Why Do I have a Sewer Smell in My House or Outside My House | How to Find the Source!
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- Опубликовано: 20 июн 2024
- Jim shares how to identify and remove the sewer gas smell in your home. Also, you can get a sewer smell outside your house. The Grumpy Plumber shares a fix you can do for both sources of that nasty smell.
Jim breaks down finding and fixing that sewer gas smell in your house or in your yard:
Main cause for sewer gas smell (0:53 mins)
Sewer gas from outside your house and how to fix it (2:03 mins)
Rotten egg smell in the shower (3:46 mins)
Sewer smell in your basement or garage (4:11 mins)
What to do if you have a sewer smell in your house for a long term fix (4:23 mins)
Summary on fixing that sewer smell (5:55 mins)
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how can I detect the source of stinky smell from a. drainage system located in a public market?
Pang Mayo, there might be a floor drain or a sink or a clean-out cap that might have been removed and not replaced. To check out the floor drain and the sink, use a flashlight to see if you see water in the drain trap. If you have a sink, floor drains, urinals, any plumbing fixtures that are not being used, dump antifreeze in the traps because it won’t evaporate. Check the draining system vents in the roof to see if they are high enough. It’s probably a floor drain that never gets used. Thanks for subscribing.
Thanks for the advice
My plumber who is a master plumber installed this wax seals.
I will ask him to do as you said.
One more question, sir when I have attic fan on there is only a switch with on and off very powerful.
When I closed the door no smell in bathroom. But in my hallway in front of the bathroom the smell seems to come from the attic. The cast Iron pipe has two pieces joined The bottom part has a wide rim with what looks like gray harden stuff with four nails going into it.
I’m trying to figure out how I can test the pipe for air leak.
Can I spray soapy water on it and look for bubbles. Or is their another way.
Can I get some plumbers putty and just clean it up then apply the putty. As far as the wax ring it was a double one. I remember asking my plumber of 32 years it’s kinds of fat. He said yes better to stop any smells.
Thanks Houli
Thank you.
John Houli, I think your problem is with the attic fan. I’d leave it off and see what happens. The only way to test that pipe is using a smoke test. A plumber would need to do that. Can you just cut that part of the pipe out and use a couple of Fernco couplings and a piece of pipe?
Im a teacher I just got my masters and I feel like I’m in the wrong profession. Plumbing is important for house maintenance and all of this is fascinating !!
He's not so grumpy! Thanks for the tips... wish we had a plumber in the family!!
Well thank you, I'm up for adoption.
This was a excellent layman explanation for this dummy old woman. Thank-you sooo much for solving my problem and saving me thousands of dollars from “ not so honest” plumbers. Bless you!
Awesome video. Gonna try RV antifreeze. Smell comes from the shower, which gets used everyday. Right next to it, there’s a jacuzzi tub that never gets used. Thanks for sharing your expertise.
Also, is it just me, or did anyone else notice the 🦎 🦎 on the back wall??
👍sure did.. Django the gecko! 🦎 🤣 was wondering how many others 👀 it 🤔
Grumpy plumber you are one of many of my teachers I wish I could have been your helper for 5 yrs the Knowledge you have I wish I had thank you for the videos
I watched several videos and your dad is a pro he answered all my concerns. Thank
Thanks, this was very informative.
Thank you! Jim and son, your advice was superb! 🎉😊
My pleasure to fallow you. 😇thanks 😊 and good luck to you 👍
Very good information, thanks....
I am having the sewage smell now and thanks for the silver advice.
THANKYOU!!! I finally know why my house stinks and how to stop it!!!!
Super helpful thanks!
Thank you thank you! This helps!
Jim you nailed it … drain trap in garage dry as a bone … bada bing!
thanks fellas!
Thanks very much kind sir! 👍👍😁
I binge watched your videos. You're the "Mike Haduck" of plumbing. I subbed. Thank you.
I have no idea who Mike is but I appreciate the comment and thanks for subscribing!
@@TheGrumpyPlumber Old school mason on RUclips. No nonsense.Shhots from the hip like you. I appreciate that.
Thanks! We checked out Mike and he is great. I appreciate the compliment. We want to do more show and tell videos like Mike.
@@TheGrumpyPlumber That would be great. Thank you for your time.
Thanks a lot old timer, i have been keep my p-traps full and kept having the problem.
I think putting an elbow on the septic line might just do the trick!
Btw anyone else notice those geckos on the fence?
Tyler, give it a try. Yes, others noticed the resident geckos 🦎!
Thank you 🙏
Sounds great thanks. I have a smell in my only bathroom only when the attic whole house fan is on. Checked the tank and pumped out also changed the wax seal twice also checked the vent pipe on roof no clog ran water down it. The house is 70 years old cast iron pipe in it from tank to and through the attic. Is their smoke in a can I can buy to see if the pipe is cracked in the attic
John Houli, you say you changed the wax seal but when you set the toilet back on the seal, did you feel the bowl squish into the wax? I recommend using two wax rings and if that doesn’t work, raise the closet flange.
Always enjoy hearing the advice from a pro. On a similar subject of venting fixtures you may give your thoughts, opinions and advice concerning AAV's. I used one under my upstairs vanity as the drain came up from the floor with no return air vent. It would have been a very difficult retrofit to tear into a wall or remove flooring to connect to an outside vent source. Your thoughts as long as it doesn't make you too grumpy. This solution worked very well for me and far less expensive.
Ben, great idea! Did you use a brand named Studor Vent? Most plumbers call them “cheater vents” but this is the best made as far as I know. Great solution, that’s what they are made for. 👍
@@TheGrumpyPlumber I used one made by Oatey, I believe. I understand Studor to be a very good one but wasn't available without ordering it online. During this pandemic I remodeled two of our bathrooms and I used one for the bathtub/shower also as it wasn't vented properly as well. I had checked your videos to get your input and thought it valuable for your advice to others. Thanks!
thank you ! hopefully this fixes my problem.. also green lizard photo bomb😅
i'm having this trouble, i will try when i get home. i just hope it works.
funny you mention a dead body cause i thought maybe my neighbor had one and wasn't my house 😂
This was so helpful! I have been trying to fix the smell for a year and we have had a few different plumbers
All summer we didn't smell anything and now in the winter it is every time we use plumbing
Since we are on a septic I believe it's the downdrafts.
Do you have any videos of installation the trap on the septic to stop the emission of sewer gas?
KT Holroyd, the easiest and best way to stop that sewer gas smell is to put a 90 degree elbow on the inlet pipe in the septic tank. When you put the elbow on the inlet pipe, it needs to be below the water line in the tank. That will stop the sewer gas smell. A running p-trap can create another problem as it will plug up.
