Roof Vent Pipe, Help Please

vent

you assumed you had a plugged vent and used a shop vac to clear it. But, that may have just cured a symptom. A toilet WILL flush BETTER without a vent, or with a plugged one, so if yours did not flush, you have another problem and all you did was cover it up. A far as pricing is concerned, I would not even start my truck for $80.00 much less $30.00. And the final price is determined by how long it takes, not a flat rate amount agreed to before I even know what the real problem is. And if someone asks how to change a washer, which is normally very intuitive, we might tell him to call a plumber before he does something that would require a major remodeling. The jobs I hate more than anything are those where a DIY'er decided to help me out before calling and has taken something apart. Usually the first thing I have to do is put it back together again, either because it did not have to be done in the first place, or because I have to find out what was happening.

hj said:

you assumed you had a plugged vent and used a shop vac to clear it.

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Actually, the vent WAS plugged and yes, I used a shop vac to clear it. And I never said my toilet wouldn't flush.

hj said:

The jobs I hate more than anything are those where a DIY'er decided to help me out before calling and has taken something apart.

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Well, maybe you should reconsider being a moderator for a DIY advice forum then.

GrumpyPlumber said:

When I first went self employed I had a potential customer call me and ask what materials I use, pipe sizes and how I'd install it.
I took the bait, spent a half hour of my time explaining it to him, I thought he was looking to ensure I use quality stock.
He never called back after that.

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I am sorry for your time spent. Ethically, that kind of thing should not happen. Just so you know, I did not do that. Each of my phone calls lasted less than 2 minutes - just enough time to briefly describe the problem and get an estimated cost - which I was interested in and was considering using their service. I only asked 1 business how they were going to go about it. The secretary very briefly mentioned an auger and/or powerwashing and a 300lb machine. Another business mentioned the 300lb machine (on his own, I did not ask). Another business mentioned the auger (again, on his own, I did not ask.)

I did, however ask for advice here in this thread, from you guys, on methods used that I could safely do. I actually asked this first and foremost. With the question about cost after & secondarily only if I couldn't do the job myself. My primary question was completely ignored, and yet several chose to take the time to tell me not to ask about money.

Anyway, I figured out on my own a workable solution. Thanks to all you guys who posted.

DavidD

hj is one of the most informed repair plumbers out there.
The other contractors can tell by his answers, that he has been at it a long time.
I think the experts here respect him the most, because we know enough to understand him.

Rights vs. privilege

Remember how the police always remind us that a driver's license is a privilege, not a right?

I look at getting free advice from an internet forum in a similar way - a privilege, not a right. No one owes me anything, especially busy professionals who provide a HUGE amount of very helpful info (hj being one great example) for no charge -- when they could be working on a paying job or just relaxing. However, I've found over and over again that if I ask a reasonable question in a respectful way, I have never failed to get helpful info here.

It's all in the way you look at a situation.

Thank you, GrumpyPlumber for those kind words.

SteveW said:

Remember how the police always remind us that a driver's license is a privilege, not a right?

I look at getting free advice from an internet forum in a similar way - a privilege, not a right. No one owes me anything, especially busy professionals who provide a HUGE amount of very helpful info (hj being one great example) for no charge -- when they could be working on a paying job or just relaxing. However, I've found over and over again that if I ask a reasonable question in a respectful way, I have never failed to get helpful info here.

It's all in the way you look at a situation.

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I agree Steve. And if you look at my first post, I thought it was a reasonable question put forth in a respectful way. I am sure that hj is very knowledgeable and donates a lot of time and knowledge to this forum. He was the first to respond to my posting, however he limited his response to the cost question and others followed suit, ignoring my request for DIY advice. Maybe he didn't have time, or whatever. But that did get the ball rolling away from DIY advice.

Then after I came up with a DIY solution myself (which worked) he comes on and tells me that I may be covering up whatever is really wrong if my toilet wouldn't flush. I stated in my first post that toilet was flushing fine. He continues to say that the jobs he 'hates' most were the ones DIY'ers do without calling him first. Understandable, except that I did ask for DIY help & advice and received none. I am glad he gives good advice to others, though.

just for the record, the notion that pro's may wonder how much to share is not a big concern in this forum.

Not in the last few years.

In the most recent month or month and a half, a few changes occurred. A few threads covering broader subject matter got many participants who had posted only 10 or 20 times before to bring in many new viewpoints.

David

jealousy will get you nowhere.

DavidD said:

I am pretty sure our vent pipe is obstructed ...
Is there a safe way for me to remove the obstruction without great risk of pushing it down further?

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I had pondered your question and had even though about offering to come give you a hand, but I had no idea how to even begin ... and now I simply must tell this story:

My mother once called and told me something was rustling around in the flue of her fireplace. I went over to take a look, and I wrapped a towel around one hand to put a mirror in above the damper while shining a flashlight with my other hand. Three seconds later, I dropped both mirror and flashlight while scooting away in a real hurry, as I had just seen the biggest owl ever ...

... but then while sitting there on the floor for a bit and wondering what I was going to do, I happened to notice I had just used the wrong side of my mother's vanity mirror ... and the owl ended up being only about 6" tall.

lee,
good story. How long did it take your heart rate to come back to normal? David,
what made you think your vent was obstructed? I can't tell you how many customers of mine and DIY forum posts I see on that. I just replaced some vent pipe in a crawl space and the base of the stack at the 1/4 bend was totally obstructed. I only changed it because it made it easier to replumb, not because of any customer issues. It was the only vent for two bathrooms and a kitchen, and they had no complaints.

kordts said:

lee,
good story. How long did it take your heart rate to come back to normal?

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About as long as it took to get rid of my bewilderment -- the several minutes it took to mull everything over and discover my error with the mirror!

hj said:

...A toilet WILL flush BETTER without a vent, or with a plugged one...

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The toilet worked well, so that concurs. Another thread analyzed the vent problem. Doesn't mean the problem is fixed for all time. Could be.

david

Hey...I was gonna say shop vac.


It's my answer for everything.


Send me a check !!

Alectrician said:

Hey...I was gonna say shop vac.


It's my answer for everything.


Send me a check !!

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Without incorporating the use of duct tape?
Whats wrong with you man?!?!