A vent pipe is an essential element of any house's plumbing. AsktheBuilder.com host Tim Carter explains why vent pipes are important and how a vent pipe works.

Video Transcription

You know, just about everybody in the Tri states got indoor plumbing and maybe except for Ronald Wilson, our garden expert, but if you ever wondered what that little stubby pipe that sticks up out of your roof is connected too? Well, I am going to show you right now. I am up in the attic and that stubby little pipe that sticks out of the roof, well; it is connected to the plumbing vent system. It is a very important part of the average plumbing system. Here I am in a new house and this is the drain, the future drain for a bathroom sink. Here is the line that the water comes through and it will go down eventually to the sewer, but check out this pipe right here, what is it? Well, it is the vent pipe. This is the pipe that connects back up to the roof. Here is why vent pipes are important. Before you flush a toilet or let water go out of sink, inside the sewer and drain line is nothing but air. As soon as you pull the drain, or flush the toilet, an enormous amount of water pushes down to the pipe and pushes the air out of the way. With that air, it needs to be replaced and it does it through the vent lines. As the water travels down towards the sewer or your septic tank, air enters through the roof and comes down into the lines to replace the air that was pushed out of the way. Have you ever noticed when you flush a toilet, possibly hear a gurgling in your bathroom sink or maybe your bathtub; it is a sign that a vent line is clogged. How do you fix it? Get up on the roof, put a garden hose down the stubby pipe and turn it on. Make sure someone is inside to check for leaks and hopefully, the water will flush out the vent system and things would be good as new. If you want to discover more home improvement tips, go to AsktheBuilder.com