Plumbing Code Violation Experiences: Macerating Toilets Legal or Illegal

Plumbing Code Violation Experiences: Macerating Toilets Legal or Illegal: Is it against code to install a Macerating Toilet Wanting to add a existing bathroom to your basement or your slab home is a major expens...

Automatic Venting Great Device or Not?

Common Plumbing Code Violation

Drain Venting

Air Admittance Valves (AAV) and Mechanical Vents

Why do we need Venting on drain lines and What is it?

 Without venting, our drains would hardly work, and they would make gulping noises due to negative air pressure in the lines.  When water moves down our drains the empty space that was filled with air now needs to be replenished with more air.  Our drain system can be related to a full bottle of water being emptied.  If we take the cap off of the bottle and turn it upside down to empty the bottle, we will notice 2 reactions occurring.  

1.      The bottle creates a vacuum which sucks air into the bottle to help drain the water more quickly.  We will feel the bottle jump and make a gulping noise while the water is draining.

2.      We will notice the bottle being pulled together at the top where the air is replacing the water.

v  The reason the bottle starts to gulp air inside is because we are creating negative pressure.  By tipping the bottle completely upside down we close off its only entrance for air or water to pass through.  The bottle is trying to replace the area that was once occupied with water for an exchange of air.  The reason the bottle actually jumps and gulps has to do with the amount of water that is trying to be released.  We can refer to the water pressure caused by the gravity as head pressure.   The amount of head pressure blocking the outlet of the bottle will determine how much velocity and force it takes to make the bottle jump.

v  The bottle is being squeezed together at the top while draining because of negative air pressure in the bottle.  Negative air pressure is created when a closed room or container is being deprived of the air inside of it.  Referring back to our plastic bottle example, the plastic is ductile so it makes the bottle suck together where it is lacking air.   

Click here to check out what happens when you improperly vent a tanker car, this is an extremely interesting example of what kind of force negative pressure can have.

These are major concerns with the venting of your drain pipes.  Another concern is the added pressure when drains tend to back up.  Vents also allow for another place for drain pressure to escape.  Sometimes when a home’s drain line backs up, it will push the water or sewage through the main vent stack.  This may cause the water to come out of the stack opening on the roof.  This would be referred to as positive air pressure.

Venting allows for the air in the line that is being filled with water to be replaced immediately with more air.  This will sustain a neutral air pressure which will allow your drains to work properly.  Properly working drains always keeps a sufficient amount of water in the traps.  Drain traps are extremely important without them sewer gas would be present in our home.  The sewer gas is terrible for anyone’s health and should not be breathed in.  Without proper venting the water that is supposed to be in the trap may be siphoned into the line in order to change the negative air pressure back to neutral.  An absence in water leaves the line wide open to your homes main sewer line, this is where the sewer gas will enter your home.

Air Admittance Valves (AAV) or Mechanical Vents

AAV’s or Mechanical vents work on a spring loaded valve that will let air in.  When positive pressure comes up through the line it closes up tightly, not letting any water or air escape.  These devices are basically check valves that only allows air to be sucked into the system.

Most of the time we see these devices underneath the sink in the vanity or buried in the wall.  The technology has developed significantly over the years.  With new technology and extensive testing, a more reliable product has been developed. 

Mechanical Vent was the original term for these devices.  I feel the term has been changed to AAV so that people will use them.  Changing the name has confused many when trying to decipher the plumbing codes.  A Mechanical vent is the same as an Air Admittance Valve in all code books. 

Why someone might use a AAV?

Sometimes you may run into a situation were the main vent stack or any branch vents are no were close to where you want to put a sink, toilet, or shower.  This makes it possible to vent your drains in the hardest spots.  You also may have existing piping or HVAC Ducts in the ways of here you need to run your vent pipe.   AAV’s gives you a cost effective solution to adding or moving your drains. 

Some plumbers and home owners find this to be an amazing product to complete their task.  But the best plumbers will complete your job the right way the first time, so you will never have any unexpected issues later down the line.

Are AAV Compliant to Code?

The simple answer to this is “No”.  In the state of Illinois, the code strictly permits against the use of a mechanical vent or AAV.  As far as code goes for Residential and Commercial work you will want to check with your Local Municipal Inspectors. In some cases, the village may allow the use of this device.  You must know that every city is slightly different with their codes but in most cases throughout the United States they are not allowed and should not be allowed.  Let’s take a look at what venting systems are used by the best Plumbing Companies.

Difference between a dry and wet vent

A Dry vent is a simple one drain system where the vent will not serve as another’s drain.

 

A wet vent will tie into another fixtures drain, thus the term wet drain.  A wet vent may share a common vent stack but will tie in at different heights. 

v  A simple example of a wet vent would be a bathroom were the main vent stack is offset to one side of the room.  The toilets drain will run directly to the main stack were it goes out to the sewer and is vent from the stack that goes to the room.  Now the sink will run a vent branch up to the stack and the drain will tie into the toilets drain pipe before the toilet vents in the stack.

Types Plumbing Venting

Common Vent/Drain System

A common venting system is where drain lines tie into the main stack at different places on the main stack.  These drains use the stack as the vent and drain pipe.  They may be back to back drains on one floor or multiple drains on different floors.

Branch Venting

Is extremely common in homes it is were drains share a branch vent pipe which ties into the main stack.

Loop Venting The vent goes up and loops back down and ties back into the drain line for the fixture.  Commonly only used for sinks.  This system is normally allowed for single sink systems like in a kitchen island where it is impossible to tie into a vertical stack.  Some Municipalities allow one loop vent per house.  Before the loop vent ties back into the drain it can either branch off to be properly vented or not.

