Vent Pipe Through Roof or Not

Robert J Herman did some major remodeling to his house in Keyport, NY, ten years ago, but a rookie, or brain-damaged plumber, was on the job. Read what Robert has to say:

"About ten years ago, we had an addition done on our house and a lot of work.

When they put the vent pipes in for the bathrooms, they never extended it to the outside.

Can the fumes that come out (please note we very rarely do smell anything) be dangerous and cause health problems?

I need to get it done but financially it has been very tough for us. But I am afraid it is causing issues. Like coughs, sneezing etc.

I would appreciate some help."

Here's my answer:

Robert, yes, the methane gas that comes from plumbing vent pipes can cause health problems.

I'm at a slight disadvantage because I don't know what type of roof you have, but it's not too hard to install the required flashing.

If you have a standard asphalt-shingle roof, the vent pipes are accessible with relative ease in the attic, it should only take about an hour per vent pipe to extend them through the roof.

Watch this video that shows you the process. The flashing I use in the video is for an exhaust fan, but you use the same method to install the plumbing vent flashing.