We had a new septic system installed about 2 years ago. We had the tank pumped out in the spring and now we get an odor of sewage from the washing machine. The water does not smell. The odor only comes when my wife uses the washer. Could you please advise what could be causing it. I opened up the tanks and the fluid was a good foot below the pipe in the tank.

Thanks,
Don

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Originally Posted by chevytrk

We had a new septic system installed about 2 years ago. We had the tank pumped out in the spring and now we get an odor of sewage from the washing machine. The water does not smell. The odor only comes when my wife uses the washer. Could you please advise what could be causing it. I opened up the tanks and the fluid was a good foot below the pipe in the tank.

Thanks,
Don

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If your clotheswasher is plumbed correctly, then I doubt your septic system is the culprit.

OTOH, is there a floor drain close by?

It's possible the p-trap of a bootlegged or improperly plumbed floor drain is being suctioned out when you use the clothewasher, thus allowing sewer/septic gasses to leak out.