Your vent pipe can become clogged from a variety of things.
Pipe vent roof obstrution.
According to the international residential code every trap or trapped fixture requires a vent.
These connect to a larger pipe usually three or four inches in diameter that extends vertically through the roof known as a vent stack.
The vent stack is the pipe leading to the main roof vent.
If removing the trap improves the flow from any nearby fixtures that have been draining more slowly than usual the vents are probably blocked.
In most houses the main vent stack which opens onto your roof is a continuation of the soil stack which is the vertical waste pipe that leads to the sewer.
Sometimes these clogs comprise materials like wet wipes and feminine hygiene products which homeowners commonly flush even though they are really not designed to go down the drain.
Tennis balls or baseballs.
Other vents in the house link to this main vent.
This blockage keeps air from traveling up the vent pipe properly.
A peculiar case of obstruction of a 4 inch vent pipe was brought to my notice to day.
This kind of blockage is the hardest to remove.
Climb the roof with a garden hose and spray water.
Why plumbing air vents are important.
Leaves small branches trash or other debris.
If a blockage develops in the soil.
When the vent pipe is clogged it shows up within your home in a variety of ways from ghost flushing from your toilet to a sink that won t drain properly.
You know the black plumbing pipes that stick up out of your roof.
When a sink isn t draining properly and the waste line isn t clogged you may need to take a look upward to find the culprit up toward the vent system.
In order to get around roof timbers the stack was.
When a vent becomes clogged it shows up within the home as everything from ghost flushes at the toilet to sinks that simply won t drain properly.
The vent system those plumbing pipes that stick out of your roof may be clogged instead.
Bird or rodent carcasses.
Look for a black pipe that is about three inches in diameter made of cast iron or pvc.
It channels the exhaust gases to the vent and helps maintain proper atmospheric pressure in the waste system.
You will need a ladder to access the roof.
The one to two foot vertical pipe you see on most roof tops is the visible extension of the vent stack.
It was novel to me and may be of interest to others of your readers.
It is a vertical pipe attached to a drain line and runs through the roof of your home.
How plumbing vents work.
Your plumber may need to access the blockage through the vent on the roof pushing a plumbing auger down through the system to grab onto the offending material and pull it out.
In most cases the vent pipe exits through the roof.
The vent system typically consists of a main vent that extends above the roof far enough to prevent obstruction from snow.
