In the process of removing a wall in my master bath, the workman noticed a cast-iron pipe, about the circumference of a coffee mug. It ran from an unused bathroom in the basement through the roof. He removed this pipe in order to install my vanity. Will there be any adverse effect to removing this pipe? My remodeler is very curt (but a great worker) and he says not to worry.
-J. Mitchell via e-mail
You have reason to be concerned. The fixture you identify is a stack pipe and it is very necessary.
Bob Ryan, executive director of the Chicagoland Plumbing Council, an industry group funded by the plumbers union and contractors, says, “that stack pipe was a vent for the entire bathroom.
“It should not have been removed,” Ryan says. “It can be relocated to another wall large enough to compensate for it and could have been done in copper or PVC.”
Joe Albergo, assistant director at the Chicagoland Plumbing Council, says the stack ventilates the sewers and equalizes the pressure to guarantee the integrity of the house traps. This is a genteel way of saying the stack pipe ventilates bathroom odors and prevents water backups.
Eddie Davidson, owner of Davidson Painting, Decorating and Construction Inc. in Des Plaines, says it’s not a good idea to use a handyman because a licensed plumber will have a permit for the city or municipality in which he works to make sure the stack pipe is installed according to code. The stack pipe should go through the roof and stick out at least 4 to 8 inches.
“If a rag or other debris covers the stack pipe or its passageway is interrupted in any way, this prevents the pipe from working properly in venting air,” Davidson says. “When you pull the plug in the bathtub and hear that `glug, glug, glug’ sound, it is the air being let out and it is working that way because of the stack pipe.”
You should have a talk with your remodeler for a better explanation about what he did and why. If your curt but great-working remodeler has really removed the stack pipe and not relocated it to a different wall in the room, you should think about doing business with a licensed and bonded plumber to correct this problem.
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