# Pee-yewww



## pipefighter (Sep 26, 2009)

New stand alone bathroom. Constant stink outside from the vent. I suspect the problem is the pseudo-vents(A.A.V's) at the lavs. I'm meeting with the plumbing engineer Friday to discuss the problem.
I added the print as an attachment, I think, so if anybody has an idea of what the problem may be, please chime in.
Thanx


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## rjbphd (Feb 5, 2010)

Not the aav problem


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## Gettinit (May 9, 2012)

Cannot see the pic on the phone but, did you say that you put your nose to a plumbing vent and it stinks? :laughing:


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## pipefighter (Sep 26, 2009)

Gettinit said:


> Cannot see the pic on the phone but, did you say that you put your nose to a plumbing vent and it stinks? :laughing:


 HAH... Don't have to get that close to smell it.


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## pipefighter (Sep 26, 2009)

Well if the aav's aren't the problem, what is? The smell is nasty downwind of the vent, and I frankly don't have a clue. Thought maybe the aav's were preventing circulation in the system, causing positive pressure and turning the vent into a chimney.


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

The AAV's are not the problem because there is no "problem". It stinks because sewer gas stinks. That is why we have p-traps and vents are put on the outside and not the inside of a building. (not being sarcastic, just stating the obvious)

Maybe that one VTR is more noticeable because it is the only outlet in the system for positive are pressure coming back from the main. But it is after all a sewer vent and they stink.

You figure out a way to make sewer gas not stink and you will be a very wealthy man.

This seems like an odd question coming from a man of your experience. Is there more to this story you have not shared?


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## Olemissplumber (Dec 7, 2012)

Try extending the vent higher. If on public sewer have municipality check for partial sewer main obstruction.


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## pipefighter (Sep 26, 2009)

plbgbiz said:


> The AAV's are not the problem because there is no "problem". It stinks because sewer gas stinks. That is why we have p-traps and vents are put on the outside and not the inside of a building. (not being sarcastic, just stating the obvious)
> 
> Maybe that one VTR is more noticeable because it is the only outlet in the system for positive are pressure coming back from the main. But it is after all a sewer vent and they stink.
> 
> ...


No doubt sewer gas stinks, but I have never before encountered a situation where you can smell the vent system from 50 feet away. There are two other bldgs. in the area, a restaurant, and a swimming pool with bathrooms that don't stink on the outside. There has to be something causing the vent to act more like a chimney than a vent. I have rodded/jetted the line from the cleanout to the manhole, and even jetted back into the bldg. There is no blockage. I thought of a smoke test, but since the system is brand new it seemed a waste of time, and if the smell were coming from someplace other than the vent it wouldn't be as wind directionally evident. The vent stack is approx. 3' above the roof which seems adequate height. 
I guess if there's no obvious problem on the print, I'll have to extend the vent, but I keep seeing those aav's at the lavs, thinking if I vented those lav drains...
just an old phart plumber averse to new fangled stuff.


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

For that much gas coming back, I think it is related to the main rather than the building. Why is it blowing through your building and not the others? Who knows, but your building is probably not the source.

Have the city check their main.

We have a customer with a manhole about twenty feet from the back of their building. The city has to keep 20lb breath mints hanging under the lid to keep the smell bearable. Sounds to me like the main needs its own vent.

BTW: No offense was intended with my comments.


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## pipefighter (Sep 26, 2009)

plbgbiz said:


> For that much gas coming back, I think it is related to the main rather than the building. Why is it blowing through your building and not the others? Who knows, but your building is probably not the source.
> 
> Have the city check their main.
> 
> ...


No offense taken, and I appreciate the input. Hadn't thought about the main needing a vent. That's something I can run past the engineer tomorrow.
Thanx


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## huskyevert (Mar 9, 2012)

Just shooting from the hip, though it seems unlikely... your building gets super stink from the city main and the 2 nearby buildings don't because they are older and have traps before the sewer exits the buildings? I've seen "house traps" in older homes and even some older storefronts in Detroit.


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## PlungerJockey (Feb 19, 2010)

Stick one of these on there. There are diffrent brands and models, but they do work.http://www.septicsolutions.net/store/septicodor_ventfilter.htm

It's a carbon filter. I've installd them on houses before.


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## rjbphd (Feb 5, 2010)

PlungerJockey said:


> Stick one of these on there. There are diffrent brands and models, but they do work.http://www.septicsolutions.net/store/septicodor_ventfilter.htm
> 
> It's a carbon filter. I've installd them on houses before.


Interesting, from Illinois and don't think its allowed on house/building plumbing stack here,, septic system vent , yes..


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

rjbphd said:


> Interesting, from Illinois and don't think its allowed on house/building plumbing stack here,, septic system vent , yes..


It's allowed, just wait until the occupancy permit is issued. :whistling2:


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## perfectplumber (Apr 22, 2013)

plbgbiz said:


> The AAV's are not the problem because there is no "problem". It stinks because sewer gas stinks. That is why we have p-traps and vents are put on the outside and not the inside of a building. (not being sarcastic, just stating the obvious)
> 
> Maybe that one VTR is more noticeable because it is the only outlet in the system for positive are pressure coming back from the main. But it is after all a sewer vent and they stink.
> 
> ...


Mr,You Just Solve The Puzzle....but here in my country,we do add lots of CAMPHORS ,into the drains..while the water flows through the camphors,the solvent releases into the drain..and the nasty smell is control time to time...Any One agree with me??


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

perfectplumber said:


> Mr,You Just Solve The Puzzle....but here in my country,we do add lots of CAMPHORS ,into the drains..while the water flows through the camphors,the solvent releases into the drain..and the nasty smell is control time to time...Any One agree with me??


