Do vent stacks need a cleanout?

jb9

Hello,

I am wrestling with a venting issue of a kitchen sink/DW in a design I am working on. I have more or less decided to use a Studor mini-vent but I want to make sure my conventional vent stacks are well-designed and easy to check for obstructions should something occur that needs examination. My question is this. I know sometimes folks might have to climb a roof to verify if a main vent stack is clear. Could a vent stack have a cleanout installed so one could simply go into the attic and verify that things are ok? What would the fitting be and how would it be installed?

Thanks.

Larry Weingarten

Hello: This isn't really my field, but if the roof is difficult to work from, then installing a "wye" fitting with a cleanout adapter and plug in the attic is a good way to be able to snake down from the wye. It doesn't cover the vent pipe above the fitting. Also there is something called a "two way cleanout tee", which you could use with a cleanout adapter and plug as well. This would allow you to snake up and down. Installation depends on what sort of pipe you have in place now, basically using either no hubs or glued fittings. Now, somebody who actually knows can answer!

Yours, Larry

Abracadabra

You could use a 4" cleanout tee on the vent pipe in the attic. The bull of the tee is threaded for the plug.

gennady

I judge from NYC plumbing code point of view, which is stricter than the rest of the country codes. Vent stacks are not allowed to be used for drainage ( recently there were some exclusions), so they cannot get clogged. I had seen them clogged when people hanging out on the roofs just drop garbage or beer bottles into the the vent pipes.

Abracadabra

I don't believe the OP was asking to use a vent as a drain. I have found vents clogged with bird nests on more than one occasion. This was with cast iron, PVC might be more difficult for bird to lodge something in the pipe to start a nest, but I've seen birds and squirrels do some amazing things.

jumper

Why don't vents end in inverted U? Less crap will fall in. I've seen buildings where main drain is vented at both ends.Will that help when an appliance vent gets stuffed?