Sink overflow can be a cause as well. Ours really stunk up the house and it's used constantly. I boiled a bunch of water, poured it into the sink and added some bleach. The smell was gone, mentioned that to our local plumber and he said he has to do his every 4 months (might be the design of the sinks).
@nonamanadus4463, you stated kind of a rare problem but I have cleaned sinks with that problem doing the same thing you mentioned. After cleaning the overflow, I have removed the pop-up drain and used less putty so it doesn’t cover the opening in the pop-up drain. I tell my customers not the fill water so it runs into the overflow.
Ty. I was wondering about my sump pit. The line attached to the pump comes out the top but there is a another pipe that comes into the pit lower, a larger pipe. I figured that would be a line that comes in from the garage or weeping tile but I put a hose in it the other days and the water just never came back. What is that line? : /
The little lizard on the wall must be Grumpy's mascot.
Clark, great idea to make the little lizard my mascot! 😂
This tip for there septic elbow below water level, I THINK THIS WILL FIX MY ISSUE!
This would be done in the very first trash tank, correct?
Antlers & Artifacts OH, yes, the first tank.
This miraculously seemed to solve my very bad downdraft of septic smell from the roof vents problem (especially when it's cold outside)--and it did for two days--but alas it has returned. The septic guy put a plug in the top of the T pipe going into my tank (which is pretty deep), and it seemed to work instantly. But suddenly it's back. Any suggestions? I canceled a smoke test I had scheduled--but now I'm wondering if I should go ahead with it. None of the plumbers and septic experts I've had out has solved this. One plumber put charcoal filters on the vents, but that drove the smell into the house. Could there be a leak in a pipe or vent somewhere? Any help would be very much appreciated! At our wits end--oppressed by toxic air outside our house and sometimes inside! Btw I believe the T goes down more than 2" into the tank, and I'm not sure the septic guy fully secured the plug, since it's fairly deep and hard to reach. Could that be the/an issue?
Jidda Kelvin, if it worked for two days, I would check the plug again. Another thing you could do is install studor vents on the vents outdoors. They act like a reverse check valve. I think you found the problem with the septic pipe smell so try that.
Hopefully this gets noticed even though its an older video.
I have temporary bouts of a smell coming and going from my basement and I haven't really been able to connect it to anything. First I thought it was the dishwasher but I could often run the dishwasher with out getting a smell so the few times I noticed the smell during a cycle must have been a coincidence. Same thing with having a shower, using the toilet, and after a rainfall. I couldn't connect the smell to any of it. The smell seemed to be absolutely random. After watching your video you mentioned un used fixtures and we do have a stand up shower in the laundry room that never gets used. Could that cause a smell in the basement or would I only notice the smell in the laundry room? And if that could be the problem, is antifreeze all I need to shove down there or is there some other things I should try as well?
Travis, I would simply add the antifreeze to the drain and don’t add water. P. S. Use RV antifreeze.
Hello, so whenever I take a shower on the main floor, the basement laundry room/bathroom has the sewer smell which stinks up the basement and goes away after a while. I have a septic tank...how can I troubleshoot this? Thank you in advance.
Thanks for the video! I have a question about sewage smell. Recently, we had a strong sewage smell coming from out basement. Turns out, the cover of our grinder pump tank, in the downstairs bathroom, had rust holes in it, so I changed the cover about a week ago, no more smell! I cannot bolt the lid down so today I put caulking all around it. Today, we had the AC off and windows open all day. We closed the windows and turned on ac and now our house has a sewage smell to it. It hasn't happened at all since I put the new cover on the tank, until today. I can only assume the smell is related to the cover some how, but no smell until today. Have you ever ran into this? If so, any suggestions? Oh, we are on a septic tank. Thanks!
Andrew Poletto, check all the floor drains and shower drains that are related to that ejector pump. The air conditioner can pull all the moisture out of the traps. If that is the problem, put in enough RV antifreeze in the traps to make a seal and stop the smell. Do you smell it outdoors?
@@TheGrumpyPlumber Thanks! Do not smell it outdoors.
Hey I smell mines outdoors
Urgent Labor LLC, if you smell sewer gas outdoors, it’s a down draft problem. When you have air flowing over the roof, it will pull the sewer gas smell from the vents down to the ground. How you fix that is you open the septic tank on the end where the pipe is coming from the house and put a 90 degree elbow facing down into the water. That will stop the sewer gas every time.
I have a question. I have a septic take and one bathroom. We get a sewer smell about once or twice a month coming from the air return vent in our living room wall. They used the empty space between the studs as the vent. What is causing the sewer smell to come out of the air return vent?
Boo-boo Lip, is there a return vent in the bathroom? If not, get your nose down to the toilet where it meets the floor. Check to see if you smell anything there. If you do, add another wax ring on the toilet flange. Don’t caulk around the toilet. Make sure you do not have any floor drains in the basement that are dry. It’s common to use a stud space for return air vents.
I have poured Rv antifreeze down both old bathtub and commode drains and then sealed them with plugs that have a wing nut on top in hopes to get rid of the sewer gas smell. How long does it take for the smell to go away?
Thanks
Barbara lenard, did you find where the sewer gas smell was coming from? If you found the problem, it usually takes a couple of hours if you get some air flow for the smell to go away.
Is it okay to use the RV antifreeze in our drains if we have a septic mound?
Yes, you can use the RV antifreeze. It’s not toxic.
Di you guys saw the lizard 😁😂
how far past the water line can i go? i have a sewer smell like u described outside my house. we just got the septic tank sucked out 2 months ago and my wife said it still stinks. can i go a foot lol, that maybe over kill, i tend to do that in my life. well thanks for the response, and your video. it was so informative.
Anthony Gould, you just need to break the water line by 2-3 inches. The water level in the septic tank goes to the first baffle.
@@TheGrumpyPlumber Thank U so much for ur reply.....Youarte Awesome!!!
I have a very strong sewer gas smell outside only at night. It’s only on one side of the house. During the day the smell is gone. I live in Nevada and there is no septic system. Before I call someone in do you have any idea what is causing it.
Hi guys,
My wife and I own a house that is scheduled to have sewer installed in the next 2 years or so as we try to ride out the septic system until then. We know we have an old septic tank that leaks, with clay piping etc. We recently replaced the interior sewer exit line, and the plumber did not replace the whole-house trap. I purchased a sewer gas detector, tested it with the propane gas to make sure it was working, and it is. I detected small amounts from the two downstairs sinks, and when I put it close to the ground over the septic fields it went crazy. At some point, I felt that I did small some light odor coming from the sinks last year, but I haven't since.
