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A wider angle or a few more pics would have been helpful.
It's possible, but not likely that it is a left over hole from a plumbing waste vent. Because the vent line that generally goes up thru the roof would NOT be directly over the toilet or in the bathroom itself. Vent lines are usually buried in THE WALL BEHIND the plumbing fixture. (The vent would need to serve the dirty/soiled water-- not from the new/clean potable water. So, I'm not sure how a vent located directly over the tank would accomplish that task either. And clean water supply, would not feed from the top, and would not need a hole that size.)
A hole over the public/visible area of the bathroom makes no sense. No competent plumber and no building code official would approve such a location. That is NOT how plumbing vents work on plumbing fixtures -- not even 70+ years ago. The science of how water and gas/vapor flows hasn't really changed since 1930.
It's more likely this might have been some left over hole from either an abandoned light fixture or an abandoned exhaust fan. (Because of the size and shape of the hole.) I also doubt it was ever part of an exhaust fan, because it's too small. If there was an abandoned exhaust fan, you would have a switch and some kind of abandoned duct work (or signs of duct work being removed.)
A third and also possible answer is that the (previous?) owner of this house wanted a cheap exhaust hole (unpowered) that vented into the attic?? But that is actually dangerous, as:
1) vapor from bathrooms that collect in attics can actually accelerate the speed at which wood roof rafters rot, deteriorate and
2) vapor from baths (or kitchens) into the attic area but not vented to the outside can create MOLD. And mold is very destructive and harmful to pets and humans.
Nowadays, a lot of insurance companies won't pay for mold claims-- especially if they are caused by owner/human errors or cheap-do-it-yourself construction work that does not conform to building codes.
Lastly, in most jurisdictions, venting (of moist air vapor) in a bath or kitchen (or any room) to an attic area (and not out through the roof) is a violation of most current day building codes. But your city/town may be different (but it's not likely.)
In any case, the hole may be superfluous and may now serve no function at all- other than to erode and ruin the attic structure. The hole should probably be closed & repaired, and the attic inspected for rot, mold and other damage. (But it's hard to tell from that lone pic. )
Just be very careful when selecting residential contractors. A lot of them are grossly under qualified to diagnose problems.
Source(s):
- Licensed Architect 23+ years
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Construction guidelines provide for so many of these for every given amount of waste water piping.
http://www.hometips.com/how-it-works/plumbing-drain-waste-vents.html
"To operate properly and safely, each drain must be served by a vent line that carries sewer gasses out through the roof. Several vents may be connected together and joined to the soil stack as long as there is no drain above the connection point. Or vents may pass through the roof on their own."
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Source(s):
http://encyclopediadramatica.com/index.php/Ceiling_cat
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Answered Question
January 20, 2009 11:45 PM
What is This Hole in My Bathroom Ceiling?
I live in the upper level of a Toronto, Canada (mid-town) house that was
built in the 1930's. This hole in the ceiling above my toilet in my
bathroom has always puzzled me. I have asked friends in construction
what it is and they don't know. I know it leads outside because one time
when it was raining extremely hard (and sideways), water started leaking
out of it.
Here is a picture of it:
http://img516.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img7413smallko9.jpg
Does anyone know what purpose this hole serves? Anyone have one like it
in their home?
Just curious.
built in the 1930's. This hole in the ceiling above my toilet in my
bathroom has always puzzled me. I have asked friends in construction
what it is and they don't know. I know it leads outside because one time
when it was raining extremely hard (and sideways), water started leaking
out of it.
Here is a picture of it:
Does anyone know what purpose this hole serves? Anyone have one like it
in their home?
Just curious.
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| January 21, 2009 04:21 AM |
It's possible, but not likely that it is a left over hole from a plumbing waste vent. Because the vent line that generally goes up thru the roof would NOT be directly over the toilet or in the bathroom itself. Vent lines are usually buried in THE WALL BEHIND the plumbing fixture. (The vent would need to serve the dirty/soiled water-- not from the new/clean potable water. So, I'm not sure how a vent located directly over the tank would accomplish that task either. And clean water supply, would not feed from the top, and would not need a hole that size.)
A hole over the public/visible area of the bathroom makes no sense. No competent plumber and no building code official would approve such a location. That is NOT how plumbing vents work on plumbing fixtures -- not even 70+ years ago. The science of how water and gas/vapor flows hasn't really changed since 1930.
It's more likely this might have been some left over hole from either an abandoned light fixture or an abandoned exhaust fan. (Because of the size and shape of the hole.) I also doubt it was ever part of an exhaust fan, because it's too small. If there was an abandoned exhaust fan, you would have a switch and some kind of abandoned duct work (or signs of duct work being removed.)
A third and also possible answer is that the (previous?) owner of this house wanted a cheap exhaust hole (unpowered) that vented into the attic?? But that is actually dangerous, as:
1) vapor from bathrooms that collect in attics can actually accelerate the speed at which wood roof rafters rot, deteriorate and
2) vapor from baths (or kitchens) into the attic area but not vented to the outside can create MOLD. And mold is very destructive and harmful to pets and humans.
