Our licensed plumber cut a section out of vent stack and says it is okay to leave it like that

[stephanied]

Hi there. We are doing a big home remodel and we hired a licensed plumber. We have had him to do several tasks so far -- each task has been a problem (eg. sinks that leak, hot/cold switched, etc...) However this last thing he did has us wondering if he made a big mistake

The previous owner had installed a toilet next to the washing machine. We wanted to remove the toil and replace it with a sink base and sink. The licensed plumber removed the toilet and created supply lines. Then he cut a section out of the vent stack and stuffed the bottom with a rag. This vent stack also serves a toilet that in the basement that is below the laundry room. We will not have our floors and cabinets install for another month so this is going to stay this way for a while.

We told the plumber we didn't think this is correct but he said perfectly fine -- I can smell sewer gas -- not strong but I smell it and I worry about the toilet below being impacted plus what will happen to the water or condensation coming down the stack from the roof?

We paid this guy $1200 for this job. Is there something we can do to temporarily connect the pieces so we don't have to call this guy back out and find another plumber after our cabinets arrive? I have attached a picture so do you can see what I am talking about

Oh and we are on a well too if that is important

 

[GReynolds929]

Why was the vent cut at this stage? It looks like he plans to run the sink drain through the floor, and use a santee or wye to connect to the vent. He can't use the vent as a drain since it serves as a dry vent for other fixtures. I would have used fernco caps as a temporary seal on both openings. Ideally he would have installed a wye or santee and capped pipe stub out the wall, and stubbed up and capped the drain through the floor. I also would have stubbed up and capped the waters so that you only have to make holes in the cabinet base and back to set it. Then on trim you connect the drain, vent, and waters.

The way it is now you will have sewer gas entering the room, if it rains or there is condensation the upper pipe will leak, and the downstairs fixtures have no vent. You will also have to practically remove the cabinet base to set it over the water lines the way they are now.

 

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[John Gayewski]

Your sure he has a license? I know there are some guys here in Iowa that have a plumbing license and know very little about plumbing. They got grandfathered in and got issued a license when the state changed the requirements for a license.


He shouldn't leave the piping like that and should know better. Duct tape is about the minimum you should leave an incomplete piping system sealed with.

 

[James Henry]

Put a bucket under the open pipe and run all the fixtures in the house one at I time, one person run the fixtures and one person stay at the pipe, you can communicate to each other on the phone. If no water comes out it's just a vent. If it's just a vent plug it with a rag and hope it doesn't rain.