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Houston Plumber: What to Do About Clogged Plumbing Vents

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Any time you have a problem with your home’s plumbing system, it helps to call a Houston plumber. Your plumber can diagnose and fix the problem so you can get back to normal in no time and also avoid further damage to your home and plumbing. One common issue we see is a clogged plumbing vent. This can cause serious damage and often requires a professional to repair. In this article, you’ll learn more about plumbing vents, what to do when they’re clogged, and other important information about your home’s plumbing vents. 

Clogged Plumbing Vents? Call Your Houston Plumber

If you have a clogged plumbing vent or suspect your vent might be clogged, then it’s best to call your Houston plumber for help. Doing this can help you avoid damage to your system and also get the issue repaired quickly and safely. In many cases, clearing plumbing vent clogs requires special tools and accessing the vent from the roof. Therefore, this isn’t usually a good project for do-it-yourselfers. Calling your Houston plumbing company can help you avoid safety hazards and clear the clog quickly and effectively. 

What are Plumbing Vents?

Plumbing vents are a necessary part of every plumbing system. As water flows through the pipes in your plumbing system, it actually creates a vacuum. This makes it difficult for the water to flow toward the main sewer properly, which can lead to an increase in pressure inside your pipes. Over time, the pressure may build up and damage your home’s pipes. It can also cause wastewater to flow the opposite way, back toward the drain or fixture. 

To avoid this, you have plumbing vents throughout your system. Plumbing vents allow air into the system to reduce pressures and help water flow normally. They also help vent gross smells and potentially harmful fumes associated with wastewater and sewage. These vents are basically vertical pipes that attach to water pipes in your system. They all connect to the main vent pipe(s), which generally go all the way up to your roof. 

Signs to Call Your Houston Plumber for Clogged Plumbing Vents

Unfortunately, plumbing vents can become clogged over time with things like dirt, debris, leaves, or even pest infestations. When this happens, it reduces the amount of air that reaches your pipes and can cause the issues we mentioned earlier, like high pressures, sewer gasses, and sewage backup. Before this, you might notice other signs. Be on the lookout for these issues so you can call your Houston plumber to clear the vent before serious damage occurs to your plumbing system.

Gurgling Noises from Your Drains

One common sign of clogged plumbing vents is if you hear gurgling noises from drains and toilets. This is a sign that your plumbing system is starving for air and is essentially “gasping” to get enough air to properly drain. If you’ve ever tipped a water bottle over vertically to empty it, you’ve probably seen something similar. As the liquid comes out of the bottle, it pauses every so often to take in air bubbles and make a glug glug sound until the bottle is fully drained. Your plumbing system will do something similar if it can’t get enough air from the plumbing vents. 

Slow Moving Drains

Clogged plumbing vents can also cause slow-moving drains in your home. This can be a huge annoyance, especially when you’re trying to brush your teeth or wash dirty dishes in the sink. If you find yourself standing around thinking it’s taking forever for water to drain away, then you might have a problem with your plumbing vent.

Unfortunately, this is one sign that frequently gets ignored by homeowners. Many people don’t realize that this is a sign of a larger plumbing problem. Others might think the drain is simply clogged and try to use a drain cleaner to clear the blockage. Now, a slow moving drain is typically a sign of a drain blockage, but if you have multiple slow-moving drains in your house, then it’s actually probably either a blocked plumbing vent or main sewer line. In any case, you’ll need help from your Houston plumber to diagnose and repair the problem. 

Bad Smells

Another sign to watch out for is bad smells in your home. Specifically, look for odors that indicate sewer gas in your home. Sewer gas typically smells like rotting eggs or food and can contain some noxious gasses like methane, ammonia, and hydrogen sulfide. Exposure can even make some people ill, leading to symptoms like fatigue, headaches, dizziness, and nausea. 

When plumbing vents become clogged, they can’t allow sewer gasses to escape the plumbing system. Instead, they become trapped and can leak back into your home, which causes these unwanted odors. If you’re smelling sewer gas, then call your Houston plumber for help. This can be a sign of clogged plumbing vents as well as cracked pipes, loose toilets, clogged drains, or drain leaks. 

How Your Houston Plumber Fixes Clogged Plumbing Vents

If you think you have a clogged plumbing vent, your Houston plumber will inspect the pipe to find the blockage. It may be just at the entrance of the pipe or it may be that debris has gotten inside the pipe. The first step is to locate the plumbing vent. There may be several vertical pipes in your roof, including exhaust pipes for bathroom fans, HVAC vents, or vent pipes for kitchen hoods. Your plumber will find the right pipe and identify the clog. Depending on the type of clog, we may need to use special tools to clear the clog completely, such as a plumbing snake. 

What About Damaged Plumbing Vent Pipes?

Now, clogs aren’t the only potential issue you might experience with plumbing vents. Like any other part of your plumbing system, they may become damaged, whether from wear and tear or from things like recent roofing services. You might even damage the vent yourself if you’ve been walking around on the roof lately. 

If you have a damaged vent pipe, it probably needs replacement by your Houston plumber. Corrosion, cracks, and breakages can all lead to issues with your plumbing system and could cause sewer gasses to leak into your home. Our team can replace the vent to ensure your plumbing system is in good condition.

Choose Santhoff as Your Go-To Houston Plumbing Company

Taking care of your plumbing system is easy with our team at Santhoff Plumbing. We offer top-quality plumbing services for every situation, from repairs to remodels. You can rely on our team to provide friendly, expert service no matter the issue. When you need immediate repairs, we are your trusted Houston emergency plumber available 24/7 to help you quickly, day, night, weekend, or holiday. Contact us today to request service or call our emergency line at (713) 360-2185.

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