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Old Vent Cap at Curb?

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Javelin
Javelin Member Posts: 138
in Plumbing
Hi Plumbing Pros.. I have an old vent near the curb at the bottom of my driveway that was completely compacted with dirt and debris, so I tries to pull of the old rusted cover and it cracked!... So the good news is that the vent is clear now, but I have a broken cover with an odd "bell" shaped filter of some sort attached. Ideally I'm looking for just a replacement "top" part so I don't have to bust up the concrete or anything, but don't know where to look. Please see attached photos... Any idea?





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  • JUGHNE
    JUGHNE Member Posts: 11,061
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    What is it venting?
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 9,646
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    Looks like a drain with a strainer.
    ethicalpaulSTEVEusaPA
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,524
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    @mattmia2

    Agree
  • JUGHNE
    JUGHNE Member Posts: 11,061
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    Yes, I agree, I was misled by the term vent being used.
    Good chance it is full of dirt?
    Garden hose would tell you, does it seem to be somewhere above your sewer line?
    Or it could be piped into the storm sewer if you have one there.
  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 23,286
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    That was a drain, with a nice cover and strainer to keep big chunks out. Question is... does it go into a storm drain, or into a combined sewer? And there is no simple way to tell (although you could try flushing a water closet in the house and seeing if you can hear it -- doesn't always work). If it goes into a storm drain, you may be able to find a cover with holes to maintain the draining capability. Doesn't have to have the strainer. If, on the other hand, it goes into a sanitary or combined sewer, your municipal sewer people will be very happy if you put a solid cover on it to try and keep storm water out.
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 9,646
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    Sometimes they just go someplace at a lower elevation too.
  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 23,286
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    mattmia2 said:

    Sometimes they just go someplace at a lower elevation too.

    True. Ask me someday about the sanitary sewer I found at a mansion in northern Vermont...
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
    mattmia2
  • Javelin
    Javelin Member Posts: 138
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    Thank you all for your comments.. figured I'd post a follow up... As far as I can tell it's a vent for the storm water drainage from an detached garage.. I pumped a hose for a while into the gutter and could hear it down at this trap at the bottom of the driveway.. I flushed a toilet in the bathroom above the garage and did NOT hear anything, so I think it's only stormwater (which I guess makes sense).

    So obviously no luck getting a replacement at a bunch of local plumbing supply houses - they haven't seen anything like this, so what I did was get a more modern "cube" sort of cover and I ground off the edges and trimmed it up a bit to fit. It's a pretty tight fit as it is, but I am considering putting a dab or two of silicone caulk in the corners to "glue" it to the existing collar. All in all, it looks pretty nice (if I do say so myself) :)

    See attached images.

    PC7060
  • Javelin
    Javelin Member Posts: 138
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    and to be clear, I have no idea if it's ACTUALLY a vent.. it could just be a drain with a sort of strainer, but whatever it is down near the curb, if I take off the top and shine a flashlight down, I can see moving storm water.. I was under the impression that things needed to vent at the curb trap, but maybe this is more of a drain at the bottom of the driveway, though I can't see how it would actually capture that much run-off/water.. there is no channel to funnel water into it at all.
  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 23,286
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    That's not a vent. It's a storm drain inlet. That it isn't low enough to actually take storm water is sadly common...
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
    mattmia2

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