Of course we agree with you. Aren't you perfect? :laughing: :jester:


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## pipefighter (Sep 26, 2009)

Thanx all for the input. The engineer postponed the meeting after I shot down his idea of installing an AAV at the VTR. Told him I would not accept a "patch" and need to know why the bldg stunk before it was opened for use.


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

If the customer presses the issue maybe the city will install these in the upstream and downstream manholes.

http://www.pollardwater.com/pages_product/WFR120_Super_Block.asp


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## plumber101us (Feb 25, 2013)

I agree about main may need to be vented or being partially plugged and backing gas up into your building


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## Olemissplumber (Dec 7, 2012)

The public sewer main may be under sized and certain times of the day high flow rates are moving a lot of air/gas.

Anything to cover up or mask the smell is a bandaid/maintenance problem.

Before the building is occupied cap off the vent and make sure the smell goes away. Swampy ground can produce methane gas. Are there any marsh/wet areas nearby?

Venting the sewer to a remote location on the property if possible may be the solution. Install a pole and extend as high as you would like. Be sure to install clean outs along this line as well.

Some components of sewer gas is heavier than air.

This is a funny puzzeler


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## wyrickmech (Mar 16, 2013)

How close to the treatment plant are you?


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## theplumbinator (Sep 6, 2012)

huskyevert said:


> Just shooting from the hip, though it seems unlikely... your building gets super stink from the city main and the 2 nearby buildings don't because they are older and have traps before the sewer exits the buildings? I've seen "house traps" in older homes and even some older storefronts in Detroit.


There are still a few municipalities near me that still require a whole house trap, dont know why exactly but they get all crankey if we remove it during a renovation job.


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## theplumbinator (Sep 6, 2012)

422 plumber said:


> It's allowed, just wait until the occupancy permit is issued. :whistling2:


Everything is allowed after final inspection!


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## theplumbinator (Sep 6, 2012)

Set a smoke bomb off down the man hole and look from the street at witch buildings have smoking vent stacks. Just keep the truck running incase one of the neighborhood buildings have a dry trap. Always important to have a good get away vehicle when you try that method. but that would possibly let you know if only your building is venting the sewer in the street.

Or you could try an oil of peppermint iv drip down the stack :laughing:


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## Ghostmaker (Jan 12, 2013)

If the main sewer has a belly it would cause positive pressure to form. Perhaps you should camera the sewer of the building.


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## Olemissplumber (Dec 7, 2012)

Ghostmaker said:


> If the main sewer has a belly it would cause positive pressure to form. Perhaps you should camera the sewer of the building.


I think the belly or partial obstruction is in the city main.

We are thinking along the same lines. The building is new and is not even occupied yet,I doubt the stink is originating within the buildings drain or sewer.


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## Michaelcookplum (May 1, 2011)

plbgbiz said:


> If the customer presses the issue maybe the city will install these in the upstream and downstream manholes.
> 
> http://www.pollardwater.com/pages_product/WFR120_Super_Block.asp


They should make minis for cat litter boxes, would double as a cat you too, maybe even triple as a poison to kill my wife's cats.


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## theplumbinator (Sep 6, 2012)

Michaelcookplum said:


> They should make minis for cat litter boxes, would double as a cat you too, maybe even triple as a poison to kill my wife's cats.


Yeah im not a big cat fan either. My wife came with one and it will be the last one. Never crossed my mind to kill it. But I have contemplated driving it out to the middle of Pennsylvania near Amish country opening the car door and saying bye bye. " dont know where Jazzy went babe" Must have ran away to become Amish? The cat is cool I like its personality, probably why I deal with having a box of s**t in my laundry room. I like dogs just dont have time to deal with a new dog at this time. They're like having a kid, you have to plan the entire day around your dog. Still miss my old dog. They say out of all the dogs you have in a lifetime there is always one that no other dog can compare to. Doubt I can ever replace my last one with an equal.

Totally off topic. Sorry.


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## mtfallsmikey (Jan 11, 2010)

I've seen cases where there is a downdraft condition that drives the pew down off the roof from a VTR, one of those carbon filters described in a previous post would work well, could make a hillbilly version from a Cuno-type carbon filter I guess...


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## pipefighter (Sep 26, 2009)

We ran a camera down the line and found no bellies, and there is no stink at the manhole or bldg clean-out, only at the vent. The restroom is on the beach and the sewer runs to a lift station approx. 150 linear feet away. The lift station is working and the float level is right. 
The flow at the clean out looks good, so back pitch is unlikely.
I'm totally stumped, as are several plumbers I've talked to. I hate to put a filter on the stack, but right now it seems the only option.


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## rjbphd (Feb 5, 2010)

pipefighter said:


> We ran a camera down the line and found no bellies, and there is no stink at the manhole or bldg clean-out, only at the vent. The restroom is on the beach and the sewer runs to a lift station approx. 150 linear feet away. The lift station is working and the float level is right.
> The flow at the clean out looks good, so back pitch is unlikely.
> I'm totally stumped, as are several plumbers I've talked to. I hate to put a filter on the stack, but right now it seems the only option.


Only thing left, someone got pissed and stuck a dead rat somewhere in pipe


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## wyrickmech (Mar 16, 2013)

We have the same thing around here sometimes. The one posable thing is that the station is sitting to long between cycles causing it to create methane gas and a good amount of stench. The highest vent would be where the gas would travel and when you open a clean out it would give it a draft like a wood stove. So you would only smell it at the highest point. Charcoal filters do work but I would look at the float settings lower levels would cycle the pumps more often and the fluid would not have a chance to generate gas.


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