sfzombie13 t1_j5yfhvq wrote
Reply to comment by ajwhelton in Cheap sewer pipe repairs can push toxic fumes into homes and schools – here's how to lower the risk by ajwhelton
sounds like unnecessary work to me. when they test the pipes they put air in and leave it. when they are used, the p traps have water in them, preventing any gas from entering the house. otherwise, they don't work and you get sewer gas inside, and that is fairly noticeable. after the original air that was used for testing is replace, the harmful gasses are gone, usually way before anyone moves in. it's a non-issue.
ajwhelton OP t1_j5ygi7i wrote
Different contractors who use the same technology do things differently. Here in this emergency responder study we mention situations where contractors blew out plumbing traps that had water in them and caused indoor air contamination. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126832
One challenge is that these incidents are not widely reported because when something goes wrong folks generally want to resolve them and move on quickly and quietly. The problems don’t happen all the time by all crews and at all jobs.
There used to be a myth in industry that if you had water in p traps emissions would never enter the building… and that’s simply not true. P traps can help under certain conditions but that’s not all conditions and there’s evidence to indicate.
It comes down to the risk. The study I posted here in this comment provides some insight. The issue identified is wholly solveable for a fraction of the overall project cost.
sfzombie13 t1_j5yj94s wrote
not sure what kind of study you are referring to, i will read it tonight, but plumbers don't test new pipes with water in the p trap. they have to plug the ends and leave the air sitting for a period of time to measure the loss. that's why i hate reading studies that purport to address things i am very familiar with when they do it wrong. thanx for the info without a paywall.
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