Sewer or septic gases and odors traced to building drain or vent piping defects:

This article describes how to diagnose, find, and cure odors in buildings caused by leaks or other defects in the building drains or sewer line - leaks that make sewage smells or sewer gas smells or "gas odors" in buildings with a focus on homes with a private onsite septic tank but including tips for owners whose home is connected to a sewer system as well.

Building Drain & Sewer Line Defects Can Release Sewer Gases & Odors Indoors

These FAQs about smells from building drains or sewer lines were posted originally

at DRAIN PIPING & SEWER ODORS - please take a look at the causes and cures given there.

Watch Out: Because sewer gas contains methane gas (CH₄) there is a risk of an explosion hazard or even fatal asphyxiation. Sewer gases also probably contain hydrogen sulfide gas (H₂S) In addition some writers opine that there are possible health hazards from sewer gas exposure, such as a bacterial infection of the sinuses (which can occur due to any sinus irritation).

[Click to enlarge any image]

On 2017-06-30 by (mod) - Can fumes/gases coming up thru pipes be dangerous

Laurel

Possibly yes
see
SEWER GAS ODORS

and
METHANE & SEWER GAS HAZARDS

and
HYDROGEN SULFIDE GAS

and perhaps also
TEST for INDOOR SEWER GAS

If there are sewer gases indoors there are risks to health and risks of explosion. If the building owner won't repair that you may need to ask for help from your local health department.

See RENTERS & TENANTS: MOLD ADVICE where we discuss what tenants can do about indoor environmental hazards

On 2017-06-30 by Laurel

Can fumes/gases coming up thru pipes be dangerous if left untreated to animals and humans? And how do I get motel I'm living at to fix on going issue for a year now?

On 2016-10-22 by (mod) -

Ray,

We can't guess whether the trouble is

1. improper installation of the wax ring seal at your own toilet

2. a bad wax ring seal at the neighbour's toilet

3. a leak or improper installation in plumbing vent piping in the building walls or ceilings

4. inadequate bathroom vent fan or no vent fan

These are questions to ask your plumber to consider.

On 2016-10-22 by Ray

Would like to know when everything is sealed and new wax is put in the toilet why the bad odor comes when the neighbor evacuates his bowvels and flush like whatever the person eats with very strong bad odor.

While the maintenance person put the wax and when he was tightening the screw broke about three inches of of the commode bottom towards the wall.

I would like to know how can I overcome such a scenerio what I have to tell the plumber to do so this real order of stool of neighbor is gone totally and I never have any bad order.

Does he has to replace the whole toilet commode to do this or not. Need your advice. I live in Apt building in New York city

On 2016-05-20 by (mod) - stench pipe sewer odors

Bob,

If your home is on a private septic I worry that the tank is backing up because of a flooded drywell. Also you might need to have the sewer line scoped with a good camera system: one break could mean that there are others.

Keep me posted

On 2016-05-20 by BOb Upton

Have sewerage smell in main bathroom only when it rains after a dry spell. Work done so far.

Stench pipe sealed into its seat properly. Pipe from toilet replaced in place where it came out under the house wall as it had cracked.

Stench pipe extended by 1m as we have an enclosed courtyard and I thought fumes might be dropping down and coming into the building through the air vents.blocked up air vents for a short period. We still have the smell!! Any ideas would be most welcome. Cheers Bob

Sewer gas source: check for a cap left off of a sewer line cleanout:

In the page top photograph our client is pointing out an open sewer line in the basement of a home she was purchasing. The cap had been left off of a cleanout port where main waste line exited the building.

We suspected more trouble than just an open drain cleanout permitting sewer gases to leak into the basement.

Because this "work" appeared to have just been performed, right before our property inspection, we wondered if someone had been asked to attempt to clear a blocked connection between the building sewer line and the community sewer (or private septic system).

