How to tell if old vents are still in use?

Hi all – we’re getting our roof replaced and as part of the process I’d love to get rid of (at least chop down and seal off) any vent pipes that aren’t being used anymore – right now we have a TON and I’m quite sure that not all are actually being used. For those connected to fans it’s easy to tell, but how can I tell which are active vent stacks for the plumbing? Thanks in advance!

empathie00

in Plumbing 8 years and 5 months ago

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BobMarvin | 8 years and 5 months ago

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That’s considerably worse than anything I’ve noticed that she has posted here. They WERE on other sites, I presume. I’m one of the volunteer moderators of this forum and if I saw any comment like that here from Ms. Pater, I’d make sure to delete it and ban her.

hancockone | 8 years and 5 months ago

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Actually Pater’s comments here are pretty consistent with her comments on other sites such as The Brookln Eagle, Technic.ly and Deathand taxesmog.com:
Colleen Pater • 6 months ago
first this isn’t a problem the yuppies in willy burg wouldn’t be caught dead on a subway, the remaining hipster scum like girls well need i really say it ? and the niggers farther down the line don’t have jobs so only use the train to hunt white victims, so as you point out the illegal alien maid will have a tougher commute F%$#K her

Colleen Pater • 9 months ago
So you mean they proposing the people who pay all the taxes in the borough would get something for them scandalous! seriously theres a need but a bus line would do these faggot hipsters want the cool factor not in the budget, The g and franklins shuttle should also be extended

Colleen Pater • 4 months ago
so rather than show the picture of the black [as always ] perpetrator you show the judge as if hes the perp

resident2 | 8 years and 5 months ago

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I think all House owners need to establish a relationship with a regular plumber that knows your house. You have a baby, you get a pediatrician, most people have their regular mechanic for their car repairs.
A plumber is the main person you need for home maintenance; heating plumbing etc is most of the big ticket home repairs and needed on a seasonal basis.
Your regular plumber can go up there with you and work out what is and is not being used.
The chances are, just about all of it is.

BobMarvin | 8 years and 5 months ago

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I’ve been trying to read Pater’s comment. I had to get past her calling me “one of those people that likes to clutter the internet with mindless dribble they are not qualified to comment on” The rest is somewhat comprehensible, if you read it out loud. Despite her unfamiliarity with written English Pater actually seems to give pretty good advise, which appears, if I’m interpreting correctly, to be that you shouldn’t mess with plumbing vents without consulting a plumber. Not a bad idea IMO.

empathie00 | 8 years and 5 months ago

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Wow, Colleen, I’m 99.9% sure we’ve never even met so I’m not sure why you would be so angry with me for posting a question on a forum meant to help us all get answers to questions that, admittedly, we are not experts in? I was just asking a simple question looking for some helpful advice, which is what I usually find here on this forum (and how I try to contribute, where I can, to others’ questions as well).
Whatever you’re dealing with in your life right now that causes you to lash out, unprovoked, at strangers on a home forum — I wish you peace.

BobMarvin | 8 years and 5 months ago

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Thanks Arkady. I don’t think my dribble is mindless. BTW the one DT supporter I know is very civil 🙂

Arkady | 8 years and 5 months ago

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Gee, Colleen; are you a DT supporter too? Bob Marvin is a long-time contributor here & shares a lot of valuable knowledge. There are civil ways to address differences of opinion – I suggest that since you know so much about one area, you do some study about others.

BobMarvin | 8 years and 5 months ago

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Quite a display of erudition Pater; too bad that, with all your knowledge, you chose not to actually answer the OP’s question.

daveinbedstuy | 8 years and 5 months ago

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WOW!

sew536 | 8 years and 5 months ago

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“I’m quite sure that not all are actually being used.”- judging by the rest of your comment youre actually not informed of anything and dont seem to understand even the difference between ventilation ducts and sewer pipes. Start by ignoring the other commenter just one of those people that likes to clutter the internet with mindless dribble they are not qualified to comment on. Im a builder so youre getting free pro advice, i believe in people doing things themselves but you must take seriously your responsibility to the public and your family to thouroughly understand what you are doing if you are going to do it. disclaimer over.

both HVAC vents and sewer vents can and do serve extremely important safety purposes in a building do not remove block alter or repurpose them until you thoroughly understand their purpose and their entire route and branches. It is true they are sometimes abandoned its actually illegal to do that because of the confusion that can cause. It can be tricky tracing them when they are behind wall and ceilings you are probably best getting a plumbe r and tinknocker to do it because we already have a lifes knowledge of how they are usually installed for what purpose and how altered that said. ducts are made of sheet metal and can be used for flue gasses out or combustion air in to appliances, also for toilet and kitchen exhaust or fresh air intake. return air ducts should not penetrate a roof but may be inside your house also inside your house may be conditioned air distribution ducts either for heat and or airconditioning sometimes transfer ducts for pressure equalization ducts as well.dryer vents will exit the house sometimes through the roof sometimes the wall in fact most of the above my terminate at a wall or a roof. stairwell sometimes have exhaust,or house exhaust ducts also in some building rarely residential stair, elevator shaft and egress pressurization ducts are a possibility. masonry chimneys are part of the HVAC system of most old houses some times for gas fireplaces or wood fireplaces or furnaces and boilers sometimes they were built for one thing then repurposed for another and sometimes badly and dangerously repurposed. many time a single chimney will have two to five separate flue inside it say picking up a fireplace on each floor or facing into two different rooms.

plumbing is not masonry or sheetmetal it will be cast iron or plastic pipe usually 3-6″ diameter. These are the tops of your waste stacks and storm drains you likely have at least two maybe many more they are essentially a continuation of the pipes that you drain into they allow the wastes waters to drain freely without creating a vacuum lock like when you hold you thumb over the top of a straw full of liquid. But they also allow sewer gases which are explosive methane to vent out the top rather than find their way into your house through drains. sometimes a building will have a separate plumbing vent that terminates through the roof system vent in this instance it will not have water in it normally its still needed to keep the plumbing working safely.

BobMarvin | 8 years and 5 months ago

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  ["roles"]=>
  array(2) {
    [0]=>
    string(10) "subscriber"
    [1]=>
    string(15) "bbp_participant"
  }
  ["allcaps"]=>
  array(5) {
    ["read"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["level_0"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["bbp_participant"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["SPF Manage Forums"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["filter"]=>
  NULL
  ["site_id":"WP_User":private]=>
  int(1)
}

I’m far from an expert but I think that if there are no plumbing fixtures on any floor beneath the vent then it’s no longer in use.