How to Tell If Air Admittance Valve Is Working- 3 Key Points
Every new appliance at home comes with a question of whether it is working correctly or not. Especially air admittance valves are the most critical home application. If it stops working, a bad smell can pass through the whole house. As the admittance valve isn’t totally see-through, one should know how to tell if the air admittance valve is working. Otherwise, the air admittance valve will spread an awful sewer smell.
It’s quite an easy task to understand if the air admittance valve is working properly or not. You should know some essential tips to understand the function.
So, we will share 3 basic to vital key points with you to ensure that your admittance valve is working.
Just read and focus on the key points.
How To Test An Air Admittance Valve
Testing an air admittance valve isn’t too hard. Following these key points, you will get an answer of how do I know if my air admittance valve is working will be cleared. Such as:
No Bad Smell
No bad odor is created, and the house feeling fresh is one of the essential things to notice. Usually, if an air admittance valve doesn’t work well, a bad sewer smell spreads around the house.
So, if there is no bad smell, your air admittance valve is working properly.
No Gurgling Sounds
If there is a downstream attached with the air admittance valve, no gurgling sounds should come out.
So, check out if you have a downstream attached or not. If there is no downstream then gurgling sounds mean your air admittance valve is doing Its work.
No Wastewater Coming
After installing an air admittance valve, wastewater shouldn’t come out of soil pipes again to the sink. If discharge comes out, then your air admittance valve doesn’t function properly.
However, you can also have a glance over some of the most common air admittance valve problems with practical solutions.
How An Air Admittance Valve Functions?
At first, the air admittance valve starts working with the help of negative pressure. Negative pressure comes from using the sink, basin, and bathrooms attached to the valve. After the negative pressure helps allow air in the pipe, it takes a bit of time, but then the pressure is well balanced.
The valve closes when pressure is created. This helps air to come out in times of requirement in admittance valves. Thus, the bad smell doesn’t spread out in the house. It contains rubber seals in the pipes, so no small gap remains to pass bad sewer smell.
Tips To Tell If Your Air Admittance Valve is working
It is prettyessential to know if your air admittance valve is working without causing extra expense for you.
Here are some additional tips to ensure the proper work of your air admittance valve. Such as:
- The installation point of air admittance needs to be at a high point of 200mm at least. Without that, the air admittance valve might not work properly.
- Check if there is any small gap or not. If there are no gaps found, the admittance valve will work properly.
- Make sure there is no smell spread out in the house. This is most likely to happen if the valve stops working.
- Ensure any pipe is blocked or not. You have to find the outer pipe of air admittance.
- Everything is passing through the sink, and no discharged water is coming back.
A Helpful Tutorial You May Like!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do air admittance valves wear out?
Yes, air admittance valves wear out. They are robustly made, so it lasts longer. Usually, an air admittance valve lasts 20 to years. So, if they wear out, you should check the warranty card out.
How are air admittance valves activated?
Air admittance valves are activated when the discharge water goes out in the sink. Air admittance valves then start working to discharge the sewer water. When the valve opens up to take the discharge water, the air is also allowed to activate the air admittance valve.
Will an air admittance valve stop gurgling?
Yes, an air admittance valve can stop gurgling. However, to stop it from gurgling there downstream is needed because it avoids the vacuum space from the tub drain. Air admittance makes a gurgling sound because the air is passing through the sink drain.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, you should keep the most basic 3 points in mind to test the air admittance valve. We hope you know how to tell if air admittance valve is working. If your air admittance valve isn’t working properly, call over a plumber immediately.
You can read our other articles to know more about air admittance valves.
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- Air Admittance Valve Problems- 3 Most Common One
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