See BUILDING DRAIN ODOR SOURCE for more details about odors coming from plumbing drains - clues that may be more likely to appear in cool or cold weather. Also see our broad-scope article on diagnosis and cure of sewer gas and septic odors:

SEWER GAS ODORS diagnosing, finding, and curing septic tank and sewer line smells.

Also see ODORS GASES SMELLS, DIAGNOSIS & CURE for procedures to diagnose and cure all kinds of odors in and around buildings.

What makes the smell in sewer gas? Sewer gases are more than an obnoxious odor. They are also explosive and they may carry bacterial or pathogenic hazards too. Depending on the sewer gas source and other factors such as humidity and building and weather conditions, mold spores may also be present in sewer gases.

We discuss plumbing vents as sources of sewer gas odors separately

at PLUMBING VENT DEFECTS & NOISES.

We discuss plumbing fixtures, such as loose toilets, as sources of sewer gas odors separately

at PLUMBING FIXTURE TRAPS.

Sewer Gas Source: inspect the building drains and gas lines for leaks:

Plumbing drains and traps may smell regardless, as they are usually a reservoir for organic debris.

Remember that a building drain can be leaking inside of a wall or ceiling cavity without showing up as a wet spot or mold.

But if you notice a sewer gas smell particularly at one or more plumbing drains, the fixture may not be properly vented.

If the plumbing fixture or drain "gurgles" or makes funny noises when it is draining, or if you hear gurgling noises at some fixtures, say a sink or tub when nearby fixtures are draining, we would certainly suspect that the fixture is not well vented or may not be vented at all.

If you suspect that odors are due to a problem with the building drains but you cannot find a drain line leak nor an open drain cleanout cover, take a look

at CLOGGED DRAIN DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR.

The sewer gas odor may be coming not from a wet building drain (discussed just above) but from the dry or vent portion of a building's drain-waste-vent system.

Question: smell from outside when water is run - smoke test of the drain line?

(Jan 8, 2015) Garrett Boone said:
Hi, I moved in to a house last January and ever since there has been a horrible smell that comes from the outside everytime the water is ran, especially when it is cooler outside.

I have had two septic inspectors come out to check the tank and leach lines and they both varified them working properly.

One inspector suggested having the pipes in the house hydrojetted and the other Recommended placing risers on the septic tank.

The house was built in 2005 so I am guessing it is not a design flaw, rather something has broken or become clogged. Nobody could live in the house, with it smelling as bad as it does outside.

I also called a plumber and he said the house needs to have a smoke test done to inspect for leaks but this is going to cost 400 in addition to the 400 already spent on the inspectors. I need some help diagnosing the issue rather than spending all this money on specualtions. Thanks in advance for any help!

Reply:

Garrett

I'm not an enthusiast of spending money on repairs before we know what needs repairing. That approach sometimes makes sense if the repairs we try are easy and inexpensive, otherwise probably not.

I don't assume there is no design flaw or even more likely there may be an installation flaw such as pipe settlement in trenches, broken lines, etc.

If we think this is a wet drain problem then see if you can find a plumbing company who have a drain inspection camera that can be run through various lines to look for the trouble.

If the problem is a plumbing vent problem I'd think you could track that down by when and where the odors occur - e.g. downdrafting from a roof?

...

Continue reading  at DRAIN PIPING & SEWER ODORS - topic home or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• PLUMBING S-TRAP CODES & HAZARDS
• PLUMBING SYSTEM ODORS - home
  • BUILDING DRAIN ODOR SOURCES
  • CLOGGED DRAIN DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR
  • PLUMBING VENT BLOCKAGE ODORS
  • DRAIN LINE SEWER ODORS
  • DRAIN & SEWER PIPING
  • DRAIN LINE PIPE LEAKS
  • DRAIN ODOR SOURCES
  • DRAIN PIPING & SEWER ODORS - home
  • FIXTURE vs SYSTEM DRAIN BLOCKAGE
  • FLOOR DRAIN / TRAP ODORS
• SEWER GAS ODORS - home

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DRAIN PIPING & SEWER ODOR FAQs at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

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