Circuit Venting

Circuit venting is used for multiple fixtures using a common drain.  We encounter these types of drains in public bathrooms or large kitchen.  All Fixtures drain into a vertical drain pipe which runs to a vertical stack to drain.  The venting will run from the vertical stack in the ceiling and tie into the top of the drain pipe at the furthest fixture from the vertical stack.  A Relief vent may be installed in the middle of the horizontal branch to help drainage.

No Hub Rubber mission couplings Code Violation or Not?

Plumbing Code Violations

No Hub Mission Couplings are Rubber sleeves that fit over your pipes  to be connected and is tightened with a hose clamp.  There are 2 types of Mission couplings Banded and Non- Banded.  Banded Couplings have a metal sleeve over the rubber coupling and non banded is just a rubber coupling with no metal sleeve around it.  If you hire a licensed plumber to do work for you they should know all plumbing codes in your area.
   
Non- Banded Mission Couplings                                               Banded Mission Couplings
                                               


Lets look at the positives of these products as a whole.

• These are both extremely flexible couplings that are well suited for tight spaces but the Non-Banded Couplings tend to  have slightly more flexibility.
• These Couplings create an excellent seal around pipes when tightened downed, regardless of pipe line up.
• The Stainless Steel banding clamps are the best protection against corrosion.  These clamps last for years with no noticeable corrosion whether under ground or in your home they are made of the best corrosive resistant material.  
• With a quality No-Hub rubber coupling the rubber is composed of Natural and Synthetic materials that are extremely Strong, Ductile, and Superior Weathering properties which means no dry rotting. 

So are these couplings CODE and Why?

The major concerns or risks of using these couplings.  Well under pressure the un-banded couplings can expand and possibly burst, leaking sewage.  As we all know raw aged sewage can be a huge health hazard that is not suited for people to be around.  The banded couplings on the other hand can with stand extreme pressure.  There are many different grades of  banded couplings that may withstand different pressure levels and applications.

So as far as the plumbing codes go, every local establishments have different requirements.  As a rule of thumb and many years of experience we know the un-banded couplings to be a code violation in most towns in Illinois.  So a skilled plumber will know your locals codes and if the are allowed.  In most cases these couplings are sufficient for low pressure drain systems.  As far as the banded couplings go there is still local codes that  may be against these types of connections.  The stainless bands can withstand extreme pressure & blow-outs and the numerous types of grades and applications.  Many of these banded couplings are approved for underground usage and are code approved.

Conclusion

In a nutshell your plumbing professional should be kin to your local plumbing code and should have a better sense of where and when these couplings should be used.  As I said though the un-banded are usually a code violation and the banded coupling are strong enough to be a code approved product.  If you are located in the Southside and suburbs of Chicago Illinois www.rcszaboplumbing.com will provide you with the best plumbing service at a reasonable price. 

Macerating Toilets Legal or Illegal

Is it against code to install a Macerating Toilet

Wanting to add a existing bathroom to your basement or your slab home is a major expense and project.  Traditional plumbing methods will require you to break up your concrete slab to run the drain lines under the concrete to an ejector pit.  From the ejector pit the the ejector pump, pumps the waste into your main sewer line and out of your home.  Average cost's of the traditional ejector system can vary in price depending on your current plumbing system.

Macerating Toilets have praised for how compact and convenient and a money saver they are.  They give many people the peace of mind of completing their project.  Up Flush toilets are extremely easy to put in and many times they can be hooked up and ready for service within a day.  Another benefit  is the extremely portable, if you had a recent thought of moving the bathroom that is no big deal.  With the easy set up just run the existing pipe to the new location and you are ready to go.  Many of the faults in the toilets have been worked out of them over the years, now the technology is close to perfected with minimal issues.

So why don't people install these toilets everywhere?

A recent call to place a bid on re-plumbing a basement bathroom left the homeowner stressed and baffled when the village inspector said it all had to be redone.  The homeowner explained he had a licensed plumber install the toilet and he did not understand why it is not up to code.  I did not have a  very good answer for him.  The village inspector said that all macerating toilets are not code in Illinois.  After I made it  home later that night I combed over the Illinois state plumbing code I did not uncover any information on the toilets being outlawed.  After searching the internet endlessly I could not uncover any information on this.  So what I did find out later is that many villages have local in house codes against them.

Why you might ask?  

Is to keep people from completing the jobs them selves, hiring un-licensed under qualified people from working, and to make sure work is done properly the first time.  Many times we have to bite the bullet and obey the codes in our village.  If you hired a experienced licensed plumber he will know that you should not install a macerating toilet in your home.  Plumbing codes have developed over the years and in many states macerating toilets are widely accepted but in Illinois especially in cook county we hold the most stringent building codes in the nation.  With that being said we must obey our state and local building codes.

So is it code to install a Up Flush system in your home?

The simple answer is check with your local plumbing inspector at your village hall.


So what will happen if I install this system in my home anyway?

If you ever plan on selling your home the inspector, if he notices, will make you take out the system and hard pipe it the right way.  The typical macerating system has a 1.5" vent line when all residential plumbing requires a 2" vent to your main vent stack which needs to be at least a 3" line.  So in addition to breaking up the concrete and running the drain pipes under your foundation to an ejector pit, you will need to take out the 1.5" vent pipe and replace it with 2".

Many times you will loose value to your home which you thought you added by adding the additional bathroom or you will spend the extra money if feasible to run the new plumbing for your bathroom.  Many people find it more cost effective at that point in order to sell there home they will remove there bathroom.  But a skilled licensed plumbing company can complete the whole job with in 2 days.

Hope you have the best of luck on your new bathroom addition, if you are located in the south suburbs of Chicago, IL you can check out www.RCSzaboPlumbing.com