Vent Lines

[mreynolds]

I am working on planning out my plumbing for my new house. I have a pretty good idea of how everything works, but I wasn't sure about the vent lines. Is it OK to run a vent line through a double top plate at the top of an exterior wall, then tie it back to a main vent stack? Or should I consider another method here?

[roger g]

You wouldn't have any trouble here doing that. Why not just vent it through the roof and not connect it to another vent stack. Either way it would work. Go to some houses under construction when they are doing plumbing and see. There is usually a kitchen sink on an outside wall.

Roger

[Rich]

I don't recommend it - but it's not against any code that I know of.

[mreynolds]

my biggest concern with that approach since the sink is on an outside wall is the fact that this pipe will pop right through an area in the roof that is already going to have a foam baffle for air flow. I noticed there is a thing call loop venting that can be used for free standing islands with sinks, have you every seen this before?

[roger g]

Ooooohh you have been busy. Yes there is a way of doing islands and I just read about it a few weeks ago but don't know if I copied it or just read it. It seems (if I remembered correctly) that the plumbing code was changed to be able to do island whereas it was done illegally before, or something to that effect.
Do some searches on the internet or read a copy of a new plumbing code at the library.
What the heck is a foam baffle for air flow?

Roger

[Rich]

You'll want to search for studor vent - I'm not sure on spelling.

[mreynolds]

I think this is what you were talking about Rich, http://www.studor.com/index.htm. That is a cool device. From reading this it looks like I could do the entire house without a vent pipe going through the roof.

Roger-
The foam baffles I was talking about go on the underside of the roof near the ends where the eves are, right about the double top plates of the wall. Basically they prevent the insulation from blocking air flow into your attic. We get enough snow and ice daming that I would doom myself if I put a vent pipe where I mentioned before.

[Rich]

Yep.. thanks mreynolds. I guess I did spell it right. I used one on my bathroom remodel with no problems.

[roger g]

Thanks mreynolds. Now I know what you are talking about and we call them something else. It allowes air from your soffit into your attic and out. I know all about snow. I live in The Great White North and we ship our extra snow south.
As I said before, I've seen lots of vents in the location you are talking about and they are well protected with rubber flashing to prevent leaking and the small blockage of air by that 4 inch stack, compared with the total perimeter of the house, is minor.
Speaking of stacks, wherever you put it, make that particular wall which hides the stack be made of 2x6's. That wall is usually not very long and having a thicker wall makes it much easier to put the stack in. Years ago the drywall sometimes had to be bent around stacks that strayed out from the edge of the wall.
Isn't learning all this new stuff exciting!

Roger

[roger g]

Oh Ooooo! I just read that bit about Studor vents. We used to call them cheaters and they were illegal where we were. Mind you we used a lot doing reno's. Been arounf for years. I think Noah used them.They were/are still so commonly sold any hardwarw store sold them.
The venting for islands was something completely different than that. I kinda think it was two lines running parallel, one for drainage and the other was venting. It seemed complicated and I remember having a hard time trying to figure how this new venting worked. Keep digging mreynolds.
Still exciting though huh!

Roger

[Rich]

http://www.ci.santa-ana.ca.us/departments/pba/Plans/Plancheck%20Reqrmnts/Plumb-PlanReqs/Plancheck%20Tutorials/IslandSink/PlumbIslandSink.htm

I think that's what you're referring to roger g. Here's another article on the 2 different types - although the first option isn't explained very well. I think he's trying to explain the link above.
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m1080/9_53/109739893/p1/article.jhtml

[roger g]

"You da man Rich, you da man"!

Roger

[mreynolds]

Roger, it's funny you talk about learning all this new stuff. 2 years ago when we thought about building, one of my concerns was that my attention span gets short after I learn something new. Basically I like to pour myself into something, then when I figure it out, I move on. This house stuff is nuts. I have a journal I use to keep track of my thoughts and it seems like it is a never ending stream of new challenges to plan out.

[roger g]

I am very similar to you in starting and finishing things but when it is YOUR house and YOUR money and LOTS of your money creates a huge incentive. My house was built and paid for by the time I was 28. I said built, not completely finished. 8 years later the real estate agent had the nerve to suggest that closet doors and some inside trim would help sell it.

Roger