# Sewer Gas



## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

Had a call last night from one of my customers saying the can smell natural gas and the think they got a leak

I know this and they have no natural gas to the property ... There heating system is oil...

I arrived at the home and she says she can smell it as soon as you come in...

I could smell anything because I was working on oil furnaces all day and that's all could smell...

So I told her I would go out to the truck and bring in my combustable gas detector just to show he that she had nothing to worry about..

So I head back to the truck ... Grab my detector and enter the front door ..

The detector starts screaming right away...

Wtf .... She doesn't have natural gas ... So what gives...

I check every where to try to find the source...

Once in the washroom it starts to beep faster.,.

The closer I got to the shower drain the faster it got ... Then with detector right over the drain the detector was going nuts...

I pour water down the pipe but the detector was still picking up sewer gas ...

I never really though of using my combustable gas detector to find sewer gas ... But it works ... It works so well that I am going to bring it into every sewer smell job ..


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## Gettinit (May 9, 2012)

They don't all do it. My Leakator 10 does.


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

Gettinit said:


> They don't all do it. My Leakator 10 does.


Mine is a UEI ....

And my surprise it picks up sewer gas


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## 89plumbum (May 14, 2011)

...


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## Gettinit (May 9, 2012)

OldSchool said:


> Mine is a UEI ....
> 
> And my surprise it picks up sewer gas


Which one? Does it have an adjustable gain or just low/high settings?


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

Gettinit said:


> Which one? Does it have an adjustable gain or just low/high settings?


It has the adjustable gain on it,..


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## easttexasplumb (Oct 13, 2010)

I agree with Plumbum, maybe nat gas was leaking into the sewer and that was what you were detecting.


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

easttexasplumb said:


> I agree with Plumbum, maybe nat gas was leaking into the sewer and that was what you were detecting.


I don't think so ... I would have smelt that right away ... Plus I would have smelled it out side the home...

This detector is so sensitive one time I pick up a gas leak at the meter about 50 ft away outside ... And I wasn't even called out for that reason ..
Small leak that wasn't even enough to move the dial on the meter under a dial test ...


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## AlbacoreShuffle (Aug 28, 2011)

OldSchool said:


> I don't think so ... I would have smelt that right away ... Plus I would have smelled it out side the home...
> 
> This detector is so sensitive one time I pick up a gas leak at the meter about 50 ft away outside ... And I wasn't even called out for that reason ..
> Small leak that wasn't even enough to move the dial on the meter under a dial test ...


You need to volunteer to be a judge at the next chili cook off in your area:laughing:


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## Gettinit (May 9, 2012)

easttexasplumb said:


> I agree with Plumbum, maybe nat gas was leaking into the sewer and that was what you were detecting.


Methane is a common combustible that many meters pick up. It would be neat if there was a was to discern which was which.


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## Richard Hilliard (Apr 10, 2010)

OldSchool said:


> Had a call last night from one of my customers saying the can smell natural gas and the think they got a leak
> 
> I know this and they have no natural gas to the property ... There heating system is oil...
> 
> ...


 
Please post a picture of your equipment.


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## Gettinit (May 9, 2012)

Richard Hilliard said:


> Please post a picture of your leak detection equipment.


Fixed!


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## HSI (Jun 3, 2011)

What model are you using? I have never had a detector and would like to get one. I did not know they would pick up sewer gas.


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## The bear (Sep 27, 2012)

I have used the TIF 8800 for sewer gas calls.


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

Uei cd100a


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## nhmaster3015 (Aug 5, 2008)

So what did you do about the smell? Was it just a dried up trap?


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

nhmaster3015 said:


> So what did you do about the smell? Was it just a dried up trap?


After pouring water down the drain the gas was still present...

The shower is located in the basement on a cement floor ..

I guess there is no trap... This was a DIY washroom renovation...

Told the customer we got to remove the shower.. Break the floor and do it right

Gave them a price ...collected for service and went to next customer


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## nhmaster3015 (Aug 5, 2008)

What are the odds they have it fixed? If you have one of those hand held mini camera snakes you can easily see if there's a trap there or not because with my luck the owner would be looking over my shoulder when I pulled the shower base and found a trap there. I use mine all the time.


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

nhmaster3015 said:


> What are the odds they have it fixed? If you have one of those hand held mini camera snakes you can easily see if there's a trap there or not because with my luck the owner would be looking over my shoulder when I pulled the shower base and found a trap there. I use mine all the time.


Well something is going on with it... Either there is no trap or it leaking into the ground...

Just my luck the shower is also leaking and no matter what it all has to be redone


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## Richard Hilliard (Apr 10, 2010)

Gettinit said:


> Fixed!


 
Yalls mind is in the gutter and remember this is not the military.


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## nhmaster3015 (Aug 5, 2008)

OldSchool said:


> Well something is going on with it... Either there is no trap or it leaking into the ground...
> 
> Just my luck the shower is also leaking and no matter what it all has to be redone


Well at least you make a few bucks which is always a good thing. :thumbsup:


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

nhmaster3015 said:


> Well at least you make a few bucks which is always a good thing. :thumbsup:


We don't need the work ... They will have to wait till the end of January if they want it done...


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