| ||
 |
InspectAPedia® |
|
Free Encyclopedia of Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, Repair | Ask a Question or Search InspectAPedia |
 Mobile ViewPLUMBING SYSTEM INSPECT DIAGNOSE REPAIR AGE of PLUMBING MATERIALS & FIXTURES AIR DISCHARGE at FAUCETS, FIXTURES ANTI-SCALD VALVES APPLIANCE EFFICIENCY RATINGS AQUASTAT CONTROL Functions BACKDRAFTING HEATING EQUIPMENT BACKUP PREVENTION, SEWER LINE BATH & KITCHEN DESIGN GUIDE BATHROOM MOLD BATHROOM VENTILATION BIOLOGICAL POLLUTANTS Bisphenol-A, BPA BLEVE EXPLOSIONS BLOCKED DRAIN REPAIR METHODS BOILERS, HEATING BUILDING SAFETY HAZARDS GUIDE CARBON MONOXIDE - CO CHECK VALVES CHEMICAL CONTAMINANTS in WATER CHIMNEY INSPECTION DIAGNOSIS REPAIR CHLORAMINE / CHLORINE Tests CHLORINE IN DRINKING WATER CHLORINE in WATER, HOW TO TEST FOR CHLORINE IN SEPTIC WASTEWATER CISTERNS CLOGGED DRAIN DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR CLOGGED SUPPLY PIPING CONDENSATION or SWEATING PIPES, TANKS CROSS CONNECTIONS, PLUMBING DEBRIS in WATER SUPPLY, Water Heater DEPTH of DRAIN & SEWER PIPES DEPTH of SEPTIC TANK DRAIN & SEWER PIPING DRAIN a WATER HEATER TANK DRINKING WATER - EMERGENCY PURIFICATION DRINKING WATER - EMERGENCY SOURCES ELECTRIC WATER HEATERS FILTERS, WATER FLOODED HEATING EQUIPMENT REPAIR FLOODED WATER HEATER REPAIR FLOODED SEPTIC SYSTEMS, REPAIR FLUSHOMETER VALVES for TOILETS URINALS GAS FIRED WATER HEATERS GAS PIPING, VALVES, CONTROLS GALVANIC SCALE & METAL CORROSION HARD WATER - SOFTENERS HEAT TAPES, Heat, Insulation prevent Freeze-Up HOT WATER HEATERS KITCHEN & BATH DESIGN GUIDE KITCHEN VENTILATION LEAD POISONING HAZARDS GUIDE LEAD WATER PIPING HAZARDS & REMEDIES LEED GREEN BUILDING CERTIFICATION MANUALS & PARTS GUIDES - HVAC MIXING / ANTI-SCALD VALVES MIX VALVE SCALD PROTECTION, Best Practices MUNICIPAL WATER PRESSURE IMPROVEMENTS MOLD INFORMATION CENTER MVOCs & MOLDY MUSTY ODORS NOISE / SOUND DIAGNOSIS & CURE Air Leak Noises AIR CONDITIONING & HEAT PUMP NOISES AIR HANDLER / BLOWER NOISES COMPRESSOR CONDENSER NOISES DUCT SYSTEM NOISES ELECTRIC MOTOR NOISES FAN NOISES Animal Noises Appliance Noises Chimney noises Door Options for Sound Reduction Duct Insulation for Soundproofing DUCT SYSTEM NOISES DUCT VIBRATION DAMPENERS Dripping Water Sounds Electric Motor Noises ELECTRIC MOTOR NOISES Electrical System Noises FAN NOISES Fan Noise Control Flanking Pathways for Sound Floor Noises FLOOR NOISE CONTROL GAS BURNER Flame & Noise Defects Hearing Disabilities & Building Noises HEALTH RELATED NOISE COMPLAINTS HEATING SYSTEM NOISES HISSING NOISES Insect Noises in buildings OIL BURNER NOISE SMOKE ODORS PLUMBING DRAIN NOISE DIAGNOSIS PLUMBING DRAIN NOISE REPAIR PLUMBING NOISE CHECKLIST PLUMBING NOISE CONTROL NOISE CONTROL for PLUMBING NOISE, PLUMBING DRAIN DIAGNOSIS NOISE, PLUMBING CHECKLIST NOISE, PLUMBING DRAIN REPAIR NOISES, WATER HEATER NOISES, WATER PUMP ROOF NOISE TRANSMISSION SIDING NOISES Sound Control Measures Stair & Step Noises Structure Noise Transmission Temperature-Change Noises Wall Noise Transmission WATER HEATER NOISES Wind Noises Window & Door Noises NOISE CONTROL for HEATING SYSTEMS NOISE CONTROL for PLUMBING NOISE CONTROL for WALLS NOISE, PLUMBING CHECKLIST NOISE, PLUMBING DRAIN DIAGNOSIS NOISE, PLUMBING