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    Susan3's Avatar
    Susan3 Posts: 3, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #1

    Nov 17, 2009, 12:02 PM
    Sewage smell in basement-
    We have had our house for 4 years, it is a ranch, it was built in 1938 and works off a septic system and city water. Certain times during the year (climate changes especially when it starts to get the first cold spell for the season) a terrible sewer smell comes from our basement. It happens when we use our toilets or showers on the first floor. We have had plumbers out and no one can seem to figure the problem out. Additionally the time the plumber gets to our house the smell has gone and usually reappears that next morning when we begin to use our bathrooms heavily again. The smell last about 3-4 days it is definitely a sewage smell. Any help I would greatly appreciate, we are so at wits end we might put our house up for sale.

    Speedball - are you out there? I need help...


    Sincerely,

    Susan
    Milo Dolezal's Avatar
    Milo Dolezal Posts: 7,192, Reputation: 523
    Plumbing Expert
    		  
    #2

    Nov 17, 2009, 12:08 PM

    1. Do you have any floor drains in the basement ?
    2. Is there any plumbing fixture in the basement ?
    ballengerb1's Avatar
    ballengerb1 Posts: 27,378, Reputation: 2280
    Home Repair & Remodeling Expert
    		  
    #3

    Nov 17, 2009, 12:11 PM

    Could be a clogged vent stack is allowing your traps to siphon but that would not coincide with any particular season. Does it ever happen when your furnace is not in operation?
    Susan3's Avatar
    Susan3 Posts: 3, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #4

    Nov 17, 2009, 12:45 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by ballengerb1 View Post
    Could be a clogged vent stack is allowing your traps to siphon but that would not coincide with any particular season. Does it ever happen when your furnace is not in operation?
    Yes it does but when the furnace is on the smell is bad it distributes the smell through the house LUCKY Me. This is so frusterating.

    Quote Originally Posted by Milo Dolezal View Post
    1. Do you have any floor drains in the basement ?
    2. Is there any plumbing fixture in the basement ?
    Yes one in the laundry that we have poored water and bleach down. The other problem is that is a finished basement so before we lived there some one laid carpet so there could be another drain under the carpet but that will be extremely expensive to pull up and check trying to avoid this.

    Any other thoughts??
    frazwood's Avatar
    frazwood Posts: 129, Reputation: 2
    Junior Member
    		  
    #5

    Nov 17, 2009, 12:54 PM

    Is there a sink or drain that rarely gets used? If so, the P-trap could dry out, allowing the sewage smell to come up through the drain. This happens where I work (a research laboratory) where there are sinks that no one uses for months at a time.
    neverguess's Avatar
    neverguess Posts: 9, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #6

    Nov 17, 2009, 07:25 PM

    If you have an oil burner, and it is not properly venting out of your house when in operation, the overpowering smell could be coming from the boiler. Try smelling around your oil burner, when this happens. It smells a little like rotton eggs from a distance, but up close, it can sting the nostrils, so don't breathe in too deeply.
    Susan3's Avatar
    Susan3 Posts: 3, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #7

    Nov 18, 2009, 08:08 AM
    Quote Originally Posted by neverguess View Post
    If you have an oil burner, and it is not properly venting out of your house when in operation, the overpowering smell could be coming from the boiler. Try smelling around your oil burner, when this happens. It smells a little like rotton eggs from a distance, but up close, it can sting the nostrils, so don't breathe in too deeply.
    No oil burner.
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