I just moved into a 167 year-old farmhouse which we have been restoring, and am trying to diagnose an odor that smells like sewer gas coming from the bathrooms.
This is my first time living in the country, and my first experience with wells and septic, so I don’t really know what to think.
This odor, which to a city boy smells like a sewer, is only coming from the bathrooms, and more so from the one that gets used less. We haven’t noticed an odor in the kitchen (which has the same well water and septic) if that means anything. My wife has tried repeatedly flushing the toilets and running the fans to no avail. Also, I haven’t noticed this odor in neighbors’ houses which also have wells and septic.
Any ideas?
Thanks, Brian
Replies
Three classic causes for that are
(i) blocked waste vent stacks (the pipes that stick up through the roof and equalize pressure in the waste pipes as water is flowing through and provide a path for sewer gases to escape)
(ii) S-traps for the fixtures, which are moire likely to lose the seal in the trap, especially when the vents are blocked
(iii) disgusting growth in the overflow channel in the sinks.
The key to forgiving others is to quit focusing on what they did to you, and start focusing on what God did for you. Max Lucado
Sojourners: Christians for Justice and Peace
Bob,
Thanks much! A couple questions on solutions:
(i) blocked waste vent stacks (the pipes that stick up through the roof and equalize pressure in the waste pipes as water is flowing through and provide a path for sewer gases to escape)
I understand birds nests, etc. could cause this. I guess just get up there and look for obstructions?
(ii) S-traps for the fixtures, which are moire likely to lose the seal in the trap, especially when the vents are blocked
Someone told me to run the tub and faucets for awhile, which should refill the trap if the water evaporated due to little to no use for a couple months. If they aren't leaking, is this the only solution?
(iii) disgusting growth in the overflow channel in the sinks.
Do you mean the overflow hole at the top? How would you clean this out? Chemicals in the sink that you plug and allow to overflow into the channel?
If you can safely traverse the roof:
1. Run hot water for a while through each vertical waste stack (typically, in my area for old houses, there will only be one.
2. Climb the roof and (a) look down the pipe for obstructions. If you don't see any, hold your hand over the opening to feel for warm air rising. (You can also give a good sniff, but think about what you'd be sniffing before making the decision {G})
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It only takes a couple of cups to refill the traps.
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I've never cleaned an overflow myself, so this is just a suggestion: plug each sink drain, fill with warm water and a 1/2 to 1 cup of bleach in the sink bowl.
Leave a faucet slowly running so that water flows into the overflow channel. Give it a stir every now and again to keep the bleach mixed in.
How long? Cuppa coffee, check your email, whistle a few verses of Dixie.The key to forgiving others is to quit focusing on what they did to you, and start focusing on what God did for you. Max Lucado
Sojourners: Christians for Justice and Peace
Bob,
I do believe that the bulk of the smell is coming from one trap. A few things I noted, though. First, the plumbing does not seem to be vented. There are no stacks on the roof. Is this a problem? Wood I understand, plumbing, not so much, other than that there normally is a vent stack.
The other thing I noted is the type of trap. The water lines and drain are directly below the sink in both baths and the kitchen, not in the wall. Therefore, the trap is a loop, a complete circle. Is this normal in old plumbing? I have heard of S traps and P traps, but never an O trap.
Thanks again, Brian
Brian,
It sounds as if all of your vent's gas is going into the attic if there is no pipe sticking out the roof. Or maybe there is no vent at all. I am not sure if your plumbing would work very well if this were the case. Look in your attic to see how it smells or if a pipe is terminated there. This is some what common in old houses. I once had a job looking for houses with improper vents. We dropped a smoke bomb into the sewer pipe and put a fan over a man hole, smoke would come out of the vents. Be careful, it can fill up your attic or any other improper vent space. We even had one blow up, so maybe this is a bad test for the home owner.
T
catfish25,
I've done smoke test also. I rig a blower to a cleanout and drop a smokebomb into a metal bucket next to the intake. Makes it easier to contol the smoke when they start hollerin' inside. It's usually the toilet that is venting past the wax ring but not leaking water.KK
> Therefore, the trap is a loop, a complete circle. Is this normal in old plumbing? I have heard of S traps and P traps, but never an O trap.
Does this complete circle mean that there's an air path unobstructed by water from the sewer line all the way to the sink drain? If so, that's your problem. The whole idea of traps is that standing water in the low point of the trap blocks the flow of gasses into the room.
-- J.S.
I think Bob already touched on this, but I tracked down an odor source in a bathroom to a sink P-trap. On the drain side, the trap wasn't making good contact with the drain pipe. It wasn't leaking water, but was occasionally letting some 'swamp' gas out.
In my situation, I had replaced trap and drain (redoing the sink/vanity), but probably could have gotten by with just putting a new rubber gasket in.
Could be the wax seal under the toilet bowl, easy cheap fix, just unbolt the toilet from the floor and replace the gasket, $3.00.
Could be the wax seal under the toilet bowl, easy cheap fix, just unbolt the toilet from the floor and replace the gasket, $3.00.
That is typically the point where you discover the cast iron flange is broken, the drainpipe cracked, and a whole section of floor in need of repair. ;)
Actually, someone with a good nose might be able to track where the smell is coming from. That is how we found my sink source. Maybe air the BA out real well and then give it a minute or two to see if the 'good nose' can find where the new odor is originating?
jt8
Just a shot in the dark here, but I once renovated a bathroom with a funny smell and once we ripped down the walls we found the space between the studs had accumulated many many many dead mice.
There were bones and mouse fur about a foot thick from the floor. We surmised that the mice tried to crawl across a pvc pipe that traversed thru the studs and slipped off and for some reason couldn't climb back out. And there they died. It stunk.
Yuck. Better thee, than me.
I never met a tool I didn't like!
If your system is unvented and you have S traps (Your O's are S's folded over!) it may be that water keeps getting sucked out of your traps allowing sewer gas to seep into the room. Do your drains glug when water goes down? Do they gurgle when the toilet is flushed?
I'd also suggest checking the wax rings as suggested by others. Is there any sign of leaks in the ceilings below your toilets?
Make sure you include serious plumbing upgrades in any remodeling plans you may have! Your plumbing was likely added long after the house was built, but not recently enough to meet modern standards.
Al Mollitor, Sharon MA
It's really mostly coming from one bathroom, and it smells like most of the stink is coming from the trap in that bath. Is is worthwhile to switch my Ss to Ps? It would involve moving the drain pipe, and I would rather avoid it if possible.
Still not sure where the system could be venting, but I'm going to have a plumber come out next week to look at a number of problems. The plumbing was added in the 70s, it's all on the lower level (unfinished basement below), and all plastic. I think major replumbing looks to be a minor deal on this house. It really needs new faucets, a disposal, and shutoffs, besides fixing the odor.