[rejoicing]

Today, suddenly, one room in the house, located directly beneath 2 bathrooms, was filled with strong human waste (poop) smell. 8 hrs later, it still remains although we have all the windows open. It is getting quite chilly, yet I am reluctant to close all the windows, out of concern it is noxious or dangerous. The original plumbing was not done correctly in the house we were told, and the ceiling in the smelly room beneath, gives evidence with cracks and holes in the plaster. One bathroom has not been used for years, as no toilet, sink, or tub faucet. The bathroom being used has several issues. The toilet (quite old) frequently has to be either plunged or have bucket of water put into the bowl to completely fully flush. Secondly, the flush results in noisy pipes. The sound used to be deafening. Now it is not as loud. Thirdly, the tubs tile has fallen in places. I have duct taped thick plastic to keep the walls from getting wet, but the floor is sagging by the tub, so something is leaking somewhere. I am recently divorced from a person who refused to maintain the home, (as a means to abuse me.) unfortunately, I haven't much income presently, and cannot even afford to move, though I will have to soon enough as we have foreclosed . I am concerned how safe this issue may be for my son and myself. What could be the cause, any are there any inexpensive remedies? If I cannot afford to fix it, should we leave? I will be homeless, he can stay with a friend for a couple weeks max in an emergency, but if this is truly unsafe... and too much to repair right away... please respond asap! Thanks a million.

[paraclete]

I'm not a plumber but a practical rennovator and I would say you have a broken discharge pipe and a blockage as waste can no longer flow properly in the pipe. Without inspection of the property we cannot know where that sewerage is draining to but there is potential for sickness and disease. You also have described water hammer which can mean joints in the copper pipes can become broken and leak. A plumber can probably clear the blockage for you and advise you on rectification costs. Should you engage a plumber you might want an estimate before the work is started. As you are leaving anyway it may be better to relocate earlier and use what financial resources you have to get resettled. The degree of damage you describe probably means the bathrooms need to be stripped out and rebuilt so the value of the building has been degraded. As to whether the bathroom is unsafe a sagging floor suggests water damage and loss of structural integrity in the floor again you will need on site professional advice. What can happen over time is if there has been damp, rot may have taken over in the timbers supporting the floor and this may have led to the discharge pipe becoming unsupported and damaged as well as the floor sagging under the weight of baths, etc