Air flow from basement floor drain - is this normal?
I can feel slight airflow and occasionally some odor coming up from the basement floor drain. My wife and I moved to Pittsburgh and are in an old house. I had to have it snaked a couple of months ago due to it flowing over and the plumber explained that in this city there is a P trap between the sewer line exiting your house and the main sewer under the street. The P trap was clogged and had to be snaked. There is another access point to that P trap that he didn't seal real well. Could air flow between those two drains account for the occasional odor and/or draft coming up from the large drain? There's more of a draft when a tub is emptied or the washing machine is draining. Or does this indicate a crack in a vent pipe?
Any info would be appreciated. Thanks
Comment on ballengerb1's post
I have added water down the main floor drain but that doesn't have any effect.
He told me that the house traps exist between the home and the mains to prevent rats from coming straight up the line into the house. Said that Pittsburgh was one of the only cities that employed them and it was a very old practice.
I know water is moving through that trap and out to the sewer because I can hear it if I remove the cover to that particular access.
As far as checking for cracks in the vent pipes, I read that sometimes they use a "smoke test" to do that. Is there a way to check ones' self before getting a pro involved?