Soil Pipe Box smell and insulation.

[philgina101]

Hello all,

Our first post on here, so please be gentle. We are based in the UK and undergoing a kitchen renovation (not a DIY build), and just had the soil pipe box removed from the utility room (in order to make it smaller to allow us to fit wall cabinets and easily access/remove the washing machine and tumble dryer).

Our plasterer removed the insulation surrounding the pipe - and unfortunately the pipe really smells bad (sewage smell), which is stinking out the house. Something we hadn't noticed before, please can someone confirm - is this normal or is an indication that we have a sewage gas leak/potential issue with the pipes?

Do we need to replace the insulation that was in the pipebox before re-boxing ( I see its an NHBC requirement)? If so please can someone recommend the best type to use (preferably with a link) and the best way to fit it, tape/cable ties?

We have provided some pictures below of the soil pipe, FYI the white pipe is waste pipe for the sink (with the U bend) which we have plugged up temporarily) - hoping this will help. Any questions, please let us know.
Thank you in advance!

 

[ShaunCorbs]

No it shouldn’t be smelling can you see where it goes through the roof ?

have you capped the white pipe good enough so no smells can come back if there’s no trap / it’s dry ?

 

[snowhead]

If the white pipe is capped and not smelling then it's possibly a faulty or missing seal on the grey pipe fittings near the floor.
But my best guess would be that's it's not correctly sealed into the underground pipe underneath all that expanding foam.

 

[WC1]

Best way to find source of stink is with nose. Forget any preconceptions of source. Often takes several attempts, weather conditions and use of system often have an influence. If you think you have found it get a second opinion i.e. another family member.

 

[philgina101]

Hello all! @WC1 ; @snowhead; @ShaunCorbs - I just wanted to say thank you, it turned out the smell was because of the lack of a water trap between the u bend of the waste pipe into the main soil pipe. So once we had our kitchen sink finally plumbed in - voila no smell! We added some insultation between the soil pipe and a new boxed in area so all good!

 

[king of pipes]

Definitely shouldn't be stinky but as above is the white waste pipe capped off ?? , all that expanding foam is a worry as its rather extreme start by removing it as it could may be masking the fault ?? . Kop