Air Admittance Valve Problems- 3 Most Common One
Want to solve your air admittance valve problems? Air admittance valve problems can be annoying. Sometimes it stops functioning properly and creates a sewer odour. Everyone uses air admittance valves for bathroom, shower, sink, dishwasher drainage, and soil stacks appliances. Without venting properly, a house seems unbearable to stay in.
Well, It’s not that hard to solve any kind of air admittance valve issues. As you can do this yourself, why spend money and call a plumber for the same issue again and again? I have been solving my apartment’s AAV issues for years now.
Read this article from top to bottom. You can easily define and solve the problem on your own. But without your total concentration, it is impossible.
3 Common Air Admittance Valve Problems
Normally all air admittance valves seem to have these main 3 common problems. So, I have created a table shortly with problems and solutions for your better understatement in finding all the issues at once.
Common Problems | Possible Solutions |
Holes in valve due to mice and rats | Do press control before fixing |
Valve can be clogged | Remove clog and let the air out |
Installation to wrong vent | Open the installation and fix it |
step by step solutions for all air admittance valve issues-
Holes In Valve
It’s the most common issue that happens to air valves. The main way to stop having holes in your air admittance valve is to be cautious. As the valve of air admittance is made of plastic, rats, and mice bite off and make holes.
For the holes, the air can’t pass, and odour keeps spreading in the house. To solve the valve hole issue, follow given the steps.
- First, make sure your house is free of rats and mice. It’s best to do press control in the house because they will carefully remove every insect or small animals that can harm your air admittance valve and the whole house.
- Secondly, you can place mouse traps to catch them. Try to place the mouse traps surrounding the air admittance valve.
- It’s not the best option to close the holes because it won’t last long. But for temporary use, you can close up the holes with duct tape.
- At last, you should call a professional to fix the holes permanently before more damage happens.
Clogged Valve Or Drainage System
Normally an air valve admittance lasts more than 20 years. Air admittance valves can be clogged for faulty installation. Also, the air can be trapped between clog and sink, which can block the drainage system.
Mostly soil pipe problems of the air admittance valve are due to improper ventilation. To solve the clogged valve or drainage system, follow the following steps.
- Firstly, if your valve is newly installed, call the store because the installation might be faulty. They would fix it or change the whole thing for free.
- If bad odors come from the air valve, don’t fix the valve because the pipe has started to damage.
- If you notice a clogged valve or drainage system from the studor mini vent, you have to remove the air admittance and wait until all the air is properly out. This will help the water to get in and will unclog the whole valve.
If removing air admittance still doesn’t work, you can check the next steps.
Installation To Wrong Vent
This is a really big problem if the air admittance valve is installed into the wrong vent. Floplast air admittance valve problems mostly happen due to installation in the wrong vent.
There are lots of vents connected in one house. In the case of the kitchen, a dishwasher and sink vent can be nearby, and the wrong installation can happen.
Saniflo air admittance valve problems regarding the wrong vent are less seen as they are installed 15 feet below. People can see the issue because the air and water would block up together as it won’t have any place to vent.
Follow the given steps to solve the wrong vent installation-
- To solve this problem, first, check the installation location of the vent.
- Then find the correct vent of the air admittance and look for damaged areas.
- Air admittance valve repair should be done immediately before reinstalling to the right vent.
- Then open up the wrong vent and install the pipe into the right vent.
- After replacing everything, close tightly, and check again if the installation process is correct or not.
This Video Will Help You Too!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What happens when an air admittance valve fails?
If an air admittance valve fails then air can’t be brought back inside the pipe. It makes the venting process slow. It also clogs the valve and spreads a terrible smell into the house.
How do you know if an air admittance valve is bad?
By noticing abnormal functions you know if an air admittance valve is bad. Air admittance valves are supposed to suck air into the drainage system. If you see suddenly it is not functioning properly; the admittance valve may have holes. In more cases, you may find clogged valves, which can create a bad odour too.
Do air admittance valves go bad?
Yes, air admittance valves can go bad. Air admittance valves are really budget-friendly. But due to overuse, they can go bad. However, they don’t need too much replacement. It’s essential to check from time to time if all air admittance valves in the house are okay.
Can an air admittance valve be inside a wall?
No, an air admittance valve can’t be inside a wall. Every air admittance valve needs to be reachable. The air valve also has unrestricted airflow. So, the air admittance valve can’t be inside a wall.
Can you vent a toilet with an air admittance valve?
Yes, you can vent a toilet with an air admittance valve. Many have the misconception that air admittance valves are mainly for kitchen vents. It’s best to use air admittance in any basement toilet. Air admittance valves help in the air to the drainage system and prevent any bad smells into the house.
Conclusion
In the end, we hope it’s clear to you that air admittance valve problems can be solved at home so easily.
However, if the AAV didn’t have any of the above-mentioned problems, it’s advised to take the help of an expert.
You Can Also Read:
- What If Your Under Sink Vent Not Working? Reasons And Solutions Here
- How to Tell If Air Admittance Valve Is Working- 3 Key Points
- What States Allow Air Admittance Valves? Complete Guide!
- [Experts Answer] Where To Install Check Valve On Water Pump?