How Do I Repair Vent Pipe Joint Leak

• #i

Tin can anyone offering any suggestions on how to repair a articulation in a PVC vent that has a very slight leak (a few small drops in an hour) after a heavy rain? There is limited space to work in (see pictures below) - the leaking articulation is at the rear of the tee. The vent line marked "FV" is ii inch pipage; for reference, the section betwixt the hubs of the two elbows is just a hair less than 2 inches long, while the section betwixt the tee and the rear elbow is nearly a half inch.

I'm willing to give this a go myself if it a moderately handy DIYer can tackle it, or I'thou happy to call in a professional. Suggestions would be appreciated - cheers!

• #2

I'grand leaning toward cutting out the leaking tee and the superlative elbow and replacing them with a reducing sanitary tee (pic below) and re-routing the 1-1/ii vent line that enters the bottom of the leaking tee so information technology at present enters the ane-1/2 spigot stop of the reducing tee. I tin use a couple of two-inch shielded couplings and a short length of two-inch PVC to connect the new tee to the existing 2-inch piping. Does this seem like a reasonable approach?

I could try ane of those PVC "leak stop collars" that glue over the pipe next to the hub with the leak, just if that doesn't seal the leak I'll then take to remove the stub from the elbow heading up into the wall to insert a new longer stub - which seems a dicey proffer with 20+ year-old pipe. Or possibly utilise self-fusing silicon record around the piping and hub at the site of the leak...

hj

Master Plumber

• #3

It would have to exist a very POOR articulation to leak from the amount of water that would arrive to the vent pipe. I am more inclined to believe the leak is at the roof and running down the pipe, and then dripping off when the pipe turns the corner. If information technology is really the joint, merely brush some PVC cement around the joint.

jadnashua

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• #iv

Sometimes, they but forget to put the cement on the joint! Around hither, the inspector wants to run into the colored primer to see if, at to the lowest degree they used the cleaner/primer on the joints start. Don't come across whatsoever of that. They practice make a clear cleaner/primer, so that footstep may have been taken.

The cement has some dissolved plastic in information technology, and might solve a dull leak. It could be coming from above, every bit HJ indicates...much more than probable.

hj

Master Plumber

• #five

Fifty-fifty if there were NO primer or cement, that joint would probably Non leak fifty-fifty if more than water flowed down the pipe than what really does.

• #half-dozen

I initially thought this was water running down the outside of the pipe, just afterward drying everything off I was able to observe the slightest amount of water seeping out of the joint. The joint is definitely glued, and it appears (clear) primer was used during the installation. I'll try brushing on some PVC glue to run into if that seals the leak.

If that doesn't prepare the leak would my thought of using the indicated tee and couplings be the appropriate/most likely to succeed path for repair?

hj

Master Plumber

• #7

The way those pipe and fitting are assembled, ANYTHING you do to replace the leaking articulation volition entail a LOT of revisions.

• #8

"The fashion those pipe and fitting are assembled, Anything y'all practice to supplant the leaking articulation will entail a LOT of revisions."

Peculiarly if you want the vents to be legal (which they currently are not). If it is working other than the drip, simply wipe PVC cement around the articulation and cross your fingers. (Some would use a red hot knife or... nevermind, I won't mention those other ways.)

• #9

Thanks for the input, wiping the articulation with PVC cement certainly seems like a first repair attempt to attempt.

Could you delight explain farther the issue with legality of the vents? Other than the occasional drip equally noted things appear to be working fine with the drains (and have been for the past twenty years I've lived here). I'd like to empathise what should be inverse to bring this into compliance, if for no other reason than to consider if I should become this fixed for the side by side x years we'll live here.

Reach4

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• #10

The thought expressed in respond #three about the possible roof leak makes sense. I would try tying a rag etc effectually the pipage as high as possible. If that gets wet, you know the problem was not due to the joint that you suspected.

• #eleven

The vents should hook together at to the lowest degree 6" above the flood level (where the water would dump on the floor) of the highest fixture connected. As your vents/drains are currently run a clog in the line at certain points would allow the fixtures to drain using an alternate route (the vents). Correcting this would be a huge projection, just wipe on the PVC cement and double check that the leak isn't down the exterior of the pipe, which actually seems more likely. You might try dumping a saucepan of water against the vent pipe merely above the flashing without letting any go down the vent as a reality check.

• #12

asktom, thanks for the caption of the venting issue. Your explanation fabricated me wonder how things were really plumbed, so I dug out the pictures I took when the house was framed.

During construction I asked the plumber to leave provision for a futurity sink in the basement where I planned to accept my workshop; when he was done with the rough-in of the house he pointed out the "FV" marker for a future vent to exist used when the sink plumbing was roughed in and a capped necktie-in for the bleed next to the chief stack where information technology exited the basement. The vent connexion wasn't run at this time since I didn't know where the sink in the basement would exist located.

That two-inch line runs to the attic where information technology ties into the main stack below the roof line; along the way the first floor kitchen sink vent line ties into the 2-inch line at what looks like about 4 feet to a higher place the flooring level. I'm adequately sure that originally the 2-inch "FV" line tied direct into the side of the horizontal section of bleed (i.e., there was no downward-facing tee in the original rough-in), only that's 20 years ago then I tin't exist sure (and I don't take any pictures of the basement rough plumbing from construction time).

A year or two after the house was built I started on the basement store and had someone exercise the crude-in for the basement sink; that'southward probable when the tee was spliced into the "FV" line. Based on your explanation and the pictures I have information technology sounds as if instead of splicing in a tee to the "FV" line the necktie-in to the horizontal drain line should have been capped and the vent for the basement sink run directly into the "FV" line. That would go along all vent connections (basement sink and kitchen sink) above the flood level of those fixtures.

Perhaps the original connection to the horizontal drain line was to permit condensation that might build up in the vent line to drain out? I remember reading a few days ago nearly plumbers cut open "future" vent lines and getting a face total of years-quondam condensation build-upwardly...

We have rain this evening and more than forecast over the weekend so I'll keep checking for water running downwardly the 2-inch vent piping, but so far it's dry (with still a bit of seepage from the joint).

Anyway, thanks again for pointing out and explaining the venting issue.

hj

Master Plumber

• #13

The FV connexion was NEVER a proper, or legal, one regardless of whether information technology was ever used for downstairs bath or not.

How Do I Repair Vent Pipe Joint Leak,

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