Hear the flush outside

[dolot]

We just bought a new home - well, new to us, that is - about 3 months ago. The home is about 10 years old. Recently we noticed that if you're out on the back porch and flush the toilet in the master bedroom, you can hear all the toilet sounds through the vent pipe. It's not far from the porch - maybe 10 feet?

Is this normal?

 

[Mr_David]

Most all newer homes have plastic drain pipes.
You ever see the BLUEMAN group play the pipes. They do have the tendency to transmit noise

 

[dolot]

I've had newer built homes before with plastic pipes - my last house was actually newer than our current one - but I've never noticed the noise before. I've never taken note before as to the location or size of the vent pipes. On our current house, the vent pipe looks like a 3".

Never have seen the Blueman group.

 

[CT18]

Especially if it's schedule 30 plastic, very thin and noisy.

 

[frodo]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeOb-LcYWgQ"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeOb-LcYWgQ[/ame]


just for you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Mr_David]

That video does not do them justice.
They have so many great acts.
They put on a great show.

The noise is probably just the right combination of pitch and shape of roof, and location of where you sit.

Don't think that is a very common thing.
Maybe stick a fitting on the top of the pipe to redirect the noise away from where you sit outside.

 

[Matt30]

I saw the blue man group in Orlando.....awesome, awesome, awesome show.

I loved the PVC drum set!

 

[dolot]

The noise is probably just the right combination of pitch and shape of roof, and location of where you sit.

Don't think that is a very common thing.
Maybe stick a fitting on the top of the pipe to redirect the noise away from where you sit outside.

It doesn't really bother me that much - but my wife is very paranoid that something is wrong with the plumbing. We had a leak develop in the shower in the guest bath not long after we moved in - and that cost several thousand $ in restoration work. Then we had this issue where there was gurgling coming from the washing machine drain every time you flushed the toilet in the MB. That was caused by some kind of air inlet valve in the attic. We took that off and that problem went away. So my wife is just concerned that whoever plumbed this place didn't do it right and we have more horrible things in store for the future. So that's why I wanted to check it out.

Thanks much, guys!

 

[phishfood]

It doesn't really bother me that much - but my wife is very paranoid that something is wrong with the plumbing. We had a leak develop in the shower in the guest bath not long after we moved in - and that cost several thousand $ in restoration work. Then we had this issue where there was gurgling coming from the washing machine drain every time you flushed the toilet in the MB. That was caused by some kind of air inlet valve in the attic. We took that off and that problem went away. So my wife is just concerned that whoever plumbed this place didn't do it right and we have more horrible things in store for the future. So that's why I wanted to check it out.

Thanks much, guys!

Removing the air admittance valve in the attic will allow sewer gasses (and sewer bugs) to get into the attic. If the AAV was defective, then it should be replaced. If the piping is installed incorrectly, and there is positive pressure building up in the drainage system, then the vent needs to be extended above the roof.

 

[Matt30]

Why even have an AAV in the attic? You're 3/4 of the way done doing it properly. Get that to the outside!

 

[dolot]

Why even have an AAV in the attic? You're 3/4 of the way done doing it properly. Get that to the outside!

I wondered that myself - it ain't like this was an afterthought. The plumbing company said they would charge me $307 to tie the vent with the AAV into the main vent - the one that I hear the flush sounds through.

 

[dolot]

Removing the air admittance valve in the attic will allow sewer gasses (and sewer bugs) to get into the attic. If the AAV was defective, then it should be replaced. If the piping is installed incorrectly, and there is positive pressure building up in the drainage system, then the vent needs to be extended above the roof.

I wondered about that. If it's an AAV, then why wasn't it admitting air? Do they get clogged or something?

I don't actually have a sewer - it's on a septic system.

 

[KULTULZ]

I wondered about that. If it's an AAV, then why wasn't it admitting air? Do they get clogged or something?

I don't actually have a sewer - it's on a septic system.

They do fail.

 

[phishfood]

Sewer gasses are developed in septic systems, for the same reasons that sewer gas is developed in public sewer systems. And bugs, as well.