DRAIN REPAIR NOISES, WATER HEATER NOISES, WATER PUMP ODORS & SMELLS DIAGNOSIS & CURE ODORS GASES SMELLS, DIAGNOSIS & CURE ODORS IN WATER ODORS, SEPTIC or SEWER ODORS SEWER GAS in COLD WEATHER ODORS, SULPHUR SMELL SOURCES ODORS, URINE REMOVAL OIL FIRED WATER HEATERS OIL-FIRED BOILERS, HEATING OIL FILTERS on HEATING EQUIPMENT OIL FUEL TYPES & CHARACTERISTICS OIL & GAS PIPING OIL TANKS OUTHOUSES & LATRINES PIPING IN buildings, Clogs Leaks Types AGE OF PIPING BRASS WATER PIPES CAST IRON DRAIN PIPING CAST IRON DRAIN LEAK, ODOR, REPAIR CHECK VALVES CHINESE DRYWALL HAZARDS COMPRESSION FITTINGS COPPER PIPING in buildings CLEANOUTS, PLUMBING DRAIN CLOGGED DRAIN DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR FIRST SIGNS of DRAIN CLOGGING DRAIN vs SEPTIC BLOCKED DRAIN? DRAIN DRAINFIELD DIAGNOSTIC TABLE PLUMBING DRAIN NOISE DIAGNOSIS PLUMBING DRAIN NOISE REPAIR CLOGGED SUPPLY PIPES, DIAGNOSIS CLOGGED SUPPLY PIPES, REPAIR CLOGGED SUPPLY PIPES, HOT WATER CONDENSATION or SWEATING PIPES, TANKS CROSS CONNECTIONS, PLUMBING DEBRIS in WATER SUPPLY, Water Heater DIAELECTRIC PIPE FITTINGS DRAIN & SEWER PIPING DRAIN NOISES FLARE FITTINGS FLOOR DRAIN / TRAP ODORS FREEZE-PROOF PIPES GAS PIPING, VALVES, CONTROLS GALVANIZED STEEL WATER PIPING LEAD PIPES in buildings LEAD IN DRINKING WATER, HOW to REDUCE LEAD POISONING HAZARDS GUIDE LEAD WATER PIPING HAZARDS & REMEDIES LEAK TYPES, Water Supply/Drain Pipe OIL TANK PIPING & PIPING DEFECTS PLASTIC PIPING PLASTIC PIPE LEAK CAUSES PLUMBING DRAIN CLEANOUTS PLUMBING DRAIN VENTS PLUMBING DRAIN NOISE DIAGNOSIS PLUMBING DRAIN NOISE REPAIR PLUMBING VENT DEFINITIONS & TYPES PLUMBING VENT DEFECTS & NOISES REPAIR BURST LEAKY PIPES SEPTIC BACKUP PREVENTION SEPTIC BACKUP REPAIR SEWER BACKUP PREVENTION SEWER GAS ODORS SEWER GAS ODORS in COLD WEATHER SEWER BACKUP PREVENTION SEWER LINE REPLACEMENT SOUND CONTROL for PLUMBING SUPPLY PIPING SULPHUR & SEWER GAS SMELL SOURCES TRAPS on DRAINS VALVES, PLUMBING VENT PIPING Water pipe clog diagnosis Water pipe clog repair guide WELL PIPING LEAK DIAGNOSIS WATER HAMMER NOISE DIAGNOSE & CURE WATER PIPES, Clogs Leaks Types WATER PRESSURE LOSS PLUMBING FIXTURES, KITCHEN, BATH Plumbing Materials & Fixtures, Age, Types PLASTIC HEATER VENT PLASTIC PIPING PLUMBING FIXTURE TRAPS PUMPS & WELLS FAUCETS & CONTROLS, KITCHEN & BATH SCALD PROTECTION SHOWERS, TUBS SINKS, FIXTURES SPAS, WHIRLPOOLS, SOAK/JETTED TUBS SPAS, WHIRLPOOLS, INSTALLATION TOILETS, INSPECT, INSTALL, REPAIR TOILET ALTERNATIVES TOILET FLUSHOMETER VALVES TOILET INSTALLATION PROCEDURE TOILET OVERFLOW EMERGENCY TOILET PLUGS, SEWER BACKUP TOILET REPAIR GUIDE TOILET TISSUE CHOICES TOILET TISSUE TEST TOILET TYPES Toilet Types, Flush Methods TOILETS, DON'T FLUSH LIST TRAPS on PLUMBING FIXTURES TUBS & TUB REPLACEMENTS or RELINERS RANGE BOILERS RELIEF VALVES - TP Valves on Boilers RELIEF VALVES - STEAM TP VALVES RELIEF VALVES - Water Heaters RELIEF VALVES - Water Tanks SEPTIC SYSTEM INSPECT DIAGNOSE REPAIR SEPTIC SYSTEMS ONLINE BOOK SEPTIC SYSTEM DESIGN BASICS SEPTIC DESIGN ALTERNATIVES SEPTIC INSPECTIONS SEPTIC & CESSPOOL SAFETY SEPTIC METHANE GAS SEPTIC ODORS SEPTIC PUMPS SEPTIC SYSTEM ODORS SEPTIC SYSTEM FLOODING SEWER BACKUP PREVENTION SEWAGE BACKUP, WHAT TO DO SEWAGE