I recently purchased a house with a full upflush bathroom in the basement. It contains a shower, sink and toilet. Also, sharing a wall with the toilet and shower in the living area is a bar with a sink. All these run into the upflush tank which in turn pumps up and out to the septic tank. You should also know that the house is a bi-level and the basement is only 3-4 feet under ground.
In between the house and the septic tank, behind some bushes, is a 3 inch vent pipe coming out of the ground around 4 inches. The problem lies here. Whenever I use any of the items previously stated above and the pump flushes a horrible septic stench rises from the vent tube. From there it goes in through the windows that the pipe is directly in front of and also goes in through the front door and proceeds to stink up the whole house. We have not been using any of the downstairs "luxuries" because of the smell.
As I read through the manual for the uplush kit it seems it was installed in 1994 and the tank/pump assembly is behind a permanent wall with no access panels of any kind.
Any help on this matter will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

J

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jaywash

I recently purchased a house with a full upflush bathroom in the basement. It contains a shower, sink and toilet. Also, sharing a wall with the toilet and shower in the living area is a bar with a sink. All these run into the upflush tank which in turn pumps up and out to the septic tank. You should also know that the house is a bi-level and the basement is only 3-4 feet under ground.
In between the house and the septic tank, behind some bushes, is a 3 inch vent pipe coming out of the ground around 4 inches. The problem lies here. Whenever I use any of the items previously stated above and the pump flushes a horrible septic stench rises from the vent tube. From there it goes in through the windows that the pipe is directly in front of and also goes in through the front door and proceeds to stink up the whole house. We have not been using any of the downstairs "luxuries" because of the smell.
As I read through the manual for the uplush kit it seems it was installed in 1994 and the tank/pump assembly is behind a permanent wall with no access panels of any kind.
Any help on this matter will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

J

---

The vent needs to run up past the roof line.

Can you offset the vent to the side of the house and then run it up strapped to the side of the house and through the eaves?

Can you tell us the make/model/name of the "upflush kit" that you have?

It shouldn't be installed without any access... it is a pump with electrical and moving parts and will eventually need service...

~aaron

All most all pluming drains to your septic system or sewer system need an air vent to operate correctly. The installation of the vent is typically roof mounted to keep the fumes away from the first floor level. You can raise this tube by glueing an adapter to it and inserting another pipe (PVC) if plastic to it to raise it higher than the roof. You will want to cover the end of the pipe with 1/4 inch or metal window screen securing it to the end of the pipe with a stainless steel hose clamp to keep the birds and critters out. This repair or finished installation will cost approx $6 for 10 ft stick of 3" or 4" PVC pipe, $3 for the adapter (union) and $10 for the primer and glue to melt them together. You can use elbows to locate it where you want it. You may find that this look is unbecoming. It all depends on your budget and ingenuity.
You might consider finding the existing vent in the house and run the new vent from the up-flush unit to the current vent to keep the outside looking good. This cost will change and be dependent upon the new location that you will need to extend the pipe to. Keep in mind that the fumes will travel as if it where water. The normal suction from the passing outside air will create a vacuum on the vent tube to evacuate the smell. The methane gas from the waste or sewer is bad for you and your family's health.

Hey Handleybart...

You just posted to a question that is well over a year old... I doubt Jaywash will be back to read this... ;)

OH! And I just answered the question you just posted... :)

Have a good night...

MARK

Septic tanks do get get vent stacks above the roof line of the house. A home plumbing drain would vent that way but not a septic tank. Newer septics do have a inverted J pipe to allow for displacement of the air in the tank when sewage is flushed. That vent is usually after the tank and before the field tiles. Check with your local building department to see if they allow you to cap that pipe. It, along with strainers and filters, is a newer innovation and the jury is still out on whether they are really needed. I have had 3 homes with septic and never had that vent, if I rebuild now the new code requires it. Septic innovation sometimes back fires. 15 years ago two piece fiber glass tanks were the new rage, now my HOA requires that they be removed abd replaced with one piece concrete.