Washer drain vent in basement?

[Richard Gavle]

Hello all, doing some plaster and electrical work in a late 40s house with a lot of updates. While installing a light in the laundry room I noticed a stack vent next to the washing machine that vents into the basement? Is this acceptable if the vent is strictly for the washing machine and is a distance for the main stack or is this a stinky basement waiting to happen.....

 

[justin_dewan90]

Picture please

 

[Richard Gavle]

No longer at the house. It sits atop a piece of vertical 2 1/2 or 3 inch PVC (teed into the line from the sink and washer discharge line) the line has a plastic piece on top that has name with the word vent in it...it is shaped like a funnel with a sealed top and vertical slots on the side of the funnel. Just seems weird to me to vent a stack inside a house?

 

[justin_dewan90]

Sounds like an auto vent. They are allowed in certain circumstances. Needs to be accessible though, because it will eventually fail and will create a smell. The top should be threaded so you can pull one off and thread a new one on.

 

[Richard Gavle]

Now its making sense, I assume with the name auto-vent there is a one way valve built in the vent to prevent the release of gas, as opposed to just an open vent as you would have on a roof.

Thanks for the reply