BACKUP TEST & CLEANUP SEWAGE BACKUP PREVENTION SEWAGE EJECTOR / GRINDER PUMPS SEWER LINE REPLACEMENT SEWER GAS ODORS SEWER GAS ODORS in COLD WEATHER SMELL PATCH TEST to Track Down Odors SOUND CONTROL in buildings ACOUSTICAL SEALANT CHOICES Principles of Sound Transmission How Sound Levels are Measured Sound Absorption vs. Sound Isolation Sound Isolation Strategies Cut Off Flanking Sound Paths Door Options for Sound Reduction Duct Insulation for Soundproofing DUCT SYSTEM NOISES DUCT VIBRATION DAMPENERS Sound Transmission Class Ratings Sound Control for Walls Sound Control for Floors SOUND CONTROL for PLUMBING SUPPLY PIPING Properties of Soundproofing Materials Acoustical Sealant for Sound Control Resilient Channel for Sound Reduction Insulation Details for Sound Reduction Gasketing for Noise Control White Noise & Sound Conditioners SULPHUR & SEWER GAS SMELL SOURCES SUMP PUMPS GUIDE SUPPLY PIPING SWEATING (CONDENSATION) on PIPES, TANKS TOILET INSTALLATION PROCEDURE TOILET OVERFLOW EMERGENCY TOILET PLUGS, SEWER BACKUP TOILET REPAIR GUIDE TOILET TYPES Toilet Types, Flush Methods TOILETS, DON'T FLUSH LIST TRAPS on PLUMBING FIXTURES WATER HEATERS WATER PRESSURE GAUGE ACCURACY WATER PRESSURE & FLOW MEASUREMENT WATER PRESSURE GAUGE ACCURACY WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR WATER PRESSURE PROBLEM DIAGNOSIS TABLE WATER PRESSURE REPAIRS & COSTS WATER PUMPS, TANKS, TESTS, WELLS, REPAIRS WATER PUMPS, TANKS, WELLS - BASICS WATER PUMP TYPES & LIFE EXPECTANCY WATER PURIFIERS WATER QUALITY TESTS, CONTAMINANTS, TREATMENT WATER QUANTITY IMPROVEMENT WATER QUANTITY USAGE GUIDE WATER SHUTOFF VALVE LOCATION, USE WATER SHUTOFF VALVE, WELL PUMP WATER SOFTENERS & CONDITIONERS WATER SOURCE ALTERNATIVES WATER SUPPLY & DRAIN PIPING WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR WATER TANK: USES, TROUBLESHOOTING WATER TANK AIR, HOW TO ADD WATER TANK AIR INLET VALVE WATER TANK AIR LOSS SIGNS WATER TANK AIR VALVE REPAIRS WATER TANK AIR VOLUME CONTROLS WATER TANK BLADDERS & CAPTIVE AIR WATER TANK CAPTIVE AIR vs TRADITIONAL WellMate WATER TANK CONTROLS & SWITCHES WATER TANK LIFE EXPECTANCY WATER TANK PRESSURE CALCULATIONS WATER TANK PRESSURE GAUGE WATER TANK REPLACEMENT WATER TANK REPAIRS WATER TANK REPLACEMENT WATER TANK SAFETY WATER TANK SIZE & VOLUME WATER TANK TYPES: WATER, OIL, EXPANSION, ALL WATER TESTS, CONTAMINANTS, TREATMENT WATER ODORS, CAUSE CURE WATER PUMPS & WELLS WATER SOFTENERS & CONDITIONERS WATER TREATMENT EQUIPMENT CHOICES WELL PUMP PRIMING PROCEDURE WELLS CISTERNS & SPRINGS WINTERIZE A BUILDING More Information |
This plumbing drain and vent noise article explains proper plumbing vent piping and how errors cause trap siphonage, odors, and plumbing noises such as gurgling or a glub-glub-glub noise at plumbing drains or fixtures. . InspectAPedia offers impartial, unbiased advice without conflicts of interest. We will block advertisements which we discover or readers inform us are associated with bad business practices, false-advertising, or junk science. our contact info is at InspectAPedia.com/Contact.htm.Plumbing noises from supply piping, water pumps, or other sources are discussed at PLUMBING NOISE CHECKLIST. This article and the illustrations were prepared