If your sink is clogged and you constantly fail to find the source of the problem, it might worth checking if it is your drain. It is time to look for the upward instead of down when you see that the sewer line is not clogged, but your sink still won’t drain properly.
There is a possibility that the vent system is clogged instead, which is the plumbing pipes that projected out of the roof. If you want to know how to unclog vent pipe on roof, read the following explanations below and get your vent pipe to work back optimally.
Clogged Vent Pipe Symptoms
A venting system is based on balancing the pressure down the drain line when the water flows through it. That is where the air is required. These are the three most common signs to know how to tell if a plumbing vent is clogged:
a. There is a sound of gurgling and sputtering from the toilet
The inadequate airflow due to the vent size or blockage is causing the pressure of plumbing to be higher than the air pressure in the bathroom. Therefore, when the toilet is flushed, it causes sputter and gurgles because water fights against a higher pressure.
b. The draining process goes slowly
The rising pressure in the drainpipe is causing the water to not be drained at the normal rate. Thus, the sinks and tubs are doing to drain slowly, which indicates the blocked, clogged, or undersized vent.
c. Strong gas smell from the sewer
All plumbing drains are equipped with traps to allow the water blocks sewer gases to enter the building. If the pressure in the drain is too high, the water will pour out. It leaves the gases and their odors to penetrate the inside part of the building.
How to Clean Vent Pipe on Roof
Understanding how the plumbing vents process is going is important before focusing on how to unclog vent pipe on the roof. A plumbing vent is designed to manage the air pressure on the system, help the air stream from the drain, and eliminate gas and smells by allowing fresh air to enter the home.
- The first step on unclogging the vent pipe on the roof is to place a ladder to help you climb to the roof. Make sure that the feet of the ladder are planted firmly on the ground.
- Prepare a garden hose and screwdriver, and bring them when you’re about to climb onto the roof. The garden hose is used to spray water to the vent. Meanwhile, the screwdriver is used to unscrew the vent’s cap, if there is any.
- Examine the opening vent. Look if there is any debris or leaves that collected inside. Clearing these obstacles allows you to restore the air circulation.
- Set your hose setting to the ‘full’ or ‘jet’ options. Spray to the opening of the vent directly if you see any visible hindrance. The water can clear the collected debris or animals that might be dead and trapped inside. It will fill the pipe and disclose the opening. If this method failed, you might need a method that’s more aggressive to free the blockage.
- If these steps to unclog a drain from the roof went successfully, the water would start to drain down the pipes.
You might encounter this blockage issue at least once if you lived in a place with frigid climates. To give you a tip on how to unclog vent pipe on the roof, try to use hot water for persistent debris but be careful not to let hot water washes over you.
