DWV Lacking Vent

[Russ]

I have an older home, circa 1960, with a poorly designed drain system. I have no vent lines installed. I have seen a device called an auto vent. Is this a safe solution to my vent problem? Also, at present, I have a stopped drain in my 4" line. What is the best auger to use? I understand that the small versions offerd by hardware stores are to be used only with small diameter drains. If I rent an auger, what type should I look for?

[HayZee518]

3/4 or 1 inch spring type with an expanding cutter to fit a 4 inch drain line

[pushkins]

Auto vents, sometimes called Studor vents are a great solution to your problem without having to tear up walls to install vent piping.

Lowe's/Home Depot sell two types, a cheap black one for around $7.00 and a white one that's around the $20 mark....just a note while it works fairly well the cheap black one will not pass inspection with city inspectors. I only ever use the white one.

[jnaas2]

There is a problrm with auto vents, they are limited to how much they can vent, You can hook one up and it will help thats for sure but they only let air in to the drains not out. The legal ones are the ones that operate without any mechanical mechanism. In other words the ones that you see that have a spring on them are illegal and it needs to be accessable to replace