I'm trying to figure out what is and isn't a problem, and if we're safe to just continue to ride out this system until we can connect to town sewer.
Thoughts?
Thanks guys.
Noah Berger, you could try to dig out the outlet side of the tank, like a 5x5x5 hole. Fill it with gravel, cover it with straw and top soil. This is just a suggestion but you didn’t hear it from me. I tried it on a customer that had your same problem and it worked until they got their sewer.
You mentioned what to do if you smell sewer in the yard and you have septic tank. What about if you are on the septic system?
sally stutzman, do you mean a municipal system vs. a septic? What you are probably getting is a downdraft from your roof top vents. Put a device called a studor vent on your roof vents. It’s like a reverse check valve. When your plumbing system needs air, the device opens and when done, closes. That should stop the smell.
I live in a park model and I’m getting a sewer smell from the washing machine drain, is there a trap on this drain too?
Yes there is
Loved your video and tips. I recently moved into our home and after we used the bathtub upstairs *from what i believe* we started noticing a sulfur/sewage smell that comes and goes in the upstairs bathroom. I was told to block the sink/tub drains to see if the problem was a due to the bathub possibility missing p-trap. Even after that trick seems to randomly come back from time to time. Any tips? I will try pouring the RV antifreeze in the sink-bathtub drains tommorow
I can also say that u can smell it downstairs in the laudry room where main drain that connects them is located. The smell will be in the closet on the opposite side of bathroom tub. Its not constant, its just random occurrences. We can go 1 day without it and in the afternoon it will smell for 5-10mins and stop
Jonaki, do you smell it while taking a shower with hot water or running hot water in a sink? If so, it’s probably the magnesium rod in the water heater. Check and see if you have an open drain in a closet or a floor drain that never gets used or a bathtub that never gets used or floor drains in the basement. Get down on the floor and smell around the base of the toilets in the house. If you smell the order there, remove the toilet and add another wax ring. When you reset it, make sure the toilet squishes into the wax ring. If on a septic tank, the odor might be coming from there. Let me know so I can help with that situation. Try to keep windows closed for a few days and see if you can smell the odor.
Jonaki, P. S. Don’t bother with the antifreeze. Do you know when your house was built? If it’s old, you might have a cracked sewer pipe. Don’t panic. Check the other things out first. Hope to hear back from you.
Thanks for the reply, ok so basically it smells randomly, we dont use the shower upstairs anymore ever since it started smelling after my wife took a bath. I noticed on the lower floor the old owners had a pipe that was probably used for the washing machine that was upstairs probably. We tried tracing it upstairs and i think they hid it behind a wall. You think that could be thr problem? We are on the city water system
Jonaki, that could be the problem. Try to find the pipe in the wall or the trap and cap the pipe off. If you don’t use the shower or any fixture, you need to add water every once in awhile to the fixtures to seal the trap so you don’t get a smell. The trap is what seals the drain line so you don’t smell sewer gas.
Hello
I got a bathroom upstairs. I smell sewer ordor. We have a septic system also. The upstairs is the worse. I notice on the p trap it wasn't glued on the main drain pipe, would that be an issue? We installed a new toilet few months ago same bathroom I don't smell a odor on bottom of toilet.
The sink you can really smell it. I will run water in or bleach it just won't go away. It funny cause when I use the shower downstairs it makes it worse upstairs the smell. It all upstairs the smell nothing downstairs at all. Please help thanks. Eric.
Hey guys, we have a rotten egg smell in our house as well. We have a septic tank. Any advice on what we should do? Thank you in advance.
Btw, he’s not grumpy lol. He’s very knowledgeable. Thanks for sharing.
VaL, do you notice that rotten egg smell when taking a shower? That is caused from the magnesium rod in the water heater. You can pull the rod and drain the heater and then flush it. If it’s an older heater, just leave the rod out or replace it if you have a newer heater. If the smell is coming from the septic tank, open the end where the pipe is coming from the house and put a 90 degree elbow on the end of the pipe. The elbow should break just below the water line. That will stop the smell.
Do you have natural gas?
I have this smell of gas in my bathroom. I use to have two bathrooms and one of them was removed. I have an old house that is up off the ground and I went under it and found that the pipes from the old bathroom were not capped off. The pipe that came from the toilet (cast iron pipe) was removed and the balance of the pipe that has three openings were stuffed with rags. I had a backup in the sewage line and material came out of it. Can this be causing this smell of sewage in my other bathroom?
Jewel, yes, most definitely. The pipes need to be capped off.
I have an attic fan that works to pull air in from outside the house and it covers the whole house. And when I run the attic fan I often get sewer gas smell from the septic tank, what would be the best fix for this? Would it be to put an elbow on the line going into the septic tank to make sure that it goes below the waterline or do something else? Thanks
There are two different things you can try. Put the elbow below the water line in the septic tank as you suggested. Best and cheapest thing to try. Or, install studor vents on each one of your roof vents. That will be expensive and, over the years, might become a maintenance issue because they are a mechanical device.
My sewer smell is coming through the vents. Every time I turn the heat on, the smell comes! I've tried cauking the sump pump lid, the floor drain around my furnace.. nothing works! What would you suggest?
Clarence, sounds like you have a return air vent located right at the furnace. If there is sewer gas in the mechanical room, the return air is pushing it throughout the house. Have you flushed the sump pump? The floor drain might not have any water in it and water makes a trap seal to keep the sewer gas out. One way to cure that is to pour about two cups of antifreeze into the floor drains. If there is a sink in the area that you don’t use, put antifreeze down that drain to make a trap seal. Antifreeze won’t evaporate. Give that a try.
Hi i just moved to a house and it has a septic tank i need help my water smells like rust. And I also have a machines w salt and water softener cleaner but it doesn't take the smell away. What can I do please help our 1st time w these issues.
Monica, I don’t think you are having a problem with the septic tank. Is the smell coming from the cold water or the hot? The water softener will only soften the water, not take the smell out. You might have to add a whole house filter. Let’s see if we can find out where the smell is coming from. Lookin forward to hearing back from you.
I just called the warranty department to come and check it out, but this is a new house, and the smell is horrible. On a new house, what do you think could have been installed incorrectly that is causing the smell to come up into the house? I've been here for a month, new construction, we moved in as soon as the house completed.
