We had a home built for us this past summer. I had a gentleman checking our furnace in Dec, and he also inspected a few other items, one of those being the attic where he saw the venting tubes, and stated to me he didn't know how this house passed the plumbing inspection.. he saw two 3"pipes extending through the roof, those 3" pipes however did not run to the building drain, they instead stopped half way(in the attic)where they were then tied in to 2" pipes. Those two inch pipes extended out to the kitchen sink, the laundry room, and three bathrooms on the main floor. We also have a bathroom in the basement. Further investigation revealed that in fact, a plumbing inspection was never done on this house even though a certificate of occupancy was issued. The building code office came out, and said from what they could see things look OK... though they could not see pitch of the pipes and pipes underneath the subfloor in the basement bathroom, along with whatever else pipes in behind the drywall.
Our basement bathroom started emitting a foul sewer odor... I called a contractor who came out and unplugged our vent pipes on the roof, both were clogged with snow.. the odor disappeared for a couple of days but then returned... I went to Home Depot to get some sealant, thinking maybe this would help.. putting the sealant around the base of the toilet... after talking with an employee at the store and relating a little history of my home, he told me that the vents should not clog up. If in fact they are there is a venting problem.
I really need some help here. I truly believe because we do not have a main vent stack running undiminished in size and as directly as possible from the building drain to the open air above the roof we are having our current problem with the basement bathroom and will probably procure more as time goes on.
We have a rather large home, 2400 square feet on the main floor and we also have a full basement, which we use and it is heated. I don't know if that is needed in determining a solution to my problem but hopefully it helps.
The building code office related things are fine from what they can see. I disagree. I think they are saying that because ultimately they screwed up. They issued a certificate of occupancy without checking that all necessary inspections had been completed. The builder is also at fault, his excuse for not calling to schedule a plumbing inspection was that he thought the plumber had done it. The building code office told me that the owner was responsible for ensuring all inspections were done.
So, in closing, I would appreciate some feedback on this. I'm trying my best to tackle this alone, my husband is deployed to Iraq and not due back until Nov. He is aware of all that is going on but bottom line, I've got to handle everything.
Thank you for your time.
Most respectfully,
Stephanie

According to the new code revisions a full sized vent is no longer required. Your home inspector is not up on his codes. The reason you have 3" pipes extended above the roof is that smaller pipes tend to freeze up and clog more readily. the vents are in compliance with the plumbing code. if you only have 2 vents then all other vents are either air admittance valves or looped back to other vent lines. in this case you are getting maximum moisture through the 3" vent and may have to change it to 4" extending above the roof and about 2 - 3 feet below the roof. As for an odor around the toilet, the wax ring is not sealing. Pull and reset your toilet and make sure it does not rock.

Out of curiosity, what is the date of the new code revisions? The 3" pipes extend approx four feet below the roof. So, we are getting too much moisture? Is that what is causing the vents to plug up with snow? Granted, we get a lot of snow and wind, we are located in upstate New York, however the guy at Home Depot related those vents should never plug up like they did.
I appreciate you emailing back, anymore info would be even more appreciated.

The code revision is as recent as last year. The four feet should be adequate. The moisture is coming from your plumbing. It allows free flow of air in and out of the vent. In the summer condensation collect at the top of the vents and squirrels drink from there. That is why you see squirrels on rooftops. The moisture is rising and freezing. And the snow is not helping.

OK, thanks. I'll see what the builder will do. Regarding the wax ring, is this something that is common so soon after installing it? Or is it just plain not paying attention to detail. The toilet does not rock, it's solid, no movement, just a lot of stink. So much stink that I have to keep the bathroom door shut as well as the basement door shut so that the odor isn't as bad upstairs.
Also, are you a plumber? Just curious, as I keep records of everything involving this house.
Appreciate your input!

p.s. do you have a date for last year as far as the revisions are concerned?

I started plumbing in 1973 working for my dad's business
I own a plumbing company in the atlanta metro area. I am a master plumber unrestricted in Georgia, a master plumber in Alabama [they only have one level] and still have my Florida journeyman card for sentimental reasons.
I would also check for an open pipe under the vanity.
Georgia Building Code
I saw it mentioned when I took my continuing education courses. If I remember correctly it was a 2006 revision
I am looking for further info.