by Carson Dunlop Associates, with edits and additions by InspectAPedia.com . This material appears in the ASHI@HOME Training System and are used here with permission from the original authors. © Copyright 2010 InspectAPedia.com and Carson Dunlop Associates, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use page top links to major topics or use links at the left of each page to navigate within topics and documents at this website. Green links show where you are in a document series or at this website. Plumbing Vents – Why Basins Sometimes Talk BackPlumbing drain or sewer gas odors: If you smell sewer gases in your building conditions could be dangerous (risking a methane gas explosion) or unsanitary. See Remedies for Sewer Odors and also see ODORS & SMELLS DIAGNOSIS & CURE. Plumbing drain or fixture noises: Other advice about controlling plumbing noises in buildings is at DRAIN NOISES and at SOUND CONTROL for PLUMBING. Our page top sketch illustrating the basics of plumbing traps is also provided courtesy of Carson Dunlop and appears in Drain Waste Vent Plumbing, a section of Carson Dunlop's Home Study Course for Home Inspectors. Alan Carson, Carson Dunlop & Associates You run water into the basin and everything seems fine, until the last bit of water leaves the fixture. The loud, slightly rude, gurgling noise draws puzzled looks from your client and the agent. What's going on? Does it matter? The problem is in the plumbing venting system and the risk is not noise, but sewer gases entering the home because the trap has no water. Most home inspectors understand this problem to some extent, but it's hard to visualize what's happening. In this article we'll review the functions of vents, touch on the terminology, and then look at why things gurgle. The Functions of Plumbing Vents
1. The waste won't flow properly if it can't push the air in the pipe ahead of the waste out of the way. Plumbing vents allow air out of the waste pipes. 2. The waste won't flow well if it's held back by low air pressure or a vacuum in the pipe behind it. Vents allow air into the waste pipes. 3. We don't want the water to be siphoned out of the trap every time a fixture is used. It's the water sitting in a plumbing trap that stops sewer gases getting into the home. Vents allow air in to prevent a siphon. 4. Plumbing vents allow sewer odors to escape from the house, venting safely above the roof. Without venting, the sewer gases seep through the water in the trap and enter the house. Vents help sewer gases escape outdoors. Definitions: Plumbing Vent TerminologyThe illustration below shows the names of some of the pipes in a venting system.
Gurgling Sounds and Sewer Gases at Sink Drains, Showers, TubsPlumbing drains work by gravity. Gravity pulls the water out of the fixture and down the drain pipe. Gravity wants to leave some water in the trap because it's a low spot. That's all good. But when the sink basin is empty, how do we split that solid slug of water flowing through the pipe, so that some stays in the trap and the rest flows down the drain? The venting system allows air to get between the water going down the drain and the water staying in the trap. The illustration below shows this nicely.
