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    rmackinnon's Avatar
    rmackinnon Posts: 4, Reputation: 1
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    #1

    Dec 11, 2006, 04:41 PM
    Septic smell in basement
    I've been reading many Q&As bbout septic smells and none seem to fit our problem. This house has a 4 year old system with a pump in a chamber in the ground. It was pumped 6 months ago, there are only two of us living here, no unused drains (dry trap), and no basement drains. The smell seems to come from the PVC pipe as it exits the basement wall, and it seems to come and go. My wife swears it comes after water usage, such as a shower. There is a slight sag in the pipe where the installer failed to support it. Where should I start?

    Thanks.
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
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    #2

    Dec 12, 2006, 06:00 AM
    Quote Originally Posted by rmackinnon
    I've been reading many Q&As bbout septic smells and none seem to fit our problem. This house has a 4 year old system with a pump in a chamber in the ground. It was pumped 6 months ago, there are only two of us living here, no unused drains (dry trap), and no basement drains. The smell seems to come from the PVC pipe as it exits the basement wall, and it seems to come and go. My wife swears it comes after water useage, such as a shower. There is a slight sag in the pipe where the installer failed to support it. Where shoudl I start?

    Thanks.
    "This house has a 4 year old system with a pump in a chamber in the ground."
    Do you mean you have a ejector pit and pump in the basement or are you talking about a septic tank?

    "The smell seems to come from the PVC pipe as it exits the basement wall,"

    Would this be the vent from the pit?

    ". There is a slight sag in the pipe where the installer failed to support it. "

    What pipe would that be? The pipe that exits the basement?
    Let me know. Tom
    rmackinnon's Avatar
    rmackinnon Posts: 4, Reputation: 1
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    #3

    Dec 12, 2006, 07:45 PM
    Tom:

    The pump is outside in an underground chamber, probably as it is uphill to the leach field. The smell comes from the drain pipe as it exits through the basement wall on its way to the pump chamber. That's the pipe that has a slight sag.
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
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    #4

    Dec 13, 2006, 05:35 AM
    It sounds like you have back pressure from the ejector pit Check the pit vent to be sure it's open. This vent, unlike a house vent, breaths both in and out. You may be letting sewer gas in your basement as the vent attempts to breath out. Good luck, Tom
    rmackinnon's Avatar
    rmackinnon Posts: 4, Reputation: 1
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    #5

    Dec 13, 2006, 06:12 AM
    Speedball1:

    Thanks for the help. We'll give it a try.

    rmackinnon
    rmackinnon's Avatar
    rmackinnon Posts: 4, Reputation: 1
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    #6

    Dec 14, 2006, 04:14 AM
    Tom:

    Come to think of it, I don't know where to find the ejector pit vent. The only visible vent comes from the leach field which is down stream from the rest of the system. Is this vent inside the vault where the pump is?
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
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    #7

    Dec 14, 2006, 11:13 AM
    The ejector pit has two pipes coming out of it. One goes to the house sewer and the other's a vent. Just track them down and check the vent for a clog.
    Regards, tom
    joeb9's Avatar
    joeb9 Posts: 3, Reputation: 1
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    #8

    Dec 16, 2006, 01:51 PM
    HI,

    This is the same issue I'm having with my house. Did you have any luck correcting the problem?
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