How to keep sewer vent from freezing up???

[bucks-n-ducks]

My sewer vent always has iceicals on it, sometimes I think it is pretty much frozen solid. It is on the south side of my house so on mice days(like today) it thaws out, but on cold days/nights I'm sure it is frozen solid. Anything I can do to prevent it from freezing?? Thanks for your opinions/ideas!

Bucks-n-ducks

[CAMAN]

First thing to try is go into the attic and wrap the vent stack in fiberglass insulation. Be sure to keep it fluffed up as much as possible and try not to compress it. Should help a lot.

[schmoe147]

I've seen very few that have froze up in my day. Unless the vent pipe is not sticking out the roof enough and the snow gets deeper than it. It may look froze over from below but if you go on the roof I doubt its actually froze.

[Powerstroke]

Even in heavy snow years and mine has gotten completely buried and/or frozen, its never been frozen solid. With the constant flow of warm air I'm sure it stays open. If it did freeze solid I think you would notice poor drain performance fairly quickly.

[brakedancer]

I have had your same problem..except mine is on the north side and does not thaw on nice days! Mine has been bad enough that we have had sewer smell in the house. Mine only does it if it gets about 20 below or worse..I have rigged up a 10 foot piece of conduit to my garden hose and stood on ladder and hit it with hot water( it seems to be only frost so it was gone instantly). Well that was a pain. so right next to it I also have a valley that gets a nasty ice dam in it so I strung heat cord through the valley and hung the tail into the vent...it keeps the vent and my valley open...not a good cure but thats what I came up with..

[jgeatz]

I had the same problem at my place, talked to some plumbers and they told me to make a tee out of copper and hang it inside of pipe. It worked, but I have a 3" pipe and used 1/2" copper and made the tea long enough to get through the attic into the heated space, the copper pulls that heat up thus keeping it thawed out.