Hector Gonzalez, you probably have a down draft coming from the vents. If you are on a septic, put an elbow on the inlet pipe dumping into the septic and it should be just below the water line in the tank. If on a sewer, you might put cheater vents on the vent pipes. They are like check valves that put air into the vents. Another thing you could do is go in the bathrooms, get on the floor next to the toilets, and see if you smell sewer gas. If you do, you need to add one more wax ring to the toilet flange. Do not exceed two w@x rings. Check and see if you have any floor, shower, or lav drains that have not been used yet. You can pour antifreeze in the floor drains and that will make a trap seal and will not evaporate. For the other drains, run water for 30 seconds. See if any of these ideas alleviate your problem.
Haven't heard of the elbow in the sceptic tank before. I get the smell in my first floor bathroom and sometimes behind the kitchen sink only when it is really windy out. Think that could be making the down draft and I should try the elbow? Or do you think it could be something else?
krevin14, when it’s windy that’s when you notice the smell the most. Put the elbow in the tank and make sure it is 2” below the water line.
@@TheGrumpyPlumber Hi! Yep. Only time we get the smell is when it's windy. Think it might be worth a new wax ring too?
krevin14, when you put your nose down to the base of the toilet and you smell sewer gas, add a wax ring. If you don’t, put the 90 elbow on the pipe in the tank.
Have you ever smelled sewer gas that smells like garlic? I occasionally have this smell that happens randomly, no pattern to when it shows up, that shows up in my basement and then permeates to the half bath on the first floor and even my second floor bedroom. I thought it might be a natural gas leak but I had the gas company come out and check everything, but nothing was found. I thought it might be coming from my water heater, but it doesn't smell like what I was smelling. I changed the anode rod just in case. I have all my p-traps full. I even checked the trap for my washer, but its fine. I'm afraid that there is a slow leak from the 2nd floor bathroom but there is no evidence of water leaking anywhere. I am at my wits end, please help lol. Thanks and I love your channel.
The smell might be coming from a dead @animal in a wall. It takes about 15 days and the smell should go away. You have really checked about everything I can think of but a crack in a pipe is a hard thing to find especially if it’s in a wall.
Thanks for the advice. I have a similar lad problem, my shower and kitchen tap water smells so bad while running. I don’t know how to go about it and would like a little help please
It really feels disgusting cooking now cause I feel something is wrong with the water. So if you have any suggestions I’ll be happy to try. Thanks
Silas barbie, if the smell is coming from the hot water and smells like rotten eggs, then you hope it’s the magnesium rod in the water heater. You remove the magnesium rod and flush out the heater. Your choice if you want to put another magnesium rod back in. If you do, the smell might come back. If you’re on a well and you’re getting the smell from the cold water, you have a big problem. Sometimes you can use a filter or an aerator to remove the smell.
Silas barbie, P.S. if the smell is coming from the hot water, then it’s the water heater. You don’t need a new water heater. I hope this helps you.
@@TheGrumpyPlumber thank you. I check it out. It was the water tank that was dirty so the water smelled really bad. Thanks for the reply
Hey, Mr. Grumpy Plumber. l smell sewer gas in my crawl space…l opened the hatch and found a small leak. The leak was on an old galvanized pipe( house built in 1957) the pipe was warm to the touch. The Hot water heater, tub, and furnace is in this location above. What lm l in for and what price tag should l expect? Thanks, Rose
Rose, that’s a hard question because I don’t know what your piping looks like in the crawl space. If it’s a galvanized water line, it could be very easy to fix by cutting and replacing the pipe. If it’s a galvanized drain line, they would probably replace that with PVC. If you have a sewer gas smell, it might be a cast iron pipe with a crack. I can’t tell you how much money this will cost because I’m not there and I don’t know the plumbing rates in your area. On thing I do want to say is don’t hire a flat rate plumbing company. Have it done with time and material. A good plumber should be able to look at your situation and tell you how long it might take to repair and he should have the material on his truck to fix it. It would be wise to send a picture of the leak. First thing…..don’t ask for a bid, when the plumber comes to look at it, he will tell you how long it will take, the material cost should not be too much. Asking for a bid will probably cause you to spend more money.
Hi, I need help pls. I have a very bad sewer smell from my basement room. I have a sewer ejector pump. My question is can I put RV anti freeze in the shower still even though I run the laundry often and the pipe is connected between basement full bathroom to laundry to ejector pump? The smell is so bad that when I turn in the heat, the whole house stinks.
Mora C, you can put RV antifreeze in the shower drain because each fixture has a separate trap, even though they share a common drain.
A little background info first: We have an earth shelterd home built in the early 80s. We have a well and septic system. We have 2 fullbaths, one off the main livingroom and the other is our master bath with has a jacuzzi tub and a stand up shower. Its a single floor home sitting on a cement slab. There is no basement. Essentially all our plumbing pipes, hot water and blue tank washing machine, muck sink etc is in our "Backroom". Each bathroom is located to the left and right of the "Backroom" For almost a year now we've had a foul smell that happens in our "backroom" on and off. We dont smell it in the bathrooms at all. For a while we couldn't narrow down what was causing it, when it would occur, where exactly it was coming from. We first thought maybe it was a dead mouse we couldn't locate but the smell never went away just got stronger and weaker at times. Now I'm realizing it gets much stronger when someone in our home showers in the main bathroom. As I just watched your video, I remembered that the stand up shower in the master bathroom hasn't been used for over a year due to broken tiles. We haven't wanted to put the money and time into fixing it yet so we just use the other shower off the living room. no big deal. Or we use the jacuzzi tub. But I'm now curious if because we don't use that other shower if that could be a cause of the smell in the "backroom". So I guess my main question is, if the trap of that unused shower has dried up would that foul smell typically come from that drain only or could that be the cause of the smell in the "backroom" . We don't have any smell coming from the unused drain or that bathroom so we're just trying to figure this out. Thanks in advance for any advice you may have
Put RV antifreeze in the shower drain, about 2 cups. I’d also look for any floor drains in the “back room” or any fixtures that are not being used. Pour antifreeze in those traps. A trap weir is designed to hold water that keeps the smell out of your house. If you have air conditioning, that can suck the water from the trap, especially when you don’t use the fixture. Check that out.
Thanks so much
A dead body 😂😂😂😂😂
🤔Oh yeah I forgot about that body ,I guess out of sight out of mind ,until the smell hits you. Love the dark humor, all fun🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Hi! We did a kitchen remodel approximately 18 months ago. A couple months ago sewer smell is coming from under the sink and from the top drawer (next to the sink) replaced the p trap. Expandable foamed where the pipes are in the drawer ( which fixed the drawer problem) The smell is STILL under the sink. SOS!!!
