Septic Vent Freezup

[paceman]

A question for the experts. Last winter when it got super cold my septic exhaust pipe on the roof would form a solid ice ball over it. I would then crawl up there with a bucket of hot water and thaw it out. What could I do to prevent that from happening this winter.

[lawdog]

This is a very common problem in MN, it happens to my vents too. I asked my plumber and he said they didn't have a really good answer except in real bad circumstances there was some fan/blower type thing they could put on it to keep it open due to more air. I am planning to insulate around my pipe going through the attack before winter to see if this will help any, but I think it will be marginal. Really tough to handle below zero weather we have here...

[Eric Wettschreck]

IT will take a little work, but you can increase the size of your vent pipe, in the attic, and going through the roof.

Most vents are 2" going into the attic then upsized to 3" going through the roof. This upsizing is to help aid in condensation freeze up. You can always take it to 4". However, all this will really do is prolong the pain. If you are prone to common freeze ups this will not solve it, just reduce it. You're still going to have to climb the ladder with a bucket of water.

[Crappie Killer]

Hard the explain, but here goes anyway. This works like a charm usually. Solder a copper tee fitting to the end of a full length 3/4" rigid copper pipe. Then solder two short copper pipe stubs to the other ends of the tee fitting. Shove the copper pipe down the vent, so that the tee will rest on the top of the vent pipe. Air will vent through the pipe and up and out the tee fitting, without any ice collecting. It wouldn't need to be a full 10' length of pipe either.

[BobT]

I've heard something along those lines before, CK.

Bob

[sparcebag]

Another way is if the vent is too high above the roof the moisture has that height to cool and freeze in that small space(in the pipe)cut the pipe shorter and the moisture has less enclosed area to cool & freeze before it leaves the pipe

[Surface Tension]

Interesting on the copper pipe. I'm guessing some of the moister is condensing on the copper before it hits the cold vent.