Plumbing vent?

[Scott Falvey]

Todays inspection was interesting. Homeowner/handyman built log home. This is the only plumbing vent I noticed. Everything seems to drain fine and there is no plumbing upstairs.

Comments, good and bad are welcomed and encouraged.

Pictures are of vent inside at the washing machine drain and outside.

Thank you.

[William E. Siegel]

That almost looks like an S trap.

Arent dryer vents suppposed to terminate to the exterior of the home.

[Jason1]

Originally Posted by wsiegel

Arent dryer vents suppposed to terminate to the exterior of the home.

It is, I think what you are looking at is the dryer vent not hooked up to a dryer in the home.

[Jason1]

Originally Posted by sfalvey

Todays inspection was interesting. Homeowner/handyman built log home. This is the only plumbing vent I noticed. Everything seems to drain fine and there is no plumbing upstairs.

Comments, good and bad are welcomed and encouraged.

Pictures are of vent inside at the washing machine drain and outside.

Thank you.

I believe if there is a side wall discharge for vents, then it is supposed to be 10 ft above grade and 10ft from property line. Also, 10 ft from opening horizontally and 4 ft above or below an opening.


Table 3 Maximum fixture units on one stack

[Scott Falvey]

When looking at the pictures, there is an arrow pointing to the PVC. The PVC is a drain for the washing machine and at the "Y" it goes outside for a vent.

Yes, the flex vent is for a dryer that is not hooked up.

[Thomas H. Dietrich]

Originally Posted by sfalvey

it goes outside for a vent.

You mean vents directly outside, below the roof line?

tom

[homebild]

New Hamsphire Plumbing Code is the International Plumbing Code 2000 if I am reading correctly:

http://www.nh.gov/plumbing/

Don't know when it was adopted, where it applies, or under what plumbing code this structure was built.

Only the plumbing code that was in effect at the time of construction applies here.

That said, International Plumbing Code (commercial) and its International Residential Code (resdiential) counterpart allows for a minimum main vent of 1 1/2" as shown....although for your region it should have an increase in size to at least 3" to prevent frost closure where it exits the structure...

And as jason1 said, there are required clearances from lot lines, openings, and grades just as mentioned.

But under the IPC and IRC a through-the-wall vent is not permitted to be the only vent for the structure.

Section P3102.1 of the 2000 IRC requires that EVERY BUILDING shall have a stack vent or vent stack and such a vent shall run undiminsihed in size and as directly as possible from the building drain to "open air above the roof".

A side wall vent is not allowed as the ONLY vent in a structure according to NH plumbing code.

But again, it depends when this installation was permitted and done.

It may have met 'code' at the time of installation.

[jcundiff]

Hombild is right. These sidewall vents are intended as fixture vents only, and not the ent for the building drain or stack.

[sparksnmore]

It's an "S" trap, the vent connection should not be below the trap weir.

I drew it how it should be.
What are the unprotected wires?

[Marc D. Shunk]

Originally Posted by sparksnmore

What are the unprotected wires?

Those are well pump wires. Judging from the pipework that also emerges from that PVC casing, the house may have been built over the water well, or there is an artesian well under that section of the home that is continually being pumped out. Just my best guesses.

[Scott Falvey]

The wires questioned are in fact the well pump wires. The pump is about 50' from the house. The water line appeared to be made out of hydraulic hose and fittings, a 30 gallon tank sitting on a shelf above the picture

There are several marginal type conditions inthe house. As posted originally, this Log house was built by the owner and definately has the qualities of an amateur.

Thank you all for your input.