. For the most part though, I dont worry about the occasional danger when I do remodel work because the venting should let most of the gas go up the stacks. : Regards, : Terry LoveWhat is one to do if Studer venting has been installed in the lavs and the sewage odor remains?
