Ask Experts Questions for FREE Help !
Ask
    kymgosselin's Avatar
    kymgosselin Posts: 2, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #1

    Oct 23, 2006, 10:26 AM
    Sewer Gas smell in the basement
    There is a foul sewer-gas smell that is originating in our basement crawl-space. The smell is strongest in the laundry room where the entrance to the crawl-space is located, and has permeated the entire house. We experienced this problem last year but it only lasted a day or two and was confined to the laundry room. Once it dissipated we forgot about it. I am wondering if it has anything to do with the rain we have been getting. The last time it happened we had a lot of rain and it has been raining steady for 4 days now. Our house is a split-level with just a crawl space under one section because the bedrock is very close to the surface here. We have standing water in our yard in different spots when we get heavy, long periods of rain. Could a sulfur gas be coming out of the ground? I'm concerned for the health of our small children. Any advice would be welcomed and appreciated!
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
    Eternal Plumber
    		  
    #2

    Oct 23, 2006, 12:45 PM
    Have you been down in the crawl space to see if there's water down there?
    Have you checked to see if the floor drain has water in the trap?
    Are you on city sewer or a septic tank?
    Back to you, regards, Tom
    kymgosselin's Avatar
    kymgosselin Posts: 2, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #3

    Oct 25, 2006, 04:50 AM
    Quote Originally Posted by speedball1
    Have you been down in the crawl space to see if there's water down there?
    Have you checked to see if the floor drain has water in the trap?
    Are you on city sewer or a septic tank?
    Back to you, regards, Tom

    We have been in the crawl space and there is no standing water but the foundation (cinder block) seemed a bit damp at the back of the house. We have a septic system and the tank is out back about 10-12 feet from the foundation. As I mentioned before, the bedrock is very close here, so the tank sits on top of it only about 4 feet down. Is it possible that with all the rain we've had that the grey water is unable to soak in to the ground fast enough and it's somehow backing up against the foundation and causing the odor? If so, what can we do to fix that or is it something we live with when it is extremely rainy?
Not your question? Ask your question View similar questions
 

Question Tools Search this Question
Search this Question:

Advanced Search

Add your answer here.


Check out some similar questions!

Sewer gas smell coming from vents in home. [ 2 Answers ]

About a month ago a bad smell started coming from our venting inside our home. It smelled like a big toilet. We had someone come look inside our venting and nothing. We had someone come and check our furnace and nothing. And It doesn't smell everyday either.. right now it smells terrible but...

Sewer Gas Smell [ 4 Answers ]

We have been having a problem with a bad smell that we think is sewer gas coming up through the shower drain when we flush the toilet in our back bathroom. We're not having the problem anywhere else in the house and at first we only noticed the smell, like I said, when we flushed that toilet. The...

Sewer smell in basement bathroom [ 24 Answers ]

I'm moving in a couple of months, but the house I'm renting right now has a really strong sewer smell coming from the shower drain, sink drain, and the drain for the washing machine, all in the basement. It's worse when the washing machine is running, but you can smell it pretty much all the time....

Sewer smell in kitchen, wood cabinets smell [ 1 Answers ]

I bought a house that had sewer smells in the kitchen probably for years. I found the problem and fixed the pipe. We gutted the kitchen and the smell is still there. The subfloor has an odor. And I am worried the tongue and groove underneath it might smell also. If we pull up the subfloor,...

Sewer gas smell in summer [ 1 Answers ]

I have been in my townhouse for three years. Each time summer rolls around and I turn on my air conditioner, the house fills with the smell of sewer gas. This doesn't happen all winter long. I have had the sewer rodded all the out to the street. A camera was put into the line and I was told...

View more questions Search