Plumbing Wisdom Needed

[ehenry]

I have a problem that I'm going to try to explain here. I'm no plumber by any means other that minor repairs.

My house is shaped like a horse shoe with a concrete patio in the middle of the two sides in the back. One side of the house has almost all the plumbing and sewage on it two bathrooms, kitchen and washroom with the exception of one bathroom on the other side that in very rarely used. All of the sewage vents that go through the roof are on the back side of the house and on the inside of the horse shoe where they are not visible from the street. When the wind is just right there is a strong sewage odor on the patio. I guess my question is this, Could this odor be coming from these vent pipes or could I have a sewage leak some where. There are no wet areas around the perimeter of the house that I can find. The house is built on a slab.

 

[boat1010]

Re: Plumbing Wisdom Needed

Thought I would try this again. It is possible for the smell to be coming from the vents. I would think if you had a sewage leak you would be smelling it all the time not just with the right wind. Sorry I am not more help.

 

[JB]

Re: Plumbing Wisdom Needed

Septic tank or city sewage?

 

[81 Checkmate]

Re: Plumbing Wisdom Needed

No Plumber either...

Sounds like it's the vents when the wind is blowing outa the east......

Can ya maybe install a 180 turn elbow on the ends of the vents...... if its PVC.....DONT GLUE EM, just slip them on and see what happens.

All i got!

 

[ehenry]

Re: Plumbing Wisdom Needed

Its city sewage. The city line is down by the street and I'm set back 200+ feet from that and there are no wet spots in the yard anywhere.

Checkmate, how'd you know my house faced east and the patio was on the west??? OH, and how would putting an elbow on the vent help??

 

[Summer Fun]

Re: Plumbing Wisdom Needed

I guess my question is this, Could this odor be coming from these vent pipes or could I have a sewage leak some where.

Nope thats why there is a u-trap at every sink & toilet & tub & your main sewer line to the house so you don't get any odors.

You could have, Walk around on the lawn and do a smell test. .

 

[boat1010]

Re: Plumbing Wisdom Needed

The traps that Summer fun has the picture of is a "P" trap.. And if they dry out the smell can come back in from the sewer. But I would think that if any of them were dry you would smell the smell in the house.. That was why I asked if there were any drains outside on the patio.

 

[Fishing Dude too]

Re: Plumbing Wisdom Needed

Could put a longer pip on top of the stack to extend above the ridge of the roof. First off has this always been a problem in the house or just started? If always a problem would think this would be a fix, otherwise another problem.

 

[ehenry]

Re: Plumbing Wisdom Needed

I undersatnd P traps and how it all works....The only in floor drain we have is in the washroom and when the trap on it dries out you know it quick! I have two things I do monthly and thats change the A/C filters and pour water down the floor drain the washroom. THere are no floor drains outside the house.

The smell is only on the patio at times. Thats why I'm asking if it could be the vents I'm smelling. If you look at the roof from the patio you can see 5 vents. all the vents are about a foot and a half in length. I was wondering if I extended these pipes maybe another foot....would it help.

 

[81 Checkmate]

Re: Plumbing Wisdom Needed

Well i just figuerd it was the east! We normally get or winds from the WEST,SOUTH, and the Fridged North.

It sometimes happens at the house. Front of house faces to the west and vents are on the backside of the roof (East). The tops of the vents are below the roof line and when we get those weird winds from the east you can smell the smell up stairs in the house.
It dont happen often! or id do the 180 turn pipe.

My thinking is when the light wind is blowing its hitting the edge (ID) of the pipe and turning and going down the vent. With the 180 on it...it would be harder for it to go uphill then turn and down the vent.

All i got!

 

[Summer Fun]

Re: Plumbing Wisdom Needed

Thats why I'm asking if it could be the vents I'm smelling.

Yes, Only if your u-trap / p-trap to the main sewer line has failed then you would smell it.

 

[emoney]

Re: Plumbing Wisdom Needed

Sometimes "critters" can crawl down into roof-top vents, get trapped and die. It will often be mistaken for a "sewage smell", when it fact it's a dead-animal-corpse smell. While not a pleasant task, it's always good to have a look-see when there's an odor.

 

[81 Checkmate]

Re: Plumbing Wisdom Needed

Just to add....Same thing happens in our fire place.

When we get those east/south east winds you can smell the fire place..... Only sometimes! Fire place is at the north end of the house.

It must be the way our house sits in relation to the wind direction.

Dont know why! But it is what it is.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Plumbing Wisdom Needed

Yes, Only if your u-trap / p-trap to the main sewer line has failed then you would smell it.

The vent is on the sewer side of the p-trap so you still smell the sewage side from the vents. The p-traps keep the smell from the inside fixture.

They do sell carbon filters for the scenario that the OP is experiencing as this phenomenon is totally normal. He must be getting a downdraft from his roof and the sewer smells exiting the vents get blown onto the patio.

http://www.polylok.com/catalog/product/Poly-Air™ Activated Vent Filter

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Plumbing Wisdom Needed

Yes, Only if your u-trap / p-trap to the main sewer line has failed then you would smell it.

At least out here in CA, there is no trap between the house exit and the main sewer line. Would be kinda tough to clean with a rooter wouldn't it?

 

[bigdee]

Re: Plumbing Wisdom Needed

normal problem. Here a suggestion: http://www.odorhog.com/?gclid=COnPo6Gz8rICFQaFnQod1XAAIg

 

[dwco5051]

Re: Plumbing Wisdom Needed

At least out here in CA, there is no trap between the house exit and the main sewer line. Would be kinda tough to clean with a rooter wouldn't it?

Depends when and where the home was built if it would have a trap on the lateral. Cleanouts for traps on the lateral should be extended to ground level for snaking out both the trap and the lateral. Do you have two or three cleanout plugs near where your sewer line leaves the house. If so you know for sure you have a P trap on you line. That doesn't mean you don't have one as the cleanout plugs may have been buried over time by shrubs, mulch or topsail.

 

[foodfisher]

Re: Plumbing Wisdom Needed

Didn't read all the replies. Yes it/smell can come from the roof vents if they are not tall enough and the wind eddies in your patio. Roof vent extensions "could" remedy this if local codes allow. Two feet above peak of roof should do it.

 

[ehenry]

Re: Plumbing Wisdom Needed

The house has two vents on out side walls. One vent is on the patio side and the other is directly across from the patio vent in the master bath on the garage side of the house.. The house doesnt have a gabled roof it has a hipped roof if that matters. I'm posting a pic of the floor plan so you all can see roughly how the plumbing is laid out. Hope this helps.

 

[bigdee]

Re: Plumbing Wisdom Needed

The house has two vents on out side walls. One vent is on the patio side and the othe is directly across from the patio vent in the master bath on the garage side of the house.. The house doesnt have a gabled roof it has a hipped roof with that matters. I'm posting a pic of the floor plan so you all can see house the plumbing is laid out. Hope this helps.

This is a normal phenomenon with any roof,your problem is compounded by the fact that you have multiple roof angles. The filters are the only low cost option that I am aware of that works. Extending the height of the stacks would be an eyesore and would not solve the problem anyway. On damp days the odors will settle to the ground regardless of how tall the stacks are. A second option would be to get rid of the roof stacks ( you would still need 1 but it would be negative pressure) and use scudder valves inside the house. I do not have roof vents on my lake house house and no odors.