At Ohmstead Plumbing, we do our best to pay attention to the latest trends in kitchen design. When you remodel your kitchen, you can be sure that our plumbers have what it takes to continue to help you with any problems you encounter. In recent years we’ve noticed that one of the common additions that homeowners make when remodeling their kitchen is a brand new island.
We understand completely. A kitchen island gives you more storage and more food prep space. It can also be where you install your new sink. This is where things get tricky. Plumbing a kitchen island sink simply isn’t the same as working with a traditional kitchen setup. Fortunately, we still have the experience and knowledge needed to fix any plumbing problems you encounter in your kitchen! Let’s take a look at some of the important considerations to make when dealing with a “wet” kitchen island.
Drain Pipes and Vents Are Built Differently
The biggest difference between the typical kitchen sink and a kitchen island sink is how the drain pipes and vents are built. In a kitchen where the sink is up against the wall, the pipes and vents can just be concealed within the wall itself. The kitchen island doesn’t offer this option, which means that plumbing jobs can be a little bit different.
The most common design is a looping pipe that rises up under the island and then makes its way back towards the floor. While this can eat up a lot of cabinet space, it remains the most common method for building out the infrastructure your kitchen sink needs to function. That means that some plumbing jobs can get a bit more complex than expected, so you need experienced kitchen plumbers like ours who are used to handling island sinks and their unique challenges.
Vents Have an Important Job
The reason for this common approach is that the vents in your kitchen have a crucial role to play. These vents prevent sewer gases from coming up through your piping and into your kitchen. Essentially, your vents ensure that your plumbing is a one way street and that you’re not getting anything coming in aside from clean water. Sewer gases can cause odors or even present a fire hazard, so you want your vents to do their job well.
The Rise of Air admittance valves (AAVs)
Our plumbers also pay close attention to recent trends because there are always changes to look out for. One is the relatively new AAV vent design. AAVs can be placed as low as four inches in and eliminate the need for a looping pipe under the kitchen island sink, giving you more cabinet space. One can’t be installed until the plumbing system has been tested for gas tightness and some regions of the country don’t allow for the installation of AAVs just yet, for regulatory reasons. They are becoming more common though, and you can rest assured that our kitchen plumbers will be ready for any kind of setup found under a kitchen island sink.
A Kitchen Plumber You Can Rely On in Forest City
If you encounter any plumbing problems in your home, contact a kitchen plumber from Ohmstead Plumbing. Call us at (828) 245-1032, and we’ll have your kitchen back into top shape in no time! No matter how complex the job, our experienced plumbers are ready to assist you!