They have a simple EPDM diaphragm (trust me–want the initials stand for is not all that important-synthetic rubber for short) that allows air into the drain under negative pressure and seals tight under positive pressure.ĪAV’s, to meet approval for use in residential construction, have to demonstrate that they can go through 500,000 cycles without ever passing gas-roughly equivalent to 30 years–man I sure wish my plumbing system could do that! Here is a picture of a modern AAV on a laundry sink drain. These valves are different from Auto-Vents in that there are no spring mechanisms that can fail and they have screens to keep out critters. AAV’s quickly gained acceptance in most jurisdictions and are now widely used. Spring visible inside an Auto-ventĪt some point in the 90’s, a new type of air-vent could be found in the neighborhood–called the Air Admittance Valve–or AAV. If you can see a spring inside the cap, it is an Auto-Vent. Here is a picture of one of these vents that I found installed at a kitchen sink in new construction that had to be replaced after I found it.
Unfortunately most jurisdictions did not allow them–except in the mobile home industry–where they are still allowed–go figure. These vents could be installed right at the fixture location-saving tons of time, pipe and money. When you think about it, keeping sewage out of the home is a better idea than keeping gases out! This mechanical device had a spring loaded gasket inside that would allow air to flow into the pipe but not let sewer gases out–or, in the event of the pipes flooding, the device would not allow sewage out either. Pipe and time equal money.Īlong came the “auto-vent” or “air-vent” (sometimes called a “cheater” vent). We had to create all kinds of strange assemblies of pipes to create this venting–it worked, but was time consuming to construct and took a lot of additional pipe.
Somehow sewer gases and the smell of fresh baked bread or homemade pizza just don’t go together. Every plumbing fixture needs a means of venting the drain line so that water doesn’t get sucked out of the trap of the fixture-which could allow sewer gases to enter the home. When I first started doing plumbing in 1971–at least for money–venting island kitchen sinks was a bit of a problem. This is about your houses plumbing-not your personal plumbing.
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If you do happen to run into problems and do not know what to do, call a professional they will be able to diagnose the problem and fix it for you quickly as well as safely.Lets get something clear right off the bat. You will be pleasantly surprised more often than not that they are great tools for keeping clogs and disgusting odors out of your pipes. When it comes to an air admittance valve, there really are not that many problems that you will run into.
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If there are no clogs and everything seems to be free and clear, then return it immediately. Also, make sure that the air admittance valve is not itself clogged, as that can sometimes be an issue. An air admittance valve leaving behind clogs and sewer odor is faulty, so be sure to find your receipt if you still have it and take the valve back as soon as you see that it is not working.
If your problem is not holes in the valve, it’s time to look at the valve itself. Just be sure your pests are under control before you do. As for fixing the holes, you are going to be better off getting a new valve. If you feel like you can handle the pest control problem yourself then give it a try, but you still may want to keep an exterminator’s number handy just in case. Get an exterminator if you need as rodents can be a recurring cause for issues like this. Your best bet when it comes to holes in your valve is to go to the root of the problem.
Remember that these valves should last anywhere from 20 to 30 years, so if they are only lasting for a couple of years, there may be some problems that need addressing. Sometimes you may find that even with an air admittance valve, there are still clogs and a sewer odor. If you happen to notice that your air admittance valve is acting like it is not sucking up what it should, then you may have a hole or two on your hands. Holes can sometimes still be chewed through if rats or mice are a persistent problem. Although air admittance valves are tested for their durability against rodents, sometimes they cannot persevere.
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