Plumbing vent pipe leak!!

[G]

Ok, so I found the leak I referenced in my previous post...but the problem is, it only occurs when I run a hose INTO the plumbing vent pipe, the flashing & rubber gasket AROUND the pipe are in perfect condition.

So my question now is....everywhere I read states that a plumbing vent pipe should NOT need a cap. Given that mine leaks when it rains and/or I run a hose into it, can I get away with just capping the pipe (obviously not restricting the air flow)? Or do I have much bigger problems than that? It does not drip when we take showers or use water in the house, only when it rains...

Tnx!

[G]

I have a bi-level ranch, just moved in, first house so

> excuse any mis-terming of items. > > In the 2-car garage, the main sewage drain pipe that is > angled into the ground always drips (slowly about every > 15 seconds) whenever it rains, no other times at all. > The pipe seems to have 2 others connecting to it, from > the right & left. I can't cut the sheetrock to get a > better view of the vertical dripping because there is a > horizontal wood beam blocking my view of the drainage > pipe if I were to stick my head up into the ceiling > sheetrock. > > I checked the attic while it rained hard and there are > no obvious leaks and all the roof openings are bone dry > with cobwebs around some of them. My house also has 2 > overhangs, both sloping away from the house along w/ the > gutters which are leak-free. > > The only culprit I can think of is that for some reason, > the vent pipe sticking out of my roof (not from the > furnace, that one is covered), collects water whenever > it rains and that water finds it's way out of a perhaps > broken seal or something somewhere and it hugs the pipe > down into the garage. Because the roof water vent pipe > seems to be directly above the problem area in the > garage...I was going to try 2 things to fix this even > though I'm not sure where the drip starts from: > 1. Cover the vent pipe (not sealed, just to prevent rain > water getting in, but air will still get in/out) > 2. Water sections of my roof/gutters with a hose to try > and re-create the leak and figure out where it is coming > from.... > > Any other ideas? Unless of course it is somehow coming > from where my raised deck is bolted to the side of the > house, but I find that to be a stretch of the > imagination.... > > Thanks!!!

Ok, so I found the leak I referenced in my previous post...but the problem is, it only occurs when I run a hose INTO the plumbing vent pipe, the flashing & rubber gasket AROUND the pipe are in perfect condition.

So my question now is....everywhere I read states that a plumbing vent pipe should NOT need a cap. Given that mine leaks when it rains and/or I run a hose into it, can I get away with just capping the pipe (obviously not restricting the air flow)? Or do I have much bigger problems than that? It does not drip when we take showers or use water in the house, only when it rains...

Tnx!

[Speedy Jim]

You can try a simple way to prevent rain entering by adding a 180 deg "Return Bend" to the vent terminal:

If rain water really is wicking out of a joint, it could be sealed with more PVC cement or even RTV. It's not critical since it's not under pressure. I don't think I'd attempt taking the fittings apart as you'll likely end up with a much bigger project...

Jim

[G]

Thanks, I was going to go to Home Depot to see if they had something like that. I looked down the vent pipe in the attic, can only see about 2 feet down though, but it looks like the morons who renovated the bathroom (I just bought the place a few weeks ago), seemed to have driven at least one nail (because I can see it), and I'm asuming a few more, into the vent pipe because the bathroom sheetrock is right next to the vent pipe. The schmucks must have thought it was a stud or something, who knows...So I'm sure that the vent pipe must be leaking around a puncture wound somewhere in the house and I'm not planning on ripping apart my house to find out where (I wish I had one of those snake light camera's like they use at the pyramids).

Since it doesn't seem to drip/leak when I use my plumbing fixtures, I'm going to assume that the leak starts somewhere ABOVE all the joint areas and hopefully a nice long-term remedy will be that 180 deg "Return Bend" as you suggest. I guess the worst thing is that I'll have a tiny bit of air escaping from the vent pipe into the house, but I assume it won't be enough to cause problems with smells & things like that.....

Sound about right on all this?

[Speedy Jim]

Yep~!

[PipeDown]

As long as when you run the water into the vent from the roof and most of the water goes to the drain, you are ok, if the vent is filling up then overflowing from the hole into the house, you have a seperate problem and need to clear that clog as well.

If it does drain, the leak is probably at a bend where the pipe runs nearly vertical for short distance.