Leslie Yates, during the remodel, the drain might’ve gotten broken or you have a leak. Does it smell in the garbage disposal? If it does, clean the rubber spoon catcher on the disposal.
This problem is driving me and my son crazy . I’m going out to buy some RV antifreeze right now and I will tell you how it goes. Thank you.
Debra, hopefully the RV antifreeze will work. Another thing you might want to do is pull the toilets and put two w@x rings under them. You can still get a sewer smell even if the toilets appear to be sealed well.
@@TheGrumpyPlumber I need to buy another toilet. The tank was cracked. I’ll need to save up for it and then I’ll watch your RUclips videos and see if I can do it myself.I priced a plumber last month . His quote was over $500 . Will the RV antifreeze work if I already pulled the toilet out ?
@@TheGrumpyPlumber I am wondering if this smell might be coming from very old sewer pies . I live in an old mobile home and the park doesn’t do the major repairs like they should be doing . They just keep patching things up .
Debra, do not buy the RV antifreeze. You need to do more research about the smell. Get underneath the modular home and check for any leaks or cracks in the drain pipes. Check the connection to the sewer line. Make sure the toilet is tight to the floor. Walk around the outside of your home and the neighbors to see if you can smell sewer gas. Hopefully these suggestions will help find the problem so if you need someone to repair it, it might save you some money.
Having an sewer or shit smell outside the house check for crack in line had to put a new 🚽 in the kids bathroom since my father been hear for three weeks and the bathroom rarely gets used now outside smell bad ... I check vent pipes etc
Have you found the cause yet?
Are you on a septic tank? If you are, the line running from the house to the tank needs an elbow placed in the tank so it breaks just below the water level.That should stop the smell.
You also could be getting a down draft from the vents from the city sewer line. You need to put a running trap in the city sewer line outside the house. You must add a clean out on each side of the trap.
A smell inside a bathroom could be coming from the toilet seal which is a wax ring. Replace the one there and add another one.
Check outside for any open sewer lines like a clean out cap that’s been removed.
Good luck!!
So I have a sewer smell coming from my basement, I'm not sure where our drain is and we use all our bathrooms pretty often. Any suggestions?
mynative137, you either have a floor drain that has evaporated the water or a sump pump pit that needs to be cleaned or an open drain line from an unfinished/ roughed in bathroom. You need to play detective before hiring a plumber.
Question…. When I use my basement utility sink I can smell sewer gas after I’m done cleaning paint brushes. I don’t smell it before I clean. Can I use baking soda and vinegar in the same drain as the air conditioner? That is the drain I get the smell from.
Just use vinegar and see if that takes the smell away. Can you flush the drain on the air conditioner?
I have a sewer gas / unpleasant smell... have checked the P traps, ( all used regularly), put drain cleaner and bleach separately down, got the sewers checked ( everything is flowing)... any ideas? thank you
Professor Ben, I would install double wax rings on all the toilets. Do you have a attic fan in the house? If you do, don’t use it and see if the smell stops. Do you smell it outdoors?
Did enjoy the video but why might a sewer gas smell appear under a shed with no plumbing? I believe our sewer line runs under the shed. Is there a way we can find out if the pipe is broken?
You could hire someone to use a camera ( around $350) and find out of the pipe is broken. It might be easier to reroute the pipe if it is broken.
P.S. don’t sign any paperwork, just have them camera the line.
I can't put an elbow below the water line, can I put a couple of holes in the clean out stacks out in my yard just before the septic tank? I have at least 2 of them. Please help! I'm sick of smelling the sewer and not being able to invite people over due to this problem. Thanks
thehojo15, sorry, but you can’t put holes in the clean out because you will still smell sewer gas. Is this an old septic system? Another solution you might try is to use studer vents or “cheater vents” on the vents on the roof. They are like a reverse check valve.
My basement was just redone and having the gas smell. Got a plumber coming tomorrow to make sure it was done properly.
@pdtaylor88, I hope the plumber finds the problem. Hopefully, it’s just a loose connection to one of your gas appliances.
@@TheGrumpyPlumber drive valve and poor caulking, thanks tho!
I get an occasional sewer smell in the master bedroom. There is a bathroom on the other side of the north bedroom wall and another bathroom on the west wall. Neither bathroom has a smell and both are frequently used. The smell only occurs in the fall/winter so I think it has something to do with my HVAC. At a loss. Any ideas?
Brittany, check and see if there are any floor drains or unused showers or any plumbing fixtures you don’t use very often. Water might be evaporating from the traps causing a smell. If you have floor drains, add RV antifreeze to the drains to fill the traps. You only need a cup in each drain. You might check to see if you have any loose toilets. P. S. See if this stops it and let me know.
Did you ever figure this out? This sounds a lot like what I'm experiencing
We are smelling a sewer smell downstairs .. it seems when we use the bathroom toilet we can smell it in our hallway behind the bathroom from our master bedroom?? Can there be a broken pipe leaking sewage?
@gjackson8811, you might have a plugged vent. When you flush the toilet in the master bathroom, if the vents not working, the flush will siphon the water from the trap seals and cause the sewer gas smell. Another thing, if you have a cracked pipe, you’ll notice water or damage to a wall or ceiling. You might have a bad seal on a toilet. Even though it’s tight and caulked, you can still get a sewer gas smell from that. Is there a bathroom downstairs that you seldom use like a shower or bathtub? Is there a floor drain in that area? If so, pour two cups RV antifreeze into the drain. Antifreeze does not evaporate.
I have well and septic and only my HOT water smells like eggs/poop. Is it the anode Rod? If Is it safe to switch the anode Rod on a 12 yr old water heater or will it break my water heater? Thanks!!! :)
N Chen, it is the anode rod making the smell. Remove the rod and flush the heater.
@@TheGrumpyPlumber do I just replace the magnesium rod with a zinc one? If I use a zinc one, do I need to replace it every few years? Or should I use the corro-protect since I heard it never needs to be replaced? Thanks!!! I’m soo happy u saw my comment and actually answered back!!! Thanks for all the helpful videos!!!! :)
My tenant called to tell me the house smells like sewer.I locked off my master bedroom where I have a master bathroom .could the smell be coming from there because it hasn’t been used in only one months time?
Cooking oil does the same job as antifreeze
We just bought a mobile home in September (water wasn't on when we bought it). It had set up for about a year previously. We don't have a septic tank. Had the water turned on and moved in, no problems. The toilet clogged up on my end recently and the tub was slow to drain and about an inch of water backed up in the shower. I was able to unclog the toilet with Dawn, hot water & plunger. A day afterwards, I began smelling the sewer gas smell, only on that end of the house. If I keep my bathroom shut, it helps. If I lean down towards the cleaned toilet, I can really smell it. I don't really smell it much from the tub or shower or sink. I can't afford to call a plumber. Help?
