Wet vent system, strapping cpvc abs pipe

[stormchange]

We have a two year old home, two story. We have been arguing with builder since day one on ongoing plumbing problems. Need advice before another plumber is sent out. First have inspection report that states fixtures are set too far apart for typical wet vent system and that there are too many bends and turns in wet venting which temporarily blocks off the vents when draining. For example when you drain the bathtub it siphons water out of toilet. Or if you flush the toilet when bathtub is draining the bathtub quits draining until toilet fills. This occurs in every bathroom. Water also siphons out of toilets when washing machine drains. This is all on second story. Second all the abs pipes were fastened down to first floor ceiling rafters and pieces of abs pipe were used to hold pipe up in various locations. What is proper way to do this. Most of the cpvc pipes are free hanging. We have pictures. We have also been reading water meter and at present are losing a gallon of water every three days somewhere. Currently not living in house because of other problems so this has been easy to track. Would appreciate any comments.

 

[Terry]

Most plumbing looks like the above with all fixtures being vented so the traps don't siphon out and drains don't backup.​

What you are describing is typical "handyman" plumbing at it's worst.​

I don't see an easy fix to your problem.​

Someone needs to pull the wallboard off and fix the problem.​

I thought they only plumbed homes like yours in third world countries where there is no licensing or codes.​

 

[Sponsor]

 

[hj]

drainage

A system with even moderately correct vents would not have those symptoms so you really need a second plumber to check the whole system for proper installation. Without having some additional problem, there is almost no way a proper installation would suck the water out of a toilet when the tub drains.

 

[Deb]

Deb

Who did the inspection report on the plumbing? How was it done? How did they come up with the determination in the report? The terminology used is a little vague and not terms that would be used by someone familiar with plumbing.
Vents or the lack thereof generally do not cause drainage problems (the lack of could siphon traps out however). A clogged line can cause all the symptoms that you have described. If this was me, I would video the line first to rule out an obstruction or other problem. Weird things can happen on new construction...
I don't understand your description of how the ABS is secured, but can tell you that it should be secured (strapped) every 4'. Plastic water line should be secured every 32", not free hanging.
Make sure that the water loss is not a toilet with a minor flapper problem or a drip somewhere. A gallon in 3 days is not much and can be hard to detect.
What are the permit and inspection regulations in your area? Was the plumbing permitted and inspected? Was it done by a licensed master plumber? Have you talked to the plumber that plumbed your place?

Deb
The Pipewench

 

[stormchange]

answers to question

When the toilets siphon it is usually a 1/4 to 1/2 inch. All the toilets were replaced because the plumber thought they were defective from the factory. New ones were installed but problem still occurs. Camera was run but nothing was found. Although I have pulled moldy drywall tape out of one bathtub drain. As for the plumber he had two lovely ideas one that I was using too much laundry soap in washer and when that didn't fly was told that a flock of birds or wind over the vent pipes on roof could siphon water out of the toilets. We do not know what the lack of overflow drains in the bathtubs could cause. They got a special waiver from the building and safety director in county to eliminate those. Using ICC codes in this county. Was told by county director he can issue a waiver for anything in the code if he doesn't feel it is necessary. As for the strapping of the pipes lets put it this way if the plastic piece of abs they used to hold the pipe up falls out because of vibration of wastewater through the pipe the pipe will fall because they fastned the pipe down to the ceiling joist not up to the upstairs floor joist. One of the pieces already dislodged in kitchen ceiling and they fixed that and strapped the pipes in that section. Hope that answers your question.

 

[Terry]

Stormchange,

Where are the pictures? You can either attach them to a post, or email them to me and I will post them

Terry Love