W
willWohnen8 Jun 2015 16:58Hello,
A colleague who built a house last year pointed something out to me. Unfortunately, it wasn’t very clear, and I don’t fully understand it yet. I would need to ask first whether this is planned for our project.
He said that bathrooms on upper floors might have an issue that doesn’t occur in bathrooms on the ground floor. In his case, they had to add a “shaft” late in the construction phase. The purpose of this shaft would be some kind of ventilation, which is supposed to prevent unpleasant odors from the sewer system coming through the bathroom drains.
That’s the best I can explain it.
Help.
Best regards
A colleague who built a house last year pointed something out to me. Unfortunately, it wasn’t very clear, and I don’t fully understand it yet. I would need to ask first whether this is planned for our project.
He said that bathrooms on upper floors might have an issue that doesn’t occur in bathrooms on the ground floor. In his case, they had to add a “shaft” late in the construction phase. The purpose of this shaft would be some kind of ventilation, which is supposed to prevent unpleasant odors from the sewer system coming through the bathroom drains.
That’s the best I can explain it.
Help.
Best regards
Every drainage system for toilets, washbasins, showers, bathtubs, sinks, etc. must include a common stack pipe, which professionals call a soil stack, and it needs to be vented through the roof.
Without this ventilation, the water traps at the fixtures mentioned above will be sucked dry when a toilet is flushed. Why? When you flush a toilet, a large amount of water is suddenly introduced into the drain pipe. For the water to flow freely down the soil stack, air has to be drawn in from above. This air is pulled in through the roof vent. If this venting is missing or insufficient, the volume of water from the toilet flush will draw air from the drainage system where there is the least resistance, which is usually at the traps of the bathtub and shower. These traps have the lowest siphon heights of around 1–2cm (0.4–0.8 inches). If such a trap is sucked dry, the drain ventilation happens at this point instead, causing unpleasant odors.
In roof installations, which are often added later on, ventilation of the drain pipes is frequently overlooked or inadequate, leading to the unpleasant sewer odors mentioned here. This can also happen if you go on vacation and these low-height traps dry out. In this case, pouring a small amount of antifreeze like Glysantin or salad oil into the traps helps prevent evaporation.
Best regards, Leo
Without this ventilation, the water traps at the fixtures mentioned above will be sucked dry when a toilet is flushed. Why? When you flush a toilet, a large amount of water is suddenly introduced into the drain pipe. For the water to flow freely down the soil stack, air has to be drawn in from above. This air is pulled in through the roof vent. If this venting is missing or insufficient, the volume of water from the toilet flush will draw air from the drainage system where there is the least resistance, which is usually at the traps of the bathtub and shower. These traps have the lowest siphon heights of around 1–2cm (0.4–0.8 inches). If such a trap is sucked dry, the drain ventilation happens at this point instead, causing unpleasant odors.
In roof installations, which are often added later on, ventilation of the drain pipes is frequently overlooked or inadequate, leading to the unpleasant sewer odors mentioned here. This can also happen if you go on vacation and these low-height traps dry out. In this case, pouring a small amount of antifreeze like Glysantin or salad oil into the traps helps prevent evaporation.
Best regards, Leo
W
willWohnen8 Jun 2015 21:47@Tubifex: Thanks a lot for the clear explanation. Now I understand it.
With this understanding, I just asked my husband, and he says there is already such a pipe installed in our gable wall.
I hadn’t noticed it before; all pipes just looked like pipes to me.
And on the roof, a regular roof tile will be replaced with a special ventilated tile connected to that pipe.
Hopefully, this means no more unpleasant odors from the showers.
Another positive point checked off, very nice.
Best regards
With this understanding, I just asked my husband, and he says there is already such a pipe installed in our gable wall.
I hadn’t noticed it before; all pipes just looked like pipes to me.
And on the roof, a regular roof tile will be replaced with a special ventilated tile connected to that pipe.
Hopefully, this means no more unpleasant odors from the showers.
Another positive point checked off, very nice.
Best regards
Hello everyone,
I’d like to join the discussion here. We’re currently facing an unpleasant issue with this ventilation pipe.
We live in a top-floor apartment, and our bedroom only has two skylights (which, by the way, I wouldn’t recommend!).
Some evenings, we can’t open the windows because there’s a sewer-like smell outside. There is an airflow coming from the ventilation pipe over the roof that goes directly into our skylights... Is this normal, or should there be some kind of flap or valve in the pipe? It’s definitely very annoying because in the evenings you can’t just ventilate freely—you always have to check if it “smells” outside.
I’d like to join the discussion here. We’re currently facing an unpleasant issue with this ventilation pipe.
We live in a top-floor apartment, and our bedroom only has two skylights (which, by the way, I wouldn’t recommend!).
Some evenings, we can’t open the windows because there’s a sewer-like smell outside. There is an airflow coming from the ventilation pipe over the roof that goes directly into our skylights... Is this normal, or should there be some kind of flap or valve in the pipe? It’s definitely very annoying because in the evenings you can’t just ventilate freely—you always have to check if it “smells” outside.
Hello,
if your roof ventilation is located near roof windows or dormers, the vent pipe should be extended higher toward the ridge of the roof. Installing a flap as you suggested is not allowed.
The same issue applies to chimney outlets, but in that case it is life-threatening if exhaust gases enter living spaces. You need to consider your roof ventilation for the wastewater vent pipe in the same way—raising the vent pipe higher is the only solution.
A plumber must comply with the requirements of DIN 1986, which clearly states:
"If a vent pipe opens near habitable rooms, it must be extended at least 1 meter (3 feet) above the window lintel or be routed at least 2 meters (6.5 feet) laterally away from the window opening." As many professionals have demanded in recent years, this clear instruction from the old DIN 1986, Part 1, has been included in the new standard.
Simply measure to see if this is where the system error lies.
Leo
if your roof ventilation is located near roof windows or dormers, the vent pipe should be extended higher toward the ridge of the roof. Installing a flap as you suggested is not allowed.
The same issue applies to chimney outlets, but in that case it is life-threatening if exhaust gases enter living spaces. You need to consider your roof ventilation for the wastewater vent pipe in the same way—raising the vent pipe higher is the only solution.
A plumber must comply with the requirements of DIN 1986, which clearly states:
"If a vent pipe opens near habitable rooms, it must be extended at least 1 meter (3 feet) above the window lintel or be routed at least 2 meters (6.5 feet) laterally away from the window opening." As many professionals have demanded in recent years, this clear instruction from the old DIN 1986, Part 1, has been included in the new standard.
Simply measure to see if this is where the system error lies.
Leo
Similar topics