Tandi Nicole, you need to pull the toilet and add another wax ring. You might need help lifting the toilet. You need to get all the water out of the bowl and most of it from the tank. Leave the old wax ring there and add another one, even a third ring. The wax ring is called a number one. When you reset the toilet on the wax rings, you can feel the toilet squishing into the wax. Tighten the bolts, a couple of turns on one side, do on other side and repeat. Make sure the toilet does not rock from side to side or front to back. Hope you understand this and good luck. It is not necessary to caulk the base of the toilet. The caulk does not keep the sewer gas out.
What about a toilet that is not used ever in a commercial building and water doesn’t flow into the toilet tank. The smell of sewer gas is awful. What do you suggest for this type of problem ?
@gingeradams3624, buy RV antifreeze. It is pink in color. Take half and dump in the bowl of the toilet and the other half in the tank, if it has a tank. RV antifreeze will not evaporate and will seal the trap so smell can’t come into the room.
If I don’t use a bathroom and toilet on the second floor can the odor go down to the basement? I always use the shower in the basement for cleaning the dogs towels but never used the sink…could that be the issue because the smell is ONLY in the basement bathroom
Carmen Acevedo, it could be the sink or it could be a floor drain. I always recommend using RV antifreeze in the drains of any fixture not being used. Antifreeze will not evaporate.
We have a single family home , one bathroom , use it regularly 4 people, woke up horrible gas smell, house built in 70,s
Kristen canapary, is your toilet loose? Start with the toilet first by removing it and putting two wax rings under it and then reset the toilet. If you are on a septic tank, check the yard for any wet spots around the tank. If there is, you might need to have the tank pumped. Do some investigating and see if you have a broken drain line.
I've had issues the last couple of years with the roof drain vents getting covered with ice and snow. What is the best way or type of cover to prevent this, and me having to go up on the roof again?
@user-of1ts8pq1u, you need to extend the vents higher on the roof.
@@TheGrumpyPlumber Any specific height from the ridge? I heard about a "sewer skewer." What are your thoughts on it?
@user-of1st8pq1u, I don’t know what that item is. Coming from northern Michigan, where we sometimes have that problem, we would either clear the snow from the vent or raise the vent another foot. My suggestion is to clear the snow from around the vents. If you know how high the snow accumulates, raise the vents above that.
Yes I have a bad sewer smell coming up in my house.all my traps are working good .and its coming up in my vents from under my house .I took my sewer cap off and smelled in it all smell good no stinky smell at all.but I looked under my house and I see water lying i under there.
You have a broken sewer line. That water is sewage.
I'm going to try the elbow in the septic tank to solve the downdraft issue Thanks
That should work Greg as long as the elbow and a piece of pipe go just below the water line. You’re very welcome.
@@TheGrumpyPlumber I live on a hill and I swear the smell is coming from the roof vents. I'll try the elbow down at the inlet (pipe from the house to the tank/s, correct?). But what about charcoal studor vents a the roof pipe vent; what brand would you reommend?
Travis, Studor vent is a brand name. Dig up the opening to the septic tank, put the elbow on the inlet piece of pipe, add a piece a pipe until it’s just below the water line in the tank. I’ll bet that will work and you won’t need the Studor vent.
@@TheGrumpyPlumber Thank you for the quick response. I was using Studor as a general name for the vent ;) I think I can do the elbow with the filter setup I have. Will check tomorrow.
@@TheGrumpyPlumber The lid is on an extension piece so I don't have to dig two feet every time to get to my tanks. The bottom of the extension is like 2" from the T of the inlet = I don't have enough room to fit a 90. I could just cap it off (temporarily) but my concern, since I cover the lids with a tarp and ~2-3" of sand, that the capping off/putting a 90 on the inlet wouldn't make a difference vs. the actual lid for the tanks. No need to respond further if you don't have time; I think I've tapped out on my free advice already ;)
I live in a subdivision and the neighbor installed a pool over their septic lines and now I smell sewer outside is the smell coming from that ?
Sounds about right. They may have broken a sewage line. Look for wet ground around it. You should notice it if that is the source of the smell.
I am on city sewer, I have a bathroom sink that is used daily, and I get a sewer gas smell once in a while. I removed the P trap to see if there was something in it, but is it okay? This is a single-level private home? Any ideas? I have a companion sink across the same room with no problems.
Are you sure the smell is not coming from the base of the toilet? Another thing to check is the overflow hole in the sink. A lot of times over the years they accumulate dirty water which could give off that smell. Maybe you can pour over the counter drain cleaner or vinegar to clean it out.
definitely coming from one of my bathroom sinks, and not all the time. It must be a plumbing issue? @@TheGrumpyPlumber
hmmm my basement big black pvc (Wyes) pipe there big triangular water stain is and there is sewer smell coming from heater vent going into my 1st floor bathroom
kam, if it’s a black pipe then it is ABS. You should repair it which shouldn’t be hard to do. I bet the sewer smell is probably coming from the base of your toilet. I would pull the toilet and add a couple of number one wax rings.
Hi My 7 year old and I are currently in tears from the horrendous smell coming out of our ensuite shower. It's absolutely potent and we have no Windows or vents to let air in there and the smell out. We can smell it coming from the shower for sure and it doesn't happen if the water is running. The smell gets worse at night to the point like now when it's 4am and we are trying not to throw up. Im scared it's dangerous. But I cant afford a plumber. I have tried baking Soda , vinegar , leave it. Hot water and then run the cold for 15 minutes but it didn't stop it. I'm at a complete loss. We need to use the shower and toilet and sink in there daily. Any ideas please ? Desperate. 🥺 Ps love your videos and have subbed and liked.
Flawed Perfectionist, sounds like you might have a broken trap. The way you can tell is to use a flashlight and shine it into the drain hole and check if you can see water or a reflection. If it is a broken trap, you’ll need to fix it. Possibly you could do it yourself if in a basement or large crawl space. In the meantime, take the shower cover off and stick a rag in it when not showering. The trap u- bend probably has a crack and the water drains out and that’s why you’re getting that sewer smell. Thanks for subscribing.
