Venting exiting foundation under patio - what is it venting?

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Pnutgirl

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Hi there. I have a large air vent exiting my concrete foundation/patio at the rear of my house. I do not know what it is venting and was hoping someone might venture to help me figure it out. When I discovered it, it was covered in dirt, so it was clearly not functioning. It is no where near my dryer - which is across the house. There is a fireplace not far from it - fireplace has a gas insert, but may have originally been a wood burning fireplace. House built in 1991 - concrete slab foundation. Pics below.

I duct taped it back on as it appears to have been attached with liquid nails - will reattach with adhesive after I figure out its purpose. Diameter of PVC is 6" and flap on vent appears to be for air to exit from the pipe.

Thank you!

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Reach4

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Ground water? Is it on the downhill side of the house?
 

Pnutgirl

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Ground water? Is it on the downhill side of the house?
Yes - it is on the downside, but the vent at the closure seems intended for air - has metal flap that flaps outwards. Thanks for the idea and will investigate further but does seem to be an air vent.
 

Reach4

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Yes - it is on the downside, but the vent at the closure seems intended for air - has metal flap that flaps outwards. Thanks for the idea and will investigate further but does seem to be an air vent.
How would you discourage animals? Maybe it was open originally, but a previous owner glued something in place.
 

Pnutgirl

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Totally agree! I am concerned about animals and plan to replace duct tape soon so we don't have uninvited holiday visitors :) I am planning on extending this patio so if it is for water, that's great as it will be easy to extend. Thanks again!
 

Jadnashua

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Modern building codes require a moisture barrier underneath a slab that should help minimize ground moisture. One reason to have ventilation underneath a slab is radon mitigation. In areas where that may be likely, they may include a vent like that, but if none is detected later, may not install a fan to force extract it.

Depending on your ground water level, it could be for drainage, but you normally wouldn't have a metal flap door on it...it would be a grate of some sort.
 
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