Sewers
Sewer Gas Knowledge Base
Sewer gas? I am not sure what it is but my bathroom smells like sewer gas, is this smell bad for us (and our children). What can we do to fix this horrible smell.
What stops sewer gas form entering the home? We have been having sewer gas come into the house . We do not have a basement but we have a building where a floor drain is connected to the house drains. I am not sure where itis coming from but I do smell it coming from the air/heating vents. Any suggestions why we are having this problem and how can it be fixed?
Do you know of any municipalities that produce electricity from sewer gas? Massive amounts of electricity can be generated from sewer gas which is a byproduct of sewage treatment. The odd explosion and the dumping gas into the air are all I have ever heard of. Many large intense farm animal operations do this commercially, why don't Cities do this? Is it done in America?
why can i smell sewer gas when my laundry machine drains on the second floor? in my basement utility room i smell sewer gas (methane) only when cloths washer drains.. all traps have water in them and there are no open pipes anywhere.. its a mistery
Why does my bathroom smell like sewer gas? Our home (of 5years) is on septic and we've never had any trouble with back ups or had to have it pumped. In the last year, the master bath (remodeled 4 years ago) has begun to smell like sewer gas. It occurs most often after the shower is used, but doesn't necessarily come from the shower. The husband recently replaced the wax seal on the toilet, These episodes seem to occur in random spurts.
is it dangerous to live in a city that smells like sewer gas? I have lived in Toronto, Canada for most of my life, and I have gotten to the point where the sewer gas smells (particularly, near the humber treatment centre along the gardiner expressway) or the smells coming from the abattoir (around queen and shaw) are so bad that I have to ask the question: is it toxic to live in a city that smells so bad? Is there a problem with the city's infrastructure such that it can't properly manage its sewage and that I, as a city dweller, don't know about it? No one seems to publicly complain about it, yet the smells seem to be getting worse. Other cities seem to be able to cope with the situation far better than Toronto. I'm asking my question here because I'm not sure if it's just me; I may just be a little too sensitive.
Why do I have sewer gas smell in my kitchen? Every time I wash dishes my kitchen wreaks of sewer gas. We recently a plumber clean out our pipes and that still didn't help. None of the pipes seem to be backed up, but the smell continues to pollute the house when we wash dishes in the kitchen sink. I do not have a garbage disposal
I have sewer gas coming from sink drain? I smell sewer gas in the sink drain.It looks as though the sink waste pipe has not been vented it just drains.could this be the reason.The trap has water in it and is leveled correctly.Its an older house so it has a ceramic sewer with no sewer trap and drains into a septic tank.Any suggestions?
Could this be the cause of my sewer gas problem? This pipe is sticking out of the ground next to my house and as you can see, has a crack in it. I believe it is the cleanout, where you can access the sewer pipe to clear blockages. I've been having a problem lately with a sewer gas smell in my house, below the staircase (and I would have to open up the dry wall to be able to get under the staircase). It's been a problem for awhile and the sewer smell seems to worsen in the colder months of the year. You can smell it ocassionally in the warmer weather but not nearly as much. So my question is, could the crack in this pipe be the reason why I'm smelling sewer gas in my house? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t26/neays/Pipe2.jpg http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t26/neays/Pipe1.jpg No septic tank. I'm on city sewer and there is no basement in my house either.
Can sewer gas leak into bathroom pipes? Any plumbers out there who can help explain these bad smells? I have noticed for quite some time that occasionally, my bathroom has a strong vial smell, almost like raw sewage. No, this is not typical "bathroom odors", it is unbearably strong. I figured out it is coming from the toilet. This happens even when the toilet has not been used for several hours. I have a city sewer system, not a septic tank. What could be causing this? Can gases leak up from the sewer system? Any ideas? It seems to be getting worse and worse. Please help!! Thanks guys! It definately seems to be coming from the toilet area. One question however, if it was a problem with the wax ring (I replaced it about 6 months ago due to a leak) wouldn't there be water leaking as well? Re "Skippy's" answer. NO! Roaches?? Can they come up through the sewer pipes? OMG If that's the case, I'm all over replacing that wax ring again!