Nowadays, a lot of insurance companies won't pay for mold claims-- especially if they are caused by owner/human errors or cheap-do-it-yourself construction work that does not conform to building codes.
Lastly, in most jurisdictions, venting (of moist air vapor) in a bath or kitchen (or any room) to an attic area (and not out through the roof) is a violation of most current day building codes. But your city/town may be different (but it's not likely.)
In any case, the hole may be superfluous and may now serve no function at all- other than to erode and ruin the attic structure. The hole should probably be closed & repaired, and the attic inspected for rot, mold and other damage. (But it's hard to tell from that lone pic. )
Just be very careful when selecting residential contractors. A lot of them are grossly under qualified to diagnose problems.
Source(s):
- Licensed Architect 23+ years
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Other Answers (3)
January 20, 2009 11:51 PM
Just to get it out, I'm not in the construction field, but I've done a healthy amount of it for my folks back home. It looks like your bathroom was probably remodeled somewhere along the way. Old plumbing has to have a vent pipe(that way your pipes don't shake when water runs through them). These vent pipes lead directly to the outside(those are what the small pipes sticking up from roofs are). To me, it looks like the hole from a vent pipe setup(probably from a standup shower, or possibly removed wall) that was simply never closed.Construction guidelines provide for so many of these for every given amount of waste water piping.
http://www.hometips.com/how-it-works/plumbing-drain-waste-vents.html
"To operate properly and safely, each drain must be served by a vent line that carries sewer gasses out through the roof. Several vents may be connected together and joined to the soil stack as long as there is no drain above the connection point. Or vents may pass through the roof on their own."
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January 22, 2009 04:14 PM
It's possible it could be left over hole from a vent pipe, but again, usually those pipes are BEHIND or in the WALL (behind the plumbing fixture)-- usually not in the same space as the toilet/plumbing fixture. If the hole is more directly over the fixture, over even over a part of the tank, the less likely it's a vent. Even in the photo that you supply, the picture shows the vent going up BEHIND the toilet-- see it? Usually that vent wold be in a wall (no visible) from the toilet room -- not even in 1930s. The only way it's a vent, if if a handy man/homeowner did the vent improperly (which is possible, but probably wouldn't have worked very well. And that might explain why it's no longer there today.)
Diagram of house plumbing (codes may vary by city/state) -
http://cli.gs/9Gbq6L
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Diagram of house plumbing (codes may vary by city/state) -
http://cli.gs/9Gbq6L
January 22, 2009 05:33 PM
Your right, they did it wrong if that's what it is. But when people decide to add a stand-up shower(usually the homeowner playing handyman), they rarely pull the wall to add the piping. Instead, they'll punch through the floor and/or ceiling...but your right...it doesn't make a whole lotta sense where it is...
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January 22, 2009 04:03 PM
Please clarify.. so the tank was located in the attic ? that is why the hole is there? The hole is too big to be a water supply line (fresh water to the tank). Plus, I've never seen a house have a water supply line that feeds down from an upper floor (or attic) into the tank. (It doesn't make sense.)
Even in your picture above, there is no hole in the ceiling for a water line.
Please clarify, because your picture doesn't make your point.
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Even in your picture above, there is no hole in the ceiling for a water line.
Please clarify, because your picture doesn't make your point.
January 23, 2009 09:36 PM
First of all - I said it was a guess.
Second - I am not a plumber or architect.
Third - am an old guy who has seen all sorts of homemade-mickey-mouse things in old building and homes. People used lots of stuff that doesn't make sense today. People sometimes just used what was on hand.
Fourth - the picture was just an example of the old style. It was not intended to be a schematic or blue print.
It was just a guess that might hopefully jar somebody else's memory or knowledge about what it might be since there doesn't seem to be a definitive answer.
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Second - I am not a plumber or architect.
Third - am an old guy who has seen all sorts of homemade-mickey-mouse things in old building and homes. People used lots of stuff that doesn't make sense today. People sometimes just used what was on hand.
Fourth - the picture was just an example of the old style. It was not intended to be a schematic or blue print.
It was just a guess that might hopefully jar somebody else's memory or knowledge about what it might be since there doesn't seem to be a definitive answer.
January 24, 2009 08:58 PM
I think you got lots of good responses here @derek, but allow me to suggest ceiling cat.Source(s):
http://encyclopediadramatica.com/index.php/Ceiling_cat
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At this point, we probably want him to take a peek up there. Like you said, there should be some residue of ducting/mounting points up there that might give us a better clue. The water leakage is what bothers me some. If there is no ducting leading to the roof, where was the water coming from during the rain storm? Could indicate a leak, and this is just a convenient lowpoint for the water to drip through(better here than the inside of a wall I suppose).
If there is nothing on the other side, and he fixes whatever leak is bringing the water in, it should be a straightforward patch-job...wouldn't necessarily recommend hiring anyone for that, but definately to check for mold/rot...