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    qyin's Avatar
    qyin Posts: 2, Reputation: 1
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    #1

    May 16, 2005, 08:48 PM
    Sewer smell in the house
    Hi! We have a lingering sewer smell coming out of our guest bathroom. It was a brandnew house when we moved in about two months ago. The bathroom didn't smell until we started to use that bathroom. We sealed the loose connection on the sewer vent pipe that goes through the attic and raised the vent pipe above the roof. The smell seemed to go down a little bit but it never went away. We stick our nose down to the sink and tub as well as the toilet and didn't seem to smell the sewer. We did notice there is always air coming out when we turn the water on in the bathroom next door. The plumber came here twice and still is puzzled by the smell. Any suggestions on where the smell might originate from? I appreciate your answers. Thanks! Jenny
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
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    #2

    May 17, 2005, 05:23 AM
    Quote Originally Posted by qyin
    Hi! We have a lingering sewer smell coming out of our guest bathroom. It was a brandnew house when we moved in about two months ago. The bathroom didn't smell until we started to use that bathroom. We sealed the loose connection on the sewer vent pipe that goes through the attic and raised the vent pipe above the roof. The smell seemed to go down a little bit but it never went away. We stick our nose down to the sink and tub as well as the toilet and didn't seem to smell the sewer. We did notice there is always air coming out when we turn the water on in the bathroom next door. The plumber came here twice and still is puzzled by the smell. Any suggestions on where the smell might originate from? I appreciate your answers. Thanks! Jenny

    The plumber came twice and didn't tell you that you had a vent problem. With this one sentence you told me what was wrong.
    "We did notice there is always air coming out when we turn the water on in the bathroom next door."
    Let me explain. You have back to back bathrooms. The lavatorys are tied in with a sanitary cross at the same elevation. When the lavatory next door drains instead of pulling air down from the vent it pushes air out the trap in the other one and that's where your smell comes from. Do you get any seepage from one to the other? The only other explanation would be if there was a partial blockage in the drain line. The discharge would hit it and send a bubble of air back up the line beforeit drained away. Not being on the job site I can't pinpoint the problem but I hope I've given you someplace to start looking. Good luck, Tom
    qyin's Avatar
    qyin Posts: 2, Reputation: 1
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    #3

    May 17, 2005, 07:51 AM
    Sewer smell in the house
    Thanks for the reply. Any suggestions on how can we fix the problem? I didn't
    Notice the seepage from one bathroom to the other or how can you tell? If there is a blockage in the drain, shouldn't it show a sign of slow drainage? I haven't noticed. Thanks. Jenny
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
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    #4

    May 17, 2005, 09:38 AM
    [QUOTE=qyin]Thanks for the reply. Any suggestions on how can we fix the problem? I didn't
    Notice the seepage from one bathroom to the other or how can you tell? If there is a blockage in the drain, shouldn't it show a sign of slow drainage? I haven't noticed. Thanks. Jenny[/QUOTE

    Unfortunately until the problem's been identified I can't tell you how to repair it. We haven't done that yet. I've given you a few ideas off the top of my head but some one that's on then site will have to check it out. Sorry, Tom
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