![]() We will make every effort to use a caulk that closely matches the color of the surrounding siding however in some cases the holes may be noticeable upon close inspection. These holes will be filled with caulk when the testing is completed. 3/16” holes will be placed under most windows and other possible moisture entry areas. We use standard industry practices for conducting the moisture tests, which includes the use of a penetrating probe meter to verify the moisture content of the structural wood and sheathing of the building. Any security systems will need to be shut off during the testing, which can take several hours. We should have access to all parts of the exterior. In order to perform this inspection, we need the permission of the owner. A moisture inspection of your property has been requested. Structure Tech specializes in the moisture testing of buildings for the purpose of determining if there is moisture located behind the exterior wall cladding. We cannot perform the moisture testing requested by the buyers without this form being signed. This form must be completed and signed prior to us conducting any moisture testing. Chewed up plumbing vents (darn squirrels)Īuthor: Reuben Saltzman, Structure Tech Home Inspections.In next week’s blog post, I’ll discuss air admittance valves devices that are designed to take the place of individual fixture vents without running pipes through the roof. This happens when there is no vent present, the vent is obstructed, or the vent is improperly installed. If you hear a gurgling noise after water has drained out of a fixture, what you’re hearing is air getting siphoned through the trap. The vent allows water to pull air instead. This is because the water that had left the fixture was helping to pull water out. ![]() You’ll notice that the unvented fixture actually drained about 2 seconds faster than the vented drain. ![]() I used clear tubing for simplicity, but the physics are the same. To help demonstrate this, I made a video showing the difference between a vented drain and an unvented drain. In my blog about S-traps, I included a quick video clip of an unvented drain having water siphoned out of it, leaving the trap with far less water than it should have had. When a lot of water drains through a plumbing fixture, it can be enough water to create a siphon effect, which has the potential to pull water right out of the plumbing trap. I can’t think of any instance where this could possibly happen.Īs I mentioned in last week’s blog post, every plumbing fixture has a trap, which prevents sewer gas from entering the building. If you wanted to re-create the soda bottle analogy, you would need to block off the top of the plumbing fixture and then try to drain the water out. This analogy doesn’t hold water because the top side of every plumbing fixture is wide open. Once you put a hole in the top, water drains out very quickly because air can replace the water as it drains. You watch the water glug out while air replaces it, and this makes it drain slowly. The common, improper analogy is to talk about dumping a soda bottle upside down. You may have heard that plumbing fixtures will drain faster when they’re vented properly, but it’s not true. They also prevent back-pressure on traps, but today the focus is on siphoning. Let me repeat that: plumbing vents prevent traps from being siphoned. Plumbing vents prevent traps from being siphoned. Vents are frequently connected together inside the attic, which allows for fewer penetrations in the roof. All residential plumbing fixtures need to be protected by a plumbing vent. They’re those pipes sticking up out of the roof that run through the attic and through the rest of the house. When it comes to first time home buyers, one of the least understood components of a home seems to be plumbing vents. ![]() They don’t make fixtures drain faster in fact, they do the opposite.
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