basement plumbing

mr.R · Jan 8, 2012

Plumber redoing horizontal main sewer line in the basemet, the old was causing back flow at least once a year because apperently the pich was backward from the main drain to the back wall of the house. Now I'm adding extra sink to already existing toilet, shower, sink and loundry in the basement. Plumber wants to install in wall air vents that will be about 4,5 feet off the floor. Should I be consern of these kind air vents causig any problems in the future s.a. smell and etc.?

Cacher_Chick · Jan 8, 2012

A proper installation would have all the fixture vents connected to a new vent stack that runs up through an upstairs wall and out through the roof.

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Terry · Jan 8, 2012

If the plumber is using AAV's, then they will need to be open to the air. If installed in a wall, there will need to be a grill cover to allow air to get to the valves. Without access to air, they won't work.
There also needs to be at least one vent through the roof or they won't work. If they fail, and like any mechanical part they will, you will need access to replace them. When they fail, you will know it from the smell.

Here is an AAV box; without the AAV installed yet.

mr.R · Jan 8, 2012

Unfortunately it is not possible to add the new stack that will go through the roof without big big expense. Is there a way to by pass it as plumber recommends by installing in the wall air vents? And what are the worse negatives that it would lead to? Thank you for help.

Jadnashua · Jan 8, 2012

Depends on where you live...the inspectors may not allow them. The goal is to do it 'right', and that's an atmospheric vent to the outside. An AAV only lets air in, not out, and can't be the only vent in the system. So, depending on how it is layed out, it may not be possible to do it with AAV's and have everything work properly.

JohnjH2o1 · Jan 8, 2012

Other then not being allowed? Terry told you what the problems could be. There not allowed to be covered for good reason. Just because it will save you some expense doesn't make it OK.

John

mr.R · Jan 8, 2012

I'm a novice in the plumbing and do not know the plubing abriviations. What is aav's stands for? When i say in the wall air vent, i mean between the sheetrock and the foudation. In case to make these type of air vent work ,then is it good idia to leave an access panel in case there need to be done any work on valve in event it brakes.

Cacher_Chick · Jan 8, 2012

Most stick built homes could have a vent from the basement through the roof installed in a couple of hours.

Unless you are in an old brownstone multi-story, it should not be a big deal for a good plumber.

mr.R · Jan 8, 2012

the fixtures on the 2nd. and 1st floors are connected to the air vents that leads to the roof . Even in the basement it seems like the toilet and the sink is connected to the stock that leads to the roof but the shower and loundry seems like it was added much later then the house was built and may be therefore does not have any air vent, in addition there is an air vent right before the main p trap that goes to out side the house.
Could it be just enough to make it all work without adding the aav. Thank you all for help.

mr.R · Jan 8, 2012

I do not know what is a stick house but my house is a 2 briks thick house and as with wide concrete foundation which was built in around 1920. Seems like everything except the horizontal main sewer cast iron line was build well. Unless there was a purpose to lay the main sewer line in sach a maner that it has a belly?

hj · Jan 9, 2012

You are asking us questions that we would have to be there to answer. Whether an AAV is the ONLY way to it, or not, depends on many factors that we can not see. In MOST cases it will work, but there are circumstances when an AAV will PREVENT drainage, rather than allow it. There is NEVER a good reason to install a drain line with a "belly", although I did catch a utility crew installing a long sewer line with 'many" bellies and they thought they had a good reason for doing it that way. They were installing two pieces of pipe with the proper slope, then one with back slope. They said that the water would pick up enough speed going down the two so it would "jump" up the backwards one.

basement plumbing

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