They may look like candy canes, but Englewood, Fla., homeowners think they are anything but sweet.
“They’re just ugly,” said Frank Olms, owner of Olms Realty. “People try to disguise them. But our Deco-Vent does more than disguise it, it allows it to do the job it was made to do.”
Deco-Vent is an attractive, plastic hollow bird bath that fits over the gooseneck-shaped sewer pipes that protrude from homeowners’ yards.
The “candy cane” sewer pipe’s job is to prevent the vacuum system from drawing water from plumbing traps that block sewer gas from entering the home when sewage is vacuumed from the underground sumps. The pipes allow the system to draw air instead.
“You can’t just cover the pipes up,” Olms explained. “You can back up your whole system. Deco-Vent allows the 4-inch-diameter pipes to continue to draw the necessary air needed.”
The Deco-Vent has 16 square inches of openings to still allow air to flow through the pipe while hiding the ugly PVC piping.
According to Olms, the curved PVC that creates the “candy cane” look is only there to prevent rain from getting into the pipes.
“The tops can be cut off, allowing the Deco-Vent to fit over [it],” Olms said. “And the vent is still protected from rain because the bird bath is solid. The openings are underneath the bowl.”
Deco-Vent has been endorsed by Florida engineering firm Giffels-Webster.
In a letter sent to Olms, Giffels-Webster president Jonathan H. Cole writes, “We believe that [Deco-Vent] offers a realistic solution to the unsightly `candy canes’ and we endorse the use of this product.”
Olms, licensed in septic tank installation and real estate, designed the Deco-Vent in 1989 to hide similarly ugly vent pipes used in septic systems in New England. Its patent is pending.
“I used to help install those septic systems and I would see the pipe and think, `Boy, that’s ugly,'” Olms said.
Olms said many of the sewer pipes have been placed haphazardly on people’s yards, with some being placed in odd or hard-to-reach places.
“We can move the pipes to anywhere on people’s yards they would like them, as long as it can be connected to the gravity pipe,” Olms said.
“We will gladly install the Deco-Vent for anyone, or people can just come into our office and buy one of the bird baths.”
The bird baths sell for $39.95. Olms also offers bordering options for an extra fee.
“If you buy a house from us, we’ll throw in a Deco-Vent,” Olms said with a chuckle.
For more information on the Deco-Vent, call 941-475-9410 or e-mail Olms at olmsrealty.com.
