Radon pipe?

[steveray]

Just had a customer use sdr 35 for radon prep, tee is buried so I cant see if it gasketed or glued…..And of course he is not there for inspection…..



Here is our CT section 2015 based:



(Add) AF104.2 “T” fitting and vent pipe. Before a slab is cast or other floor system is installed,

a 3-inch “T” fitting shall be inserted beneath the soil-gas-retarder. The “T” fitting shall be

surrounded by aggregate consisting of material that will pass through a 2-inch (51 mm) sieve and

be retained by a .-inch (6.4 mm) sieve not less than an 8-inch deep by 24-inch diameter hole.

The aggregate shall be wrapped in filter fabric or equivalent material. The “T” fitting shall be

connected to a 3-inch-diameter (76 mm) ABS or PVC vent pipe extending from the basement

through the conditioned space of the dwelling and terminate and be capped not less than 12

inches (305 mm) above the roof in a location not less than 10 feet (3048 mm) away from any

window or other opening into the conditioned spaces of the building that is less than 2 feet (610



And here is 2021 IRC:



AF103.6.1 Vent pipe. A minimum 3-inch-diameter (76

mm) ABS, PVC or equivalent gastight pipe shall be

embedded vertically into the subslab aggregate or other

permeable material before the slab is cast. A “T” fitting or

equivalent method shall be used to ensure that the pipe

opening remains within the subslab permeable material.



Obviously he can’t use SDR35 for plumbing in the building, but our code is silent for radon and the 2021 just says “gas tight”….Any thoughts?

 

[ICE]

I found this. The code says: ABS, PVC or equivalent gastight pipe and SDR35 seems to qualify. I would expect to SEE solvent cemented joints.

When we think of strength we usually go right to the core of what strength is, which can take more punishment? While this may lead us to believe that Schedule 40 is a better choice we have to take a deeper look at the two types. SDR, or standard dimension ratio, was designed with the intent of being more flexible than Schedule 40. Compromising structural integrity for flexibility. Doing this does not seem like it would go along with what most people would want. Why would anyone want the line to have less strength? What would be the benefit? The quick answer is flexibility. Mother nature is always shifting and settling. Since these lines are installed underground they will be subject to these changes. Here is where the flexibility of SDR outweighs the strength of Schedule 40. SDR will bend with the shifting and settling. Having a higher flex tolerance means less breaks from the soil conditions. Schedule 40 is so rigid that in the event the ground shifts or settles this pipe has no give. It will simply snap or break from the pressure. In the winter Schedule 40 also becomes more brittle from being outside. After a few seasons the weather alone will have compromised the structural integrity of the schedule 40 pipe.

 

[steveray]

Kinda where I am at ICE.....There is some commentary about "more prone to leakage" assumedly from the gasketing and not the solvent weld aspect, but I think I have to allow it if glued...At least the stub out of the ground...

 

[FLSTF01]

Steveray: I often see sdr35 sticking up from the slab, and then I allow them to do a Fernco connection to ABS or sch40 PVC. The excuse always seems to be that nobody has sch40 onsite when the slab is being poured, but most excavators have sdr35 scraps kicking around, left over from footing sleeves and footing drains. I have come to accept it, although it is not my preference.

 

[steveray]

Yep...that's where I am at....

 

[ICE]

I take it that the pipe that is below the slab is not inspected prior to being covered up. Here in California we do not have radon mitigation but we do have the occasional methane barrier which involves a lot more.

How is radon controlled with raised foundations? I grew up in Illinois. We lived in one of the original houses in the community. I had a room in the basement. I don't think that radon was a word at that time.

 

[steveray]

I take it that the pipe that is below the slab is not inspected prior to being covered up. Here in California we do not have radon mitigation but we do have the occasional methane barrier which involves a lot more.

How is radon controlled with raised foundations? I grew up in Illinois. We lived in one of the original houses in the community. I had a room in the basement. I don't think that radon was a word at that time.

Same way....pipe tee in the slab below the 6 mil VB and a "stack" up through the house....