What should I do if I smell sewer gas in the bathroom? The ladies bathroom at my church has four stalls and one or more of them (not sure which one) is leaking some noxious smell. First is it dangerous and second how can I fix it. The church is on city sewer.
what can i do to get rid of a sewer gas scent under my crawl space? i would like to know if there is any chemical that i could use to keep down the odor eminating from the crack sewer line. the crawl space is very small and low. i will eventually have to replace the line or patch it up
Sewer Gas Smell Coming From Washing Machine Drain Pipe? I bought a high efficiency washer in the house I recently purchased, which was built in 1998. 3 months after I bought the washer, strong sewer gas smell coming from washing machine drain pipe. Things to note: I have city sewer, I don't have a basement, washer is on first floor so I don't have a floor drain, I use the washer once a week, and I don't know for sure if I have a trap on the drain pipe because it is behind the wall. After each wash, I pour water down the drain pipe. That has helped the sewer gas smell but it is still there. It is worse at night and the day after I use the washing machine, the smell comes back. The smell is now steadily worsening and getting stronger. I had a plumber over to my house and all he did was pull the drain hose further out of the drain pipe. Otherwise, he was clueless as to how to fix the sewer gas smell. Can anyone knowledgeable on this subject help me?
What causes sewer gas oder in a certain part of the house? Changed studor vent,checked septic tank it was ok, changed cummode seal,checked 2 roof air vents they were ok,checked cleanouts they were not backed up,cleaned p-trap under sink,cleaned p-trap in upstairs,can't figure had a plummer to come check it out he doesn't know need help?
Why do I smell sewer gas when I turn on the faucet? I smell it every other time I turn on the faucet. The leak or whatever it is is really annoying b/c it smells terrible.
How do I locate a sewer gas leak? I've already re-sealed the commode, and had a plumber do a smoke test. Neither did any good. The smell is only in one bathroom whihc has a common vent for dual sinks, commode, and bath.
I get sewer gas in the bathroom but only in the evening and nighttime hours? Any plumbers out there for a suggestion as to what it is?
My house is on septic and I smell sewer gas in the back bath. What is causing it? How do I prevent it? This only happens every once in a while. Usualy happens when there has been a lot of water used that day.
What does sewer gas smell like? There is a fishy odor coming from bathroom off and on. Sometimes it is much stronger than others. Could this be sewer gas? Also, I do have city sewage, not a septic system.
Sewer Gas Smell coming from roughed in plumbing? We own a house where the previous owners started the plumbing for their wet bar. We had a plumber come and cap off the pipe that was supposed to be used for the bar sink. We noticed a strange smell coming from the area of the exposed pipe. We went a cut up our basement rug and subfloor to find that there were four other pipes. Currently, one of the holes in that area has a backflow valve (with a ping pong ball to stop the water from coming up the pipe) The other pipe is open and just to the right of the one hole. We dumped water down into the pipe and the hole and it appears to have stopped the smell, but the water has not run down at all. Is this normal?
I just found out that we have been breathing in an odorless sewer gas for the past 3 years! Should we all be? checked out by a doctor? My 7 year old has been having headaches that no one has been able to figure out, and everyone else except my husband has really bad sinus problems. I don't know if this could be related or not. What are the effects of sewer gas exposure? Are they permanent or will they go away after the plumbers fix the venting problem?
I am getting a smell of "sewer gas" coming up through my kitchen sink drain. What could be causing this? I live in the country and my water comes from a well. It is only the kitchen sink where I have this problem. I do have a dishwasher, too.
why do i sometimes smell sewer gas in my home? i have checked vents on roof they seem clear the smell comes from the airconditioner closet where there is a drain connected to thetwo sinks and awasher drain the smell comesand goes got anyideas also itseems to travel in the return air vent
The basement in our large building smells like sewer gas. The drains also back up. Help? We have a large basement that smells like sewage or rotten eggs in the morning. I am afraid that it is a health hazard. All the plumbers the landlord talks to have no idea how to fix it. Should we talk to an engineer?
