Hello. I live in a wide line cape. There is no bathroom upstairs but I plan on putting one in (at the top of the stairs) or having someone do it for me.

Here is my question: The vent pipe for the entire house runs up from the basement straight through the room at the top of the stairs, through the attic and out the roof.

Can I cut this vent pipe below the floor line, insert an angle coupling, route this pipe through an inside wall, insert another angle and reconnect to the part of the pipe that runs through my roof?

If so, is this easy? Would most dyi's do this themselves? What concerns would I need to consider (i.e. water, air pressure, etc.)?

Thank you very much!

Jesse

 

What you are proposing can be done, probably. Depends on if there are already any elbows or bends in the vent. UPC only allows a vent to have (4) 90 degrees turns in it, and any turn of 45 degrees or more is considered a 90. Making the turn below the floor line, and the next turn to get it running vertacally through the wall will require using (2) 90 degree elbows. Would you have room, once you get it into the attic, to use bends that are 30 degrees or less to get back to the stack going through the roof?

Addtionally, how big is this vent pipe and what kind, and how many fixtures does it currently serve? You may or may not be able to add any additional fixturres to it. Easy enough to get around that, IF it's a problem -- simply use a seperate vent stack for the new bathroom.

It's a vent. There is no water or air pressure involved. Just an empty pipe. The biggest problem you may run into would be access to make the horizontal run at the floor line.

 

I didn't know about the "4 bend" restriction. I do not currently know how many bends this pipe currently has. I will have to look into this.

Whether or not I add the new bathroom to this vent pipe, I still need to "bury" it within a wall (it is literally right in the middle of the room). I'm guessing that If I can't "bend back" and re-connect the pipe in the attic, I would have to terminate the existing pipe that sticks through my room and cut in a new one? So, if I need to do this and if there are too many fixtures being handled by my existing vent, I might have three pipes sticking out of my roof- one old one, one replacement and one new one.

Sounds right?

** I currently have one tub, one shower stall, two toilets, three sinks and a washing machine currently being handled by the existing vent pipe.

What do you think? Did I reach my max yet?

Thank you so much!
Jesse

 

What size is the existing vent in the attic now?



For Lefty,

What chapter and section of the UPC code says no more then four 90's on the vent?

 

The size (circumference) of the pipe is 14.5 inches.

All I did was wrap a tape measure around the circumference of the pipe. Let me know if you were looking for some other measurement.

Also, there is stamping on the pipe that says:

SALEM AVG WT 60LBS 4

Thank you.
Jesse

 

Sounds like it is 4"

You can tie the new bathroom into this vent, make sure the vent pipe is a min of 2" for that new bathroom. at least the vent for toilet all the way to the existing vent must be 2"

 

Just for my own knowledge, what do you mean by "sounds like it is 4"? What is 4 inches?

Also, you said that the minimum the vent pipe should be for the new bathroom is 2". Does this mean that I would use a pipe with a smaller circumference for the bathroom? I guess only the "Main Vent" pipe needs to be as large as it is?

Also, does this mean that I can add 4 elbows in order to get this pipe out from the middle of my room (as previously mentioned)?

Thank you for all of your information.
Jesse

 

4" is the inside diameter of the pipe.

As far as I can tell and I have reseached it, you can have more then 4 elbows if needed on the vent pipe.


To see an example copy, to view this link

http://atozplumbing.com/50080000.jpg

 

That's great! Thank you again for all of your guidance!

 

Regarding the "4 bend rule" I mentioned earlier -- I think you can forget it. That was mentioned in a LOCAL code book, not the UPC. (I grabbed the wrong book at 4:30 this morning -- BEFORE my second cup of coffee!!) When I called that particular jurisdiction about it, THEIR comment was "OOPS!!" They came up with some line about it being an oversight -- a leftover from some UPC requirement from the '80's or something.

jlock82, that DOES bring up another issue though. Depending on where you are at in the U.S., different codes can and do apply. Even though Ron, Old Guy, myself, or whoever tell you one thing in this forum, you should check with the bldg. dept. that YOU have to deal with to find out what THEY require. A case in point -- about a month ago there was a thread in this forum about lead and okum caulked joints. Seems that in Chicago, they are required below grade. I'm in CA -- I couldn't buy the lead to make one even if I wanted to!! And my dad got rid of his tools to make these joints while I was still in high school (DO NOT ASK HOW LONG AGO THAT WAS!!)

 

Closest thing inregards to any bends and requirements in UPC is section 706. Covered under drainage not venting.
Absolute best advice already given...
TALK TO A LOCAL INSPECTOR

To lefty and Plumber2000

Look at the last sentence of Appendix B UPC 1997...couldn't pass this one up guys...

 

Thanks to all of you. It sound like I have some homework to do...