We have had a bad sewer gas smell in our bathroom for several weeks and its so bad I keep threatening to burn the house down!..our house is on a concrete slab. My husband doesn't seem to think its the wax ring, but so far he hasn't checked it either..he just caulked around the toilet and of course that didn't work..I keep hearing about the 'trap' on all plumbing fixtures but not sure where it is on a toilet..please..can you help me with this? we can't really afford a big plumber bill.. its so bad I feel sick most of the time!!
arockmom, first off, caulking will not stop the sewer gas. You need to pull the toilet and then install two #1 wax rings on top of each other. Place the toilet on top of the wax rings and it should squeeze done into the wax. Tighten the toilet bolts. It is not necessary to caulk it unless you want too. The trap is built into the toilet. The water level in the bowl should be above the outlet.
very good instructional video
but I do not explain how it is done if the smell comes from the bathroom that is used the most?
Thank you
Carlos Gonzalez, a sewer smell in the bathroom can come from around the toilet base. You do not want to caulk it because the smell can seep from the caulk. If it’s not a sewer gas smell, it could be a musty smell. That could come from a leak in the shower walls if you have ceramic tile. It could also come from a leak under the vanity. Sometimes there is a tub access allowing you to look under the tub for any water damage. You need to do your own investigation before calling a plumber.
@@TheGrumpyPlumber Thank you for your answer
somebody told me to look in the air admittance valve which is a studor vent thats gone bad.
Your thoughts?
Carlos Gonzalez, yes, check out the studor vent. If it’s in the open position, that would be a problem and you would definitely have a smell. If it is, replace it with the same one.
I’m in a mobile home and every time someone takes a shower we smell a sewer smell we tried pouring bleach down the drain and it still doesn’t work
Can that happen also with sewer line from the city. If so can I put a trap there
roy castillo, it’s rare to have a sewer gas smell from a city line. If you install a running trap, you have to put clean outs on both sides of the trap. I would look for a floor drain or a drain that’s not used but is open. There is always a trap on a floor drain and the water can evaporate and then sewer gas can come up through the drain. You can use RV antifreeze or regular antifreeze because that won’t evaporate. Cap off an open drain.
roy castillo, P.S. if you are not using a bathroom, the traps in there could have water evaporating out of them. Again, add water or put in antifreeze.
Is it possible that collapsed storm water pipes in my backyard and side yard are causing my ejector pump to back up? Apparently my upstairs and one downstairs the toilets and everything are all going to one ejector pump! All I know about this is that it’s wrong and that I have had collapsed stormwater pipes in my backyard that the city has been promising to fix for at least 15 months now. Any ideas you have would be so helpful. Thank you so much. I’m so tired of having crazy plumbing problems in my house. It’s my home and I don’t wanna have to get rid of it just because of this I’ve worked too hard as a single mom to keep this home :-(
Always Learning, you might have a bad check valve on the ejector pump that won’t allow it to discharge the waste. It’s not the storm drain because it is not connected to your sewer system. I really think it’s the check valve. Hope this helps.
@@TheGrumpyPlumber thank you so much for replying !! That helps a lot.
i was looking for the problem in one of the houses that i rented out on airbnb, i couldnt find the reason, so i replaced the p trap at the sink, later i started ripping out the shower floor, and found that there was no p trap, installed one ofc, still a smell , i started ripping out the bathtub, ofc also no p trap, installed one now the smell is gone, maybe you dont have a p trap :P always keep that in mind
Crypto Prepper, I just take for granted that the bathroom shower, sink and kitchen sink have p traps. Sorry that happened to you. Very unusual.
What about capillary attraction? a string in a p trap could siphon water out of a trap. What about a toilet that's not grouted and the wax ring has failed, gases could escape
P trap would only siphon if it was not properly vented and then you would get a smell. Caulking a toilet is a filthy habit because it’s hard to clean. When you set a toilet, the bottom of the toilet flange should be on top of the flooring material. Then you only need one w@x ring without a plastic funnel because the toilet flange is already shaped. If the flange sits a little below the flooring, you should use two wax rings. Any more than two is not good and in that case, install a repair flange on top of the old flange which is designed to go into the pipe. Give it a try.
Getting a small from the clean out in the front yard
Remove the clean out plug, pipe dope and Teflon tape the threads on the plug. If you have a cap on the drain, put a new rubber coupling connection on it. If there is a mushroom cap on it, which is called an overflow, remove it and cap it off. I never thought a mushroom cap was a good idea and most inspectors don’t allow them.
I need help! Started smelling potent sewer like smell in the bathroom a day ago. It started smelling strong around the shower and the small closet directly outside of the shower (where the pipes are located). Both sink and bathtub have p traps and no Oder is coming from under the toilet. I have not checked the roof vent yet. It’s getting stronger and stronger. We have lived in the house for a little over two years and this is the first time smelling this. Any info or suggestions would be appreciated!
Draco Cornelius, is there a fixture you are not using? If there is, add water to the trap. Check and see if you have a dead animal. I would definitely run water in the vent located on the roof.
@@TheGrumpyPlumber thank you for the response. I actually went up on the roof and looked down the vent which was surprisingly very clean and bad order was non existent from the vent. It actually smelled like the beach. Should I still pour water down?
I got a string whiff of it when I turned the shower on and some suggestions pointed to the rod in the hot water tank. They said it makes water smell like rotten eggs but to me the scent is more like nasty sewage.
@@TheGrumpyPlumber thank you for the response. I actually went up on the roof and looked down the vent which was surprisingly very clean and bad order was non existent from the vent. It actually smelled like the beach. Should I still pour water down?
I got a string whiff of it when I turned the shower on and some suggestions pointed to the rod in the hot water tank. They said it makes water smell like rotten eggs but to me the scent is more like nasty sewage.
Draco Cornelius, you answered your own question. It’s the magnesium rod in the water heater. Pull the rod out, flush the heater and either plug it off or install a new rod. You don’t need to buy a new water heater.
What if it’s a mobile home and every time I turn the heater on I get a sewer smell there’s also water in the restroom vent please help urgent
Suzanna, is this a new problem? Are you sure you don’t have a dead animal in the heater duct?
Are you talking about a drain vent or a furnace duct vent? Get back to me as soon as you can.
The greenest grass in my lawn is directly over my septic pump. Is this a bad thing?
I would check into that RedBaron. Do you have any smell or standing water? There is a lot of heat that comes from your septic tank so the ground on the top of the tank is usually warmer. If you are in an area where it snows, you’ll notice that snow does not last very long in that part of your lawn.
@@TheGrumpyPlumber Thanks for the reply. I don’t have a septic tank. It’s the county’s system. But there is a manhole where the pump is. They come out every few years to inspect and apparently don’t find anything wrong. There’s no dampness or smells near it. Just have to go out with the trimmer between lawn cuttings to keep it from overgrowing.
