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November 22, 2008
Odd smells in garden floor
We have a garden floor (basement?) that houses the boiler/water heater, a laundry room, a half-bath, some storage rooms and a den. There is a slight sewer-y smell coming from the half-bath/laundry area. It is all new plumbing, floors were open to the dirt and joists were fixed, etc. I believe it is all vented (except maybe the W/D which is connected to the laundry sink and then vented, I think. There was a very large plumbing trap underneath the foundation that was uncovered and nobody really knew what it was for (extremely large and in decent shape). Plumbers and contractors said, just leave it, whatever it is. Any ideas how to remedy this smell? We've had a couple different plumbers and they all seem to think everything is fine. We had the sewer line cleaned. Who do we call next?
Comments
Sounds like maybe a U trap is missing somewhere. Is the washing machine flow pipe below grade enough to need a pump to take out the water? If so the pump chamber can collect a stinky film.
Feel free to call me to see if I can help more.
Gennaro Brooks-Church
EcoBrooklyn.com
347 244 3016.
Posted by: gennaro at November 22, 2008 9:48 PM
The washing machine is at grade (laundry room opens up to the backyard, no steps or anything) and the pipes run about 2 feet above the ground (exposed piping) to the laundry sink.
Master Plumber, are you out there?
Posted by: WTbound at November 23, 2008 8:24 AM
I'm not a master plumber and I'm not THE Master Plumber, but a U-trap is the first thing I thought of too.
Posted by: traditionalmod at November 24, 2008 11:55 AM
I had a similar problem and everyone who came to look told me everything was fine. Finally, someone who knew what they were talking about told me if plumbing is not used for 2+ weeks the traps can dry out and sewer gases can escape. A simple solution is to make sure you run the water or flush the toilet at least every few weeks or pour a small amount of mineral oil down the drain/toilet to prevent it from drying out. Not sure if you have the same problem but thought this information was worth passing along. Good luck.
Posted by: valerieann at November 24, 2008 5:16 PM
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