# Let�s play: Where�s the sewer smell coming from.



## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

*Let’s play: Where’s the sewer smell coming from.*

College rental. In a basement bedroom they had a crock and weep tile installed because of rain water seeping into a corner. All new, never was a combination. Clay sewer starts about 4’ from the closest tile. Line is, well, clay, but in decent condition no breaks, separations cracks, normal root invasions, two dead lines heading in the opposite direction, one buried clean out. 

It’s been going on since school started. For more than ten years I’ve been saying the main needed to be replaced. About three months ago they finally replaced from the house to the city thinking it would fix the smell :blink::no: but I wasn’t going to tell them it wouldn’t.

They asked me to video it again “just to see if we missed something”. :laughing: Ok, I’ll send you another video and bill, I’m cool with that. Same as last time, needs a cleaning, two 50% root balls. For giggles I even videoed the weep tile. Only odd thing about that was a electrical outlet hanging out in it.

I’ll draw a picture and post it. I’ve run across my fair share of sewer smell complaints, other than this one the trickiest one I’ve ever had was dead critters in the soffits, open drywall behind a radiant wall unit and poor insulation.

I’m at a loss. I haven’t smelled it personally but even the head maintenance guy swears he smells it. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Maybe I’m missing something or haven’t learned learned something.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Quick sloppy sketch...


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## 5onthefloor (Sep 13, 2017)

What is above slab cast iron with galvanized vents? Or all cast and some pvc? You show branches off the clay maybe something was abandoned? Any areas of concrete that look newer than surrounding area?

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## 5onthefloor (Sep 13, 2017)

Also did you try sending the camera from CO outside towards main in basement up thru those wyes to see where they go? Just curious as to what those lines do 

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## indyjim (Apr 29, 2017)

Smoke test it. 


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## 5onthefloor (Sep 13, 2017)

indyjim said:


> Smoke test it.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


This was gonna be my next suggestion bomb that beech

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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Concrete is solid. In fact, I’m pretty sure a second floor was poured and after the crock and tile was put in they tiled the floor. Smell is coming from the crock as if it was either tied to the sanitary or the sanitary is leaching. 

Brain fart on the smoke test. At least it’s something to rule out. Stack is cast down to the bottom 2’ then transitions to pvc, picks up the newer pvc bathroom group then to clay.


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## GAN (Jul 10, 2012)

Trap evaporation, either naturally or improperly vented trap? 

Since it is clay, something not trapped at all.

I have found hidden in capped lines AFF.


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## 5onthefloor (Sep 13, 2017)

I meant to attach my edited photo of your layout to my last post showing how to run camera thru those wyes from outside CO 

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## Plumbergeek (Aug 16, 2010)

Has anyone had success using a gas leak detector to determine if smell is indeed sewer (Methane) gas.
I have lots of calls for sewer smells in homes and wondered if my detector would tell me if it was really sewer gas?


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## MACPLUMB777 (Jun 18, 2008)

Plumbergeek said:


> Has anyone had success using a gas leak detector to determine if smell is indeed sewer (Methane) gas.
> I have lots of calls for sewer smells in homes and wondered if my detector would tell me if it was really sewer gas?


A Interesting Ideal !


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## rwh (Dec 17, 2014)

Plumbergeek said:


> Has anyone had success using a gas leak detector to determine if smell is indeed sewer (Methane) gas.
> I have lots of calls for sewer smells in homes and wondered if my detector would tell me if it was really sewer gas?


Your meter has to be specified for h2s. The natural gas side will sometimes detect it.


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## rwh (Dec 17, 2014)

rwh said:


> Plumbergeek said:
> 
> 
> > Has anyone had success using a gas leak detector to determine if smell is indeed sewer (Methane) gas.
> ...


By that I mean the same Sensit meter will do NG, O, H2S, and CO. Mine will not do O or H2S, because we didn't buy an inexpensive option.


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

PM sent. Like I said, check under those lavs. 

So handymen don't catch on, here is a hint; their slogan was "Why go through the roof?" A real plumber will know this, but shhhhh. Don't tell the handy hack.


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## Plumbergeek (Aug 16, 2010)

Tommy plumber said:


> PM sent. Like I said, check under those lavs.
> 
> So handymen don't catch on, here is a hint; their slogan was "Why go through the roof?" A real plumber will know this, but shhhhh. Don't tell the handy hack.


I had one of those this week..... They even glued it on so I had to cut it off. :blink:


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Thanks Tommy! The sewer smell is only coming from the crock and only in the bedroom. Bathroom group is actually, or amazingly revented. 

They’ve been treating the crock with pool shock in the meantime, flushing it every few days.


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## plumbingway (Dec 18, 2017)

smoke test?


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Nope. I guess the plan of attack is to replace the clay tile under the basement. Good idea for them, but at that point, other than tenant abuse, less drain calls for me. It’s an expensive crap shoot, but not my call or my money.


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## tim666 (Mar 11, 2014)

Is there any toilets on the next level above the crock? Septic or municipal? 
If I were to guess, I would say that there is a problem below slab with the sanitary pipe making its way to the crock. But like others have said a smoke test would definitely be a good place to start


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

There is a bathroom above the closet, but that’s in the opposite corner of the bedroom and it doesn’t smell. I guess it could be leaching. I’ve been fighting that line for more than nine years and have been telling them every time they need to replace it. Well they finally did this summer. With clay under the house and as many times as it’s backed up, the pressure could have completely saturated the soil. We’ve all had to replace broken lines that have been leaching for a long time. Good times! Hopefully they don’t have to remove the entire slab and contaminated soil. I almost hope that they do, it’d be a good lesson to always listen to their drain cleaner.


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