Sewer gas

[misterh]

I hope someone can help me with this one!

I live in an old Victorian converted flat on the upper ground floor and I've had a sewer gas smell for about four weeks now. It is a really long story and I have had plumbers around, looked in manholes for blockages etc etc...

The smell gets worse in the evenings/during the night and my only suspicion is an unused Victorian drain which is running from ground level upto the roof of the building (approx. 15 m)

Could anyone tell me who to contact to come and have a look at this problem for me? Should I look for a sewer/drainage specialist?

Many thanks.

 

[REDSAW]

where is the smell most apparent? i.e room.

 

[misterh]

It is originating from my bathroom which is located at the back of the building. To be more specific, it comes from underneath my bath but if I close the door to the bathroom, the smell appears to be in the hallway. I have no leaks from my toilet, no leaks from my bath (and the smell is not coming from the bath plug nor the sink). The reason I think the old Victorian pipe has something to do with it is because I have an unused outlet which is terminating underneath my bath (this can only be seen from the outside).

What is really weird is how the smell comes and goes but I cannot tie it to a specific neighbour but it is stronger in the evenings.

Many thanks.

 

[REDSAW]

that will be when every one gets home and flushes then?.

what you have is a leak, not a fluid one but a gas type. this is why you asume it is not comming from certain locations. as with gas it will travel in all directions even through the floor boards then hence into the hallway.
put a couple of inches of water into the sink and bath with the plug in over-night to eliminate dry-trapping as this first needs to be eliminated.
then i would be looking under the bath next to prove open outlet to soil stack.

 

[Puddle]

because I have an unused outlet which is terminating underneath my bath (this can only be seen from the outside).

quote]

That sounds like it could be the problem

You are going to have to visualy inspect how sealed under bath or
cut back outside were you can see it and seal correctly

 

[Plouasne]

What"s the betting that its an old lead "safe", with a trap that's dried out years ago

Bernie, and maybe a few of the other oldies will or should know what I mean

 

[david williams]

if this is a modern conversion your local building control officer should have plans of all pipework,he should also have checked that soil stacks and waste pipes were sound,but along with the decline in plumbing standerds inspection standerds have dropped as well,it could be syphonage of a trap ,break in pipework /poorly fitted pipework.is it your flat,are you a tennant,you could get inviromental health officer to come and investigate,he can serve a notice on owner of builbing to to have this rectified

 

[Bernie2]

Yes your right Plouasne.

 

[misterh]

Thank you all. I will try the council to start of with and report back to you.

Thanks again!

 

[Plouasne]

Yes your right Plouasne.

Bernie,

Did you know that there are plastic "safes" now, saw a couple fitted under a bath and cylinder, a few months back in France

 

[misterh]

UPDATE:

As suspected, it was the old Victorian pipe that terminates underneath my bath that was the cause to the problem, so thanks for your suggestions etc.

The council was pretty much useless, I had a sewage specialist firm in who sorted it out by cutting a small 'door' in the pipe and blocked it with building foam. The smell was gone by that same evening.

Thanks again to you all!

 

[Bernie2]

Seems a good idea Plouasne, we don't see any kind of safe fitted over here now. I think they could be useful in some instances.

 

[TGor]

Perhaps a good "old fashioned" smoke test would tell you if it was the disused piping that was the problem. sometimes used peppermint oil for the same purpose but the smoke test is preferable as it is slightly pressurised.

gulluck
TG

 

[Frenchben]

I'm sorry to dig up an old post but one of your comments interested me. I live in France and have recently bought an oldish house. The downstairs bathroom has the same issues as this post and the smell does seem to be originating from underneath a boxed in bath.What is the 'safe' u are referring to and if I find one can i block it up... Would 2 loos ever use the same waste exhaust pipe...Thanks for any adviceBen

 

[kay-jay]

first things first....check your traps aren't syphoning out.

 

[Frenchben]

Well i did as advised and filled up sink, bath and BD (who has one of these nowadays) and left for 24 hrs and the smell hasn't come back. Now what?Should I keep testing?

 

[kay-jay]

if the property was left unoccupied for a while then traps will dry out and smells from the sewers will permeate the house.

if it has not been left unoccupied then the possibilities are that your traps are being syphoned either by themselves or by other sanitary ware.

to rule this out try running your basin bath etc one at a time and re-check your trap seals by putting a thin peice of wood or a straw down the plughole. if you still have a trap seal flush the toilet (and any other toilet in the house) then recheck trap seals again. any trap that has lost its seal will need replacing with an anti syphon trap.

 

[Sebastian Thoma]

You could inquire your neighbors for a very few suggestions as well. They could have employed an agency for their private sewer repairs.
Choose for an agency that has a very good reputation and has been in the sewer repair trade for a whilst now.