Sewer gas smell when running attic fan? When we run our attic fan (also called whole house fan) we get this ghastly smell coming up from our finished basement. It 'seems' to be coming from the bathroom where we removed a shower. We put a small raised platform over the old shower drain-I thought this might be the problem, removed a board, poured bleach down the drain, but it didn't work. the smell is so bad in the basement that you literally get sick to your stomach and it isn't the best upstairs either. Does anyone have any ideas on what this might be caused by? It did not do this when we first moved in and didn't do it right after we removed the shower. my dh seems to think that the p-trap is dry? others i've asked think say they don't think that sounds right? Thanks so much in advance!
Why do new SOS pads smell like sewer gas? SOS pads smell like sewer gas. Why is this?
My house smells like dead animal at certain times. None found. Could it be sewer gas? Could a plumber help? I don't know who to call. Could it be a vent clogged? I didn't know sewer gas smelled like dead animal. Very frustrating. Any help would be appreciated.
can sewer gas fumes harm your health - our plumber can't even figure out where the smell is coming from.? When we run the wash and the heat comes on we can really smell it. Can anyone help?
HOW DO I GET RID OF SEWER GAS? I run a restaurant and we have a sewer gas odor that is real bad sometimes and others it is not there at all. i think it comes from my service area. there are a few floor drains there . my store is a clean but old store . help please. Ive called plumbers and they havent fixed the problem yet. WHAT SHOULD I DO?
If basement floor drains have seen no water in ten years, traps must be dry, so what stops sewer gas entering? I don't even know if these drains are connected to the vent stack like other drains, but I have to assume they're on the same sewer line, so...?
Can just anyone access maps of their city's buried gas, sewer, and electric lines? I want to become a guerrilla gardner, but I think that I might run into some problems, speaking of the authorities. The average tree roots must go relativity deep, and that would surely mess with utilities. So, can I freely access maps for these lines? Or are they restricted to no one or just the property owner?
Sewer gas smell and no trap.? I have a water outlet for a washer in my new house but the idiots who installed it didn't put a trap in there to prevent sewer gas. (wasn't able to discover it until a year after i bought the house and got a washer). Is there any way, other than ripping out the walls to redo the pipes, to put some sort of trap ? Thanks!
What does sewer gas smell like? I have a smell located in the basment. Smells like a bug spray..? I've checked for bug spray cans or any areas where something may have spilled. I can't locate it. I've only narrowed it to an area in the basment but there is no evidence as to what it is.
We've got a sewer gas smell in the bathroom sink and consistently a few dead flies in the kitchen... related? We've tried taking apart and cleaning the pipe in the bathroom sink, to no avail. It still reeks. The flies are small enough that they might be midges and may be breeding in the drains. They could also be breeding outside - they seem to be gathering under the plastic around our windows and dying in the sun, but I don't know if they're going outside or coming in. Could these two observances be related to a common problem, ie something in the overall pipes in my house? We did find a dead mouse when we cleaned the air ducts after moving in. But the smell is fortunately only in one bathroom and only in one drain pipe, and there's no clogging issue. If there's a rat, he's small and stuck down there good.
What causes sewer gas? What would cause sewer gas to come up the main drain in my basement?
Why would I smell sewer gas in my main floor bathroom? I changed the toilet 3-4 years ago with new wax seal.? I did have a cesspool backup last summer. The smell started about 2-3 months ago. I don't get the smell all the time. But it is often enough that is getting annoying. I got the cesspool pumped out after the backup. Could the wax seal be compromised so soon? I use the toilet and the sink in that bathroom daily. Any suggestion?
Sewer gas problem? Help!? Sewer gas smell coming from where the washing machine hose drains out. The whole house smells, help!! What's wrong? What do I do?
Sewer gas problem? When it rains steady or harder sewer gas comes into the basement of the house via the small crack in the concrete floor around the waste stack any thoughts would help thanks
If all the utility companys (gas, water, sewer) mark all the lines on my street, does that mean they will dig? They marked blue lines (water), yellow (gas), and green (sewage). But they also marked a white line, which I have no clue what it is, because there isn't anything else that it could be.
Do you know of any municipalities that produce electricity from sewer gas? Massive amounts of electricity can be generated from sewer gas which is a byproduct of sewage treatment. The odd explosion and the dumping gas into the air are all I have ever heard of. Many large intense farm animal operations do this commercially, why don't Cities?
