Hello,

I am a first time buyer having recently purchased my home. I have big problem which I need some advice .

The previous owner moved the toilet from its original position on the first floor to another location on the same floor. As a result the soil and vent stack that was being used is no longer being used.

I have bought the house and see that the old disbanded soil and vent stack comes from the first floor (internally) to the kitchen. The stack is smelling and the smell is from where the stack turns the corner into the manhole next door. The smell is from where it turns and the gap. What can I do? Can someone advise me? Even if I gap it the smell will still be there as it comes not from when the stack turns underneath the house? Can someone help? I am extremely worried.

Someone has suggested using expending foam to fill around the stack where it turns or to concrete around it. I can't put any laminated flooring until I sort this?

Not sure whether I will get a reply?

Thanking you in advance.

Jimmy

Hey Jimmy,

Are you saying the previous owner left the closet bend open? Do you have a basement? What corner? What manhole next door? You have a catch basin that the stack runs into on the property? Please update your question with more details. Where exactly is the source of the smell. Inside or outside? Is the smell outside and cominhg in around the hole the stack goes through? If I have to guess about the question it makes it hard to answer. Frame me up a question I can sink my teeth into. PS. I wouldn't remove the stack and drain in case I wanted to install more fixtures such as a bar sink, shower, etc. Regards, Tom

Hi Speedball,

My apologies for the poorly typed query. Abit worried.

Ok I will try again. The disbanded soil and vent stack runs from the first floor down inside the house into the kitchen. The pipe then turns away from the house underneath the partitioning wall to next door. Now the pipe connects (as Im told) with next doors piping on the ground floor and jointly enters into a manhole. THe manhole is in next doors garden. Well it was there until the neighbours built their extension. With the extension the manhole is now underneath their kitchen.

The smell is coming from where the soil and vent stack turns next door. I mean around where the pipe turns there is abit of a gap. I have started to cement around the pipe so to cover any gaps through which the smell could be coming. I was advised to use expanding foam, but I have started with mortar to cement it. Not sure. Can you help?

Use hardware cloth and cement up the gap. If possible cut and cap the pipe inside the house. Let me know. Tom