Sewage Ejection Pit/ sewage smells - two year problem
Our basement was lowered by the previous owners and since moving into this home two years ago we inherited a sewage ejection pit and a separate sump pump pit. The fixtures that feed into the SEP are the toilet, sink, shower, washer, laundry sink and furnace humidifier. All the p-traps are operational at all times and the floor drain for the furnace is always full of water – this floor drain runs directly to the SEP.
When the SEP ejects sewage smells run into the home. We believe that water is drawn from the floor drain at some point in the ejection process allowing the sewer gases to emit from the drain – though we are not sure. We only get smells when the SEP ejects.
We have replaced the check-valve twice, and have followed the advice of others and have drilled a 3/16 hole below the check-valve to prevent air locking.
We haven't ruled out the possibility of a venting issue and/or crack in the pipes though we did have two smoke bombs preformed and are going to administer a peppermint test ourselves tomorrow.
We are wondering if we should redirect the furnace floor drain to the sump-pump? Also, if the floor drain has a p-trap then how are the gasses getting past it?
We're considering this only because we're assuming that the only way the sewage smell could be coming into the home is through the floor drain.
Any advice whatsoever would be much appreciated.
We would be happy to post a photo of the SEP plumbing