Sewer gas repaired but still smells some.? I have two rooms side by side. Bathroom and a storage room. Both of them were fullll of sewer gas. I had a plumber dig up the floor and replace a cracked Tee. The smell is 90% better. I can still smell it though. Can sewer gas leave a residual smell that will eventually go away or is there another problem? Let me add that the initial leak was there for many months. The plumber said the ground was wet. Could this be the problem?
I have a strange odor from the upstairs shower. It does not smell like sewer gas, but more like chemicals.? The house has original plumbing and stack from the 1930s. The smell is like perm solution that you would smell at a hair salon. The smell seems to come and go. It is the most used bathroom, so it is not a case of water evaporating from the trap. The bathroom is adjacent to a seldomly used guest bath, but the guest bath smells fine. The rest of the plubing in the house also smells fine. The bathroom with the odor is on the second story. Any clues?
Who's Responsible? The grease trap at my work has been clogged for months- causing noxious sewer gas!? I realized that my headaches started about the same time the sewage smell started, as did my dizzy spells. Other coworkers had similar complaints, some even stranger problems. The problem was drastic enough to make ppl stop eating there for a while. It's fixed now and my headaches are clearing up. Too coincidental. Is there any way this can all be connected??? Apparently the owner has a contract with the city and the city is supposed to have the trap cleaned out regularly. It hasn't been done for a long time. It's been going on since last summer and getting far worse when we'd move air (a/c and heat). We had ppl in and out trying to figure out what was happening. We thought it was connected to the new town sewer project, or maybe a dry trap. The smell was so bad at times the restaurant cleared out. There were days I was physically ill. We all complained to the mayor, but all he ever did was point fingers. Needless to say, we were pretty mad when we found out it was the trap that the city was supposed to take care of.
I have a shower with no ptrap that emits sewer gas, Is there a check valve made that will slide into the drain? This is a basement shower on a concrete slab. Yes the easy way out for now as finances don't allow a bathroom remodel at this time. It does have a vent pipe, which is not clogged, I ran water down the pipe and can hear it plain as day at the shower drain.
When I do a load of laundry or take a bath which is in the A.M. I smell sewer gas? But I just had septic ? replaced this summer, whole new leech field, new tank, new pipes stone on top etc. I live in a trailer and we looked underneath there was nothing leaking there all was dry and clean. Now what could it be??
Sewer Gas and a Drain question? Hi I have a sewer gas odor in my laundry room. I discoevred the source the other day I was laying a new floor when I happened to be over the drain in the room, which I originally thought was just a trough in the floor. However when someone upstairs took a shower the sewer gas smell began to rise from the drain in the floor. Here is my question, is there a trap in there that maybe dry? Is it ok to pour water into it? I know that sounds odd but I am so unsure about what to do to this. Thanks BBB I guess I should add I cannot see into the drain, it is a largeish hole in the floor, tht narrows at about 4 to 6 inches in. Will it have a trap? I( think it's called a bell drain) it was obviuosly a part of the original construction (1978 built).
Just how dangerous is sewer gas? Ok, my husband and I are renting a home and we have 3 little boys under the age of 3. We have a full upstairs bathroom and a tiny bathroom downstairs that just has a toilet. The toilet in the tiny bathroom has been having some problems flushing lately so the landlord came to look at it. He couldn't figure out the problem so he took the whole toilet out of the bathroom. He stuffed a towel part way down the pipe that was left open and said he would be back next week either with a new toilet or the fixed old one. Now, what concerns me is sewer gas. I have heard from some that it can be deadly, and I have also heard that you would have to breathe it in for a very long time for it to even make you sick. With 2 toddlers and an infant in the house, I need to know the truth about sewer gas. This bathroom I am talking about is only about 3 1/2 feet wide and 5 feet long, very small. So if I open that bathroom door, is it going to let out a whole bunch of sewer gas that could possibly make our family sick? I am really worried about this, since the landlord won't be back to do anything til next week. He told us when he left that if we smelled the gas to just put some more towels over the hole. But I'm not convinced that that would stop the gas from leaking out of the pipe. Please help!
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