[Shop-talk] Soil stack venting issue

[Jimmie Mayfield]

Glad it seemed to work for you. Growing up, mom would pour a couple pots 
of boiling water down the kitchen drain every few weeks.  I can't say it 
was 100% effective since I remember several times having to help dad 
disassemble the plumbing to clean out the pipes on the driveway.  But I 
guess when done regularly it might help prevent large grease deposits 
from forming near the sink.


On 12/12/20 5:03 PM, Jim Franklin wrote:
> I would have bet a case of beer the boiling water wouldn't work, 
> because it would be too cool before it reached the grease attached to 
> a giant cast iron tee, and also it wouldn't get splashed onto enough 
> grease to melt it. However, a few gallons of hot sink water followed 
> by a gallon of boiling water, all while plunging furiously, did 
> absolutely nothing at first, but then a few hours later there was no 
> gurgling from the tub and it's been silent for a few days.
>
> I'll get some of that bacteria/enzyme stuff as preventative maintenance.
>
> The scope sounds like a great idea but the only access I have is from 
> the roof and it's about 12 feet from vent to to sink entry point. If 
> there's a dry day I'll drop a rock on a string down there and see what 
> happens.
>
> Thanks all!
>
> jim
>
>> On Dec 7, 2020, at 8:53 AM, Jimmie Mayfield 
>> <mayfield+shoptalk at sackheads.org 
>> <mailto:mayfield+shoptalk at sackheads.org>> wrote:
>>
>> If it's grease build-up, you might try periodically pouring a gallon 
>> or two of boiling water down the kitchen sink.
>>
>> You might consider buying one of those cheap USB endoscopes from 
>> Amazon or Ebay.  I bought one for about $15 on Prime Day a couple 
>> years ago.  The camera quality is pretty bad but they're pretty 
>> long...mine is about 15 feet.  You could snake it down your kitchen 
>> drain clean-out and see for yourself what's going on inside your pipes.
>>
>>
>> On 12/7/20 08:25, Jim Franklin wrote:
>>> Maybe some of you have an innovative solution...
>>>
>>> My house has a single cast iron soil stack that does both drain and 
>>> vent. When I flush the toilet, it sucks air from the tub drain. The 
>>> toilet and tub enter the stack separately, but at the same height, 
>>> using an oddly specific T with a 4" toilet and a 2" tub inlet about 
>>> 45 degrees apart. The tub does not have its own vent. 2 years ago I 
>>> had a plumber snake the vent from the roof, he found "stuff", and it 
>>> was fixed. Last week it started again.
>>>
>>> My kitchen sink T's into the stack at knee height, so it's the 
>>> highest item on the stack. My thought is, because it's a straight T, 
>>> not a sanitary T, stuff from the sink is solidifying inside the T 
>>> when the flow hits the back of the T, and eventually forming a cap 
>>> of "stuff" just above the T entry, sealing off any venting. I can't 
>>> tell if the sink is also being used as the toilet's vent because 
>>> there are too many walls in the way to hear what's happening.
>>>
>>> My other thought is that the "stuff" is growing like a mold, and 
>>> sealing it off. Does stuff grow in drains?
>>>
>>> Any thoughts on what it might be, and how to prevent it? I rarely 
>>> put oils down the drain, and when I do they are cold and mixed with 
>>> Dawn to emulsify it. There isn't enough canopy for leaves or 
>>> squirrels to get in the roof vent.
>>>
>>> thanks,
>>> jim
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>>
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