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Roof Maintenance – plumbing vents
There are open pipes sticking out of our roofs. And you might wonder, Aren’t holes in a roof bad? Not in this case. Let me explain what they are and then offer a suggestion for keeping these in good working order in the future.
These are plumbing vents so that when you pull the plug on your tub or sink drain, water easily and quickly clears the basin. The science of it is the same as pouring yourself a glass of Cherry Coke from a 2-liter bottle of pop. The familiar glug-glug-glug is air replacing the sweet, sparkly liquid exiting the bottle. If you were to cut a hole in the bottom of the plastic bottle as it is pouring the speed of your pour would increase and the glugging would cease. Air would hiss through the vent created on the lifted side of the container. This is what those plastic pipes are doing. I guess you could call them the “anti-glug plug.” When looking at your roof, you will (or should) have vent piping above your kitchen and bathrooms. If you see a slighter bigger one (4″ in diameter) this is for your toilet. The normal sized ones (2″ in diameter) are for sinks, showers and tubs. They are open on the end and yes, rain water can enter these. But it causes no harm to your house because the miniscule amounts of rain water exit through your plumbing system. Unless… this is where the maintenance part of things comes in, so read on.
There is a rubber boot and flashing at each of these roof protrusions. Every penetration in your roof is a potential place of leaks. If there is a roof leak, there is a high likelihood that it is happening at a chimney, plumbing vent, and attic/bathroom vent. The rubber (polypropylene) boot of a plumbing vent pipe is exposed to the sun and weather year round. I have found that after 15-20 years they become brittle, crack or lift. They do not last as long as your roof. These boots need to be inspected and possibly replaced about half way to two-thirds of the way through your roof’s life. You do not have to climb on your roof to inspect them. Grab your binoculars and take a closer look to see if you see things lifting and curling. If you have a question or concern, get in contact with me. I am always glad to be a resource and help!
