Posted: 9/27/2008 6:09:09 PM EDT
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My mother is having a problem with her plumbing that I can't figure out how to fix. When she washes a couple loads of clothes a sewer smell comes up through the washing machine drain. I've tried to solve this by rerouting the drain from the lateral lines to the septic tank, on her orders against my better judgment. That didn't work. I then put a trap in the line, that didn't work. I then attached the line to the commodes vent line, that didn't work. Anyone know what might be the problem cause I'm out of ideas. |
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If there is a trap in the line, and sewer gas can be smelled coming from that line, then that trap is not protected by a vent. Something is allowing that trap to be siphoned out, to where there is no longer a trap seal. The other thing I would check for is open vent pipes(in a wall, ceiling, or attic), vent pipes that may have had a screw put in them, or removed (any pictures moved?). Climb on the roof and look down the main vent stack for bird nests or rodents. Whats the history of this? Did it just start? Was something moved? Is the smell definitely coming from the drain pipe? One last thing, sometimes, odd sewer smells are a precursor to a plugged sewer pipe. When a blockage occurs, the slug of water can create a positive air pressure that will "burp" through a trap seal. That smell is usually different than the septic tank though, a definate stink, but different than if you sniffed in the tank. Sorry so vague, hard one to pin down without more to go on. |
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This probably isn't an answer, but maybe something to go on,,,,, I have the same kind of problem,,,, from time to time. I am curious as to how good/bad is your mom's septic system and what size tank? Every once in a while, our washing machine drain stinks up the laundry room. Our kitchen sink shares the same line as the laundry room. I am pretty sure our cause is from ALL the lines just being full of standing water. Every leech field in my nieghborhood, except mine and one other, has been dug up and changed because our soil sucks and/or the guy who put them in was an idiot. Everytime we get a lot of rain, my field is squishy and stays squishy for a few weeks. We have our tank pumped every year, but I know that is not a fix. I was going to have a new leech field put in about 2 years ago, but getting rid of the Culligan water softener and getting a new LG frontloader have really helped. The only time our field wasn't squishy was about 6-7 years ago when we had very little rainfall all summer. Most of the times I open our box down to the top of the tank, there is wet mud all over the top of the tank. I doubt your mom uses as much water as we do, as my better half is one of those ladies who spends 45 minutes in the shower every morning, with 10 kinds of shampoos and body washes. |
| The few septic systems we put in, the clothes washer did not go into the septic tank. A couple had their own lech field, and some just bypassed the tank and "Y"ed in on the other side of the tank and went on to the field. I would check the trap and the vent. I'd also check the pitch of the drain pipe, it might be to great and pulling all the water out of the trap. |
What kinda pitch should the pipe have? Kinda uphill in the direction the waters running? |
Vents are designed to protect traps against siphoning from moving water. Any system that siphons a trap is not correctly vented. Washers have a a pretty decent flow rate since they are pumped, not just gravity, and without a vent can have trap siphoning problems. There is a reason 2 inch lines are required for washers. |
except here in WI, we can use an 1 1/2 line for a WM codes are different all over! |