The sewage smell has been driving me nuts. I bought a remodeled house with brand new pvc pipe plumbing. After a month my downstairs bathroom started to smell. I’ve never used the bathtub upstairs located directly above the downstairs bathroom. I don’t have a smell in the upstairs bathroom. But could that be a possibility? I’ve had a plumber come out and said if it were the wax ring then I would see water leaks around the toilet and I haven’t. Help!!! :)
Also, I got down on the floor and smelled around the toilet base. It was a strong odor. I could also smell the odor from a small crack under the trim and tile. ( I could feel a cold draft coming from the crawl space ) I caulked the toilet base and the crack under the trim. Sorry- I know you hate caulk. The smell went away for 12 hours then came back. Too, I’m on a sewer line.
Kristina Bello, you have to pull the toilet and insert a repair closet flange. You want to try to get the flange no more than a 1/4” above the floor. If the repair flange ends below the finished floor, hopefully not more than 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch, you should use only two wax rings. When you set the bowl back on the rings, you should feel the bowl squish into the wax rings. If everything is done correctly, you should not need to caulk. I’m sure that the smell is coming from the toilet base as you discovered.
We have a double sink vanity in a hall bathroom. When we turn on the water to brush our teeth we can smell sewer gas. I no that the toilet flange has a problem because it sits way down in the concrete floor and I had 2 stack 3 wax rings to set the toilet. Do you think the toilet is where the sewer gas is coming from. Some times late at night we wake up and smell the sewer gas without using the Sinks.
Help. Thanks Richard
Richard, I believe your problem is the toilet. The only way to fit it is to replace the flange. The flange needs to be sitting on the finished floor. If the bathroom sinks have traps on them, you should not be getting the sewer smell coming back through the drain.
@@TheGrumpyPlumber Thanks. I will pull the toilet tomorrow and see what I can do to get the flang above the floor.
I have a video on a 4” repair flange that will give you some help.
I pulled the toilet and I have 3" ID black ABS sewer pipe. It is 3 1/4" below the tile floor. I have ordered a IF333P 3" extended flange and will glue it to the existing sewer pipe with all-purpose glue. Does this sound like a good plan?
Thanks Richard
Richard, your plan sounds good.
Hi. I am on the last floor of condo unit The air conditioning just been clean but still smells like sewage coming from behind the air conditioning. Today it’s windy outside and it’s worse. I got sinusitis because of it. Please help me. What should I do? Thanks
Tital X, whoever cleaned the air conditioner evidently didn’t clean it well enough. Probably should use Clorox this time. I don’t do heating and air conditioning any more but I do clean my own filters.
@@TheGrumpyPlumber thanks but I was referring to the plumbing. I believe the problem is in the air vent on the rooftop. I would appreciate your opinion regarding the air vent vs the sewer smell behind the ac. Thanks again.
Tital X, thanks for clarifying that. You must have a sewer vent. The association can do a couple of things. They can raise the vent up and that might let the wind carry the smell away. Now the easiest fix is to install a studor vent or mechanical vent. It is like a check valve so when someone runs water, the vent will open for a second and then close. When you raise the vent, it is very noticeable, but a studor vent is not.
@@TheGrumpyPlumber thank you very much. I really appreciate it. Have a nice day.
I have one of those "no overflow" toilets that has 3 holes in the back at the top of the bowl. I looked up the schematics of how these are made and they do have a small trap, but I see no way to keep water in the trap UNLESS the toilet overflows (which is not something that ever happens). I've been taking my shower hose and occasionally running water into those overflow holes. Am I wasting my time and imagining a problem that doesn't exist or am I correct? I do occasionally get that sewer gas smell and it does seem to be when I've forgotten to do my "refill" for a while. This would be a good reason NOT to buy such a toilet.
J Bud, I have never seen the “no overflow” toilets you are referring to. The water in the bowl is set at a certain level so it creates a trap seal. You should not get any sewer gas smell if working correctly. My recommendation would be to get rid of that toilet.
@@TheGrumpyPlumber It has a trap for the "overflow" but it is much smaller. The toilet works very well and the overflow feature has never been necessary. It is an American Standard. Perhaps there is a mechanism to run water through the overflow trap during a flush. Since the toilet was installed I've always wondered about it. Thank you for your response. Happy plumbing.
JJBud, are you talking about the flush valve overflow tube? Usually, on most toilets and American Standard, there is a 1/4” tube that runs from the flush valve to the overflow tube. That’s what brings up the water in the bowl to make the trap seal. The fill valve should have an opening on the top side for the tube. There is a number on the tank lid or inside on the back wall of the tank. Can you send me a picture showing the inside with all the parts? This has me baffled.
@@TheGrumpyPlumber No, I wasn't talking about the tube in the tank. Here's a RUclips link to a video on the toilet. At 1.25 there is a schematic. I think it does show a connection that does refill the smaller trap, at the top where the water drains from the tank during a flush. It would make no sense to not have a way to keep the trap filled. I think I understand how they work now. The toilet does such a good job, though, that it has never overflowed. Thank you for your reply and interest. 🙂
J JBud, I looked at the RUclips video which was six years old. I saw the schematic and how it works. I see why you get a sewer smell once in awhile because the small lower trap probably causes a siphoning and drains the bowl too low. American Standard no longer makes this toilet. I’m glad you like it. Thank you for bringing this to my attention as I always benefit from learning new things.
How about a clogged roof vent?
Nomans land, yes, you could have a clogged roof vent, especially if you live by a lot of trees. A few years ago, I had a customer who called about a smell. Come to find out, woodpeckers we’re filling his vent with nuts. I had to cut the vent in the attic and vacuum out the nuts. If you live in a cold climate, the vents could be covered by snow or they could freeze shut. The vents could also fill up with leaves. Take a garden hose, go on the roof and run water down the vents. If you have had this smell for awhile and it comes and goes, you can get a downdraft that pulls the smell down to the ground. The way to fix that is to open the septic tank, put an elbow on the inlet pipe coming from the house, and make sure the elbow goes below the water line by a couple of inches.
My washer smells when running. I have taken it apart, cleaned the drum and frame, replaced the water hoses and cleaned the top loader regularly. I am completely dumbfounded about WHERE the odor is coming from. I have also pulled the drain hose out and no smell from there either!! HELP!!
So you have a top loader washer and not a front loader? I know front loaders can get a smell if the large rubber gasket around the door is not clean. Have you checked the 2” drain pipe and had it cleaned?