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How to Install Secondary Venting Systems – Air Admittance Valves (AAV) Installation

Plumbing Drain-Waste-Vent systems, known as DWVs, consist of drainpipes that provide a network for the removal of waste, as well as vent pipes that prevent unwanted gas from escaping inside the building. Vent pipes also maintain the necessary balance of pressure to allow water to flow. In a simplified example, water in an inverted bottle without an air hole will glug and gasp when emptied. Adding an opening to the bottom of the bottle will turn the process into an efficient, steady flow because the bottle “breathes.” This is what an AAV can do.

The air admittance valve is designed to take the place of a fixture or branch vent.    
Yes. Any AAV can malfunction or not operate properly because it is a mechanical device. Signs of that the Sure-Vent is not operating as intended, are foul odors. If you smell foul odors (sewer smell) near a plumbing fixture which has a Sure-Vent installed, this means the Sure-Vent is not closing properly to create a positive seal and should be replaced. Some individuals relate slow drains to the Sure-Vent not operating properly. The Sure-Vent is not the issue, the slow drain is related to a partial blockage within the drain itself. A partially blocked drain will fill with water when the fixture is draining, and the Sure-Vent recognizes the positive pressure from the restriction and stays in closed position to stop backflow out of the Sure-Vent. You should have your drain cleaned when this occurs.
No. Sure-Vent must be installed as close to vertical as possible. You cannot have the Sure-Vent tilted more than 15° from side to side, otherwise it will not operate properly.

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