The maximum distance from the sink basin trap to a vent is usually about 5 feet. What’s magic about 5 feet? Here’s a clue: The drain slope is about ¼ inch per foot. The smallest drain line is 1 ¼ inch diameter. There are five ¼ inches in a 1 ¼ inch pipe. As the last bit of water flows, we don’t want the lower end of the drain pipe to be flooded. That creates a vacuum that results in siphoning. If the drain is 5 ft. or less, the low end of the drain is not flooded, and air can get in. (See illustration above.) Without an effective plumbing drain vent, a vacuum forms in the pipe between the water going down the drain and the water that needs to stay in the trap. A siphon is created and the atmospheric air pressure pushes the water out of the trap to satisfy the vacuum. This allows sewer odors to back up into the house. The gurgling sound is air forcing its way through the water in the trap. (See illustration below.)
As Carson Dunlop Associates sketch (left) shows, the slope for drain piping should be between 1/8 and 1/4 inch per foot for 3 inch or larger diameter pipe, but it should be a minimum of 1/4 inch for smaller pipe such as the sink basin drain in our example above. The sketch shows what happens if a drain pipe is sloped too little (it doesn't drain and drain pipe clogs develop) or too much (water drains too fast and leaves solids behind, and pipe logs develop). In larger diameter waste pipes, such as a blackwater line from a toilet or a 6" sewer pipe, a slope that is too low or a slope that is too steep can lead to clogging as solids are left behind in either case. If we try to apply the 5 foot rule for distance between the sink basin trap and the soil waste stack/vent pipe (at the right in our illustration above), and if we have a slope that's greater than 1/4 inch per foot, we will create a siphon. That's why the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) limits the 5 foot distance in our general (not code specific) illustration above to 2 1/2 feet.
A plumbing trap siphon is created and the atmospheric air pressure pushes the water out of the trap to satisfy the vacuum. This allows sewer odors to back up into the house. The gurgling sound heard at a plumbing drain is air forcing its way through the water in the trap. (See illustration below.) If the drain pipe (trap arm) is longer than 5 feet, or the slope is more than ¼ inch, a 1 ¼ inch diameter pipe will flood. That’s the same as having no vent. The illustration below shows that air from the stack can’t get into the trap arm, and a siphon results.
To Avoid Plumbing Trap Siphonage We Need One of the Following
We can say it another way. The fall of the trap arm should be less than one pipe diameter over the distance between the trap and the vent. Remember, you’ll rarely see this in the field, but it’s important to understand the principle. When you hear the gurgling, the problem is a health issue and the answer is venting. You may not hear the gurgling if you only run a little water. Some authorities (e.g. The 2006 Uniform Plumbing Code) add a safety factor and reduce the 5 ft. limit to 2 ½ ft. It’s always good to know the rules in your area.
A word about ASHI@HOME for home inspectors: You can take any one of the 10 courses and receive ASHI CE Credits. The Plumbing course for example, gives you 36 CE Credits. For more information contact Carson Dunlop - more information is below at Technical Reviewers & References. (Scroll down). The above article is reprinted, with minor edits and amendments, with permission from Carson Dunlop Associates. Also see this example Drain Waste Vent Plumbing excerpt from the ASHI@HOME education program, courtesy of Carson Dunlop appeared in the ASHI Reporter. More Articles About Plumbing Noise & Sound Diagnosis & CureAt PLUMBING DRAIN VENTS we explain the basics of proper plumbing vent piping and how errors cause trap siphonage, odors, and plumbing noises. We discuss how to diagnose and cure plumbing drain sounds at PLUMBING DRAIN NOISE DIAGNOSIS. Other advice about controlling plumbing noises in buildings is at SOUND CONTROL for PLUMBING. More details about plumbing drain line venting can be found at PLUMBING VENT DEFINITIONS & TYPES, also PLUMBING VENT DEFECTS & NOISES and at CLOGGED DRAIN DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR. Questions & Answers regarding this articleQuestions & answers about diagnosing and fixing plumbing vent and drain noises Ask a Question or Search InspectAPediaHTML Comment Box is loading comments...
Share this Article
... Technical Reviewers & References
Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website. PLUMBING DRAIN NOISE DIAGNOSIS
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
|
| Home | About Us | Accuracy | Contact Us | Content Use Policy | Privacy | Website Description | © 2012 Copyright InspectAPedia.com |