Hubby brought the w/m and dryer upstairs so pregnant momma here can do laundry upstairs(yay). Unfortunately, now momma's getting a weird rotten egg smell from the drain behind the washing machine (yuck). He "just copied what was done in the basement"---which was extend the pipes over and up and through a hole in the floor behind the washer---and then the black plastic drain hose from the washer goes down inside the pvc pipe that comes up through that hole. I don't know about traps and vents. Hubby doesn't know, either. It only seems to come from that one area, although the main sewer drain in our 1930's house in the b-ment has a similar "open" drain and occasionally gets an eggy smell---nothing as strong as the washer. OK, there you go, that's all I know---I'd love some ideas!

A few questions and we'll see if we can track "ole stinky" down.
If I understand you correctly you've extended the stand pipe from the basement up a floor, right? You didn't just tie it back to the sewer diirectly did you?
Did you get any odor when it was in the basement?
How long have you been using it in the present location? Any thing different? And lastly, congratulations on the coming event!! Cheers, Tom

Thanks bunches, Tom! Let's see---the pipe goes down and over across the basement and ties back into the same line that everything else seems to go to (lines from the dishwasher/garb.disposal/etc). I suppose it's all connected back to the sewer line. There is one part of the pvc pipes near the wall in the basement that is "open" ---it's where the copper tube from what I'm guessing is the hot water heater comes down... That's where the funny sometimes-smell comes from down there. I've noticed a slight smell on rare occasions in the b-ment, and the sewer dept. checked it out from the outside & said it must be a plumbing issue. The wash/dryer have been up here for about 2 months. No other changes to report. Thanks again for taking the time! :rolleyes:

Did you connect back to the washer stand pipe in the basement? If not was the line trapped before you connected to the sewer? I This "open pipe", which sounds like a indirect waste, for something, does it have a trap? Are there any pipes connected to the sewer that haven't got a trap? Let me know. Tom

I'll be honest, I don't know what a trap is. What should I be looking for?

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Originally Posted by rdhmomma

I'll be honest, I don't know what a trap is. What should I be looking for?

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Look for a fitting that looks like this, (see image). Follow the drain until it connects to the sewer. Somewhere there should be a trap;. If there is none then you have a direct connection between your home and the city sewer allowing sewer gas to enter your home. Sewer gas is a health hazard to your family and the methane content makes it explosive. Let me know right away, Tom

Thank you so much for your advice---the picture was esp. helpful for the novice here! ;I saw nothing like that except for the ones directly under the kitchen/bathroom sinks. We will install one, but where should we place it? Closer to the horizontal pipe next to the sewer or at the vertical pipe directly under the washer? Thanks again for your time & know-how!

You have described a untrapped, unvented direct open connection between your home and the city sewer that's allowing sewer gas to enter your home.
Here';s what your washer hookup should look like, (see images)
You're going to need both a trap and a vent. If a vent through the roof isn't possible you could install a air admittance vent, (see image) just downstream from the trap. Good luck, Tom