What's this toilet vent pipe thing?

[Bobsyouruncle]

I'm not clear on the terminology. However when we replace our old loos with close coupled ones they remove the vent completely. Plumber said these kind don't need them. I researched it and they don't need them providing they are not too far away from the main outlet. Most of mine from memory have been upstairs, maybe that makes a difference?

From plumbers supply website:
"If your old toilet has an air-vent coming out of the side of it and up through the roof, we may be able to get rid of this pipe altogether when installing your new toilet, depending on how close the toilet is to your main drain vent outside. Many of the new close-coupled toilet suites don’t have an air-vent component built in to them so need to be reasonably close to a drain vent so the toilet will flush properly."

[Wayne]

I'm not clear on the terminology. However when we replace our old loos with close coupled ones they remove the vent completely. Plumber said these kind don't need them. I researched it and they don't need them providing they are not too far away from the main outlet. Most of mine from memory have been upstairs, maybe that makes a difference?

From plumbers supply website:
"If your old toilet has an air-vent coming out of the side of it and up through the roof, we may be able to get rid of this pipe altogether when installing your new toilet, depending on how close the toilet is to your main drain vent outside. Many of the new close-coupled toilet suites don’t have an air-vent component built in to them so need to be reasonably close to a drain vent so the toilet will flush properly."

So you are talking about something different.
Old toilets had a vent at the toilet - this was so that, with a long pipe, the suction didn't empty the trap.
That isn't the terminal vent - the vent at the end of your pipes at the highest point.

[Bobsyouruncle]

Oh OK gotcha now!

[Wayne]

Oh OK gotcha now!

I have presumed the Op meant the terminal vent as they said
On the outside of the house is a pipe running straight up from underground

A toilet air vent generally comes out the wall (from the toilet).
These days, if you needed one, the pipe would be in the wall (from the main outlet rather than the toilet)and they sometimes use a little valve that allows air in but not out - this sides just above the top plate (so you don't see it and don't know it's there).

[eri]

Sewer gases are of concern due to their odor, health effects, and potential for creating fire or explosions.^[2]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sewer_gas

[Bluekiwi]

My question might have been different to the original Op.

Its definitely the 2 vents coming out of the pipe right next to the toilet.

Can I cap it or not Wayne ?

The wife is giving me hell about this pongy stinking situation rather than fixing it herself so its a stinky situation I want to excrement myself out of

[Bobsyouruncle]

Coming out of the toilet then change to a closed coupled unit and you can remove it Blue. I've done several.

[Wayne]

Coming out of the toilet then change to a closed coupled unit and you can remove it Blue. I've done several.

Close coupled doesn't change the need for the air vent.
Look at the nice picture that was posted.
If you don't have an air vent, on long pipe runs, the stuff going down the pipe can suck the water out of the trap (the u bend).
If that happens you will get more smell.

[Wayne]

My question might have been different to the original Op.

Its definitely the 2 vents coming out of the pipe right next to the toilet.

Can I cap it or not Wayne ?

The wife is giving me hell about this pongy stinking situation rather than fixing it herself so its a stinky situation I want to excrement myself out of

You can't cap anything - this is sanitary plumbing and you aren't legally allowed to do anything.
The vent should be up through the roof so why is it smelly?

[Bluekiwi]

As I said earlier, it exits the roof close to the HRV inlet so the smells are sucked back into the house into our children's bedrooms.

And on calm days and nights where their is not much wind, and we are protected by trees from wind also and in a little valley as well, the really bad sewerage smells fall back down to our entrance court and front door and also to our area by the laundry room and back door.

My theory is that because we are at the lowest part of the sewer system for this area, we kindly get the smells from the toilets and sewers of about a score of houses.

[Bobsyouruncle]

Close coupled doesn't change the need for the air vent.

Well according to plumbers it does. Read my quote from the plumbing site.

"If your old toilet has an air-vent coming out of the side of it and up through the roof, we may be able to get rid of this pipe altogether when installing your new toilet, depending on how close the toilet is to your main drain vent outside. Many of the new close-coupled toilet suites don’t have an air-vent component built in to them so need to be reasonably close to a drain vent so the toilet will flush properly."

I've done several now you can remove the vent completely.

[Wayne]

As I said earlier, it exits the roof close to the HRV inlet so the smells are sucked back into the house into our children's bedrooms.

And on calm days and nights where their is not much wind, and we are protected by trees from wind also and in a little valley as well, the really bad sewerage smells fall back down to our entrance court and front door and also to our area by the laundry room and back door.

My theory is that because we are at the lowest part of the sewer system for this area, we kindly get the smells from the toilets and sewers of about a score of houses.

If it is the terminal vent then make it taller?
Unless a drainlayer (or plumber) says it can be capped it can't be.

[Wayne]

Well according to plumbers it does. Read my quote from the plumbing site.

"If your old toilet has an air-vent coming out of the side of it and up through the roof, we may be able to get rid of this pipe altogether when installing your new toilet, depending on how close the toilet is to your main drain vent outside. Many of the new close-coupled toilet suites don’t have an air-vent component built in to them so need to be reasonably close to a drain vent so the toilet will flush properly."

I've done several now you can remove the vent completely.

So the quote says
- may be able to remove the vent
- many close couple suites don't have the vent "so need to be reasonably close to a drain vent"

So it says that, if you don't need a vent we can get rid of it.
But if you do need a vent then the close-coupled without vent won't suit.
It doesn't say that close-couple solves the issue (like has an internal vent).

I have had, just recently, installed a new toilet (close-coupled of course) that needed a vent. The pipe from the toilet waste has a junction with a tee of it for a smaller pipe that went up the inside of the wall (new house) as a vent.
The sewer pipe length to the main drain was too long to not have the vent. It was an air 'inlet' vent to stop the suction, not a terminal vent to stop gas build-up.

It all depends on what the vent is for as to what you can do with it.

[Bobsyouruncle]

Correct. So typically air vents can be removed, that's all I'm saying :-)

[Wayne]

Correct. So typically air vents can be removed, that's all I'm saying :-)

Often can be.
But each case needs to be checked.
Seems that way back they nearly always put the vents in to each toilet - maybe the requirements changed as pipes got bigger or something.

But close-coupled has nothing to do with it. You can buy far-coupled (not the right word) that don't have the vent - they are probably more common than vented ones.
The vent is a seperate issue from close or not coupled.