Terrible smells in new house I have moved into

[keira01]

I have just moved into my house. There are terrible smells eminating into it seems 3 rooms all containing plumbing. I understand a little about traps and soil stacks. So a plumber is looking into replacing traps on my bath and shower as there are smells coming from there too but there is a really bad smell coming into the Utility Room downstairs. In there, there is a sink (which I am told the pipes are clean), washing machine and it seems the internal soil stack (of which I cannot locate the end to check if there is an AAV attached or AAV problem)...It is not in the loft and there is no evidence of it in the house anywhere. I have two bathrooms which back onto each other, one of which is above the utility room. Where do i start to at least minimise disruption? A plumber told me that there also seems to be a 3" pipe behind the sink in the utility room which we don't know what it is connected to as behind a load of units (which he said was strange as this is usually a rain type pipe) . This house seems to have everything boxed in and loads of plumbing? Can anyone give me any guidance, are there any checks I can do - its driving me crazy..... I also have no external access to have the pipes jet cleaned....

 

[keira01]

ps It is not a new build house.....

 

[rpm]

Find something in the house like a long thin screwdriver that will go through the holes in the basin, sink, bath and shower wastes.
If the screwdriver comes out dry then the waste traps (U-bends) underneath are dry, without water in the U-bends odours are free to enter the room.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

It could be something as simple as they've just dried out as the house hasn't been lived in for a month etc ??

Run the taps for a couple of mins and all of the appliance eg washing machine dishwasher etc should sort it if not there's a problem

 

[keira01]

Find something in the house like a long thin screwdriver that will go through the holes in the basin, sink, bath and shower wastes.
If the screwdriver comes out dry then the waste traps (U-bends) underneath are dry, without water in the U-bends odours are free to enter the room.

Thank you, its a start, I will try this tonight.....

 

[rpm]

If you can`t see the soil stack pipe rising from outside the house above the highest window then it has to be internal, check in any boxing in the loft around 6"x 6" or bigger.

 

[keira01]

If you can`t see the soil stack pipe rising from outside the house above the highest window then it has to be internal, check in any boxing in the loft around 6"x 6" or bigger.

Nothing outside and I have checked in the loft there is nothing, there is no internal boxing either. I can only assume it is behind a wall and plastered in!!! But if I am to disrupt the plaster/walls - it is knowing where to start as nothing is evident!!

 

[keira01]

It could be something as simple as they've just dried out as the house hasn't been lived in for a month etc ??

Run the taps for a couple of mins and all of the appliance eg washing machine dishwasher etc should sort it if not there's a problem

Do you mean run the taps all at the same time? I have been in there a good few weeks now and I haven't used the dishwasher (there are no smells eminating from the area of the dishwasher though) perhaps I will put it on tonight - worth a try!! Thank you ....

 

[rpm]

Nothing outside and I have checked in the loft there is nothing, there is no internal boxing either. I can only assume it is behind a wall and plastered in!!! But if I am to disrupt the plaster/walls - it is knowing where to start as nothing is evident!!

Any "odd" boxing in of a possible pipe being hidden in one of the bathrooms, thinking the pipe has been cut short for whatever reason and the AAV fitted there.

 

[rpm]

Do you mean run the taps all at the same time? I have been in there a good few weeks now and I haven't used the dishwasher (there are no smells eminating from the area of the dishwasher though) perhaps I will put it on tonight - worth a try!! Thank you ..

A good few weeks is long enough, check water is in the traps.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Yep if it was just dry taps they should of been sorted by now

 

[rpm]

Nothing outside and I have checked in the loft there is nothing, there is no internal boxing either. I can only assume it is behind a wall and plastered in!!! But if I am to disrupt the plaster/walls - it is knowing where to start as nothing is evident!!

As a last resort you could drill a small hole in the wall to one side of the toilet pans then use an Borescope / Endoscope to see if there is anything. Doesn`t have to cost much if you have a tablet or smartphone.
Endoscope 5.5mm LED Snake Inspection Camera Lens IP67 for Mobile Phone PC Laptop | eBay

 

[keira01]

Any "odd" boxing in of a possible pipe being hidden in one of the bathrooms, thinking the pipe has been cut short for whatever reason and the AAV fitted there.

Nope no odd boxing anywhere.....

 

[keira01]

As a last resort you could drill a small hole in the wall to one side of the toilet pans then use an Borescope / Endoscope to see if there is anything. Doesn`t have to cost much if you have a tablet or smartphone.
Endoscope 5.5mm LED Snake Inspection Camera Lens IP67 for Mobile Phone PC Laptop | eBay

Thanks that is a great idea if it comes to it.....

 

[keira01]

As a last resort you could drill a small hole in the wall to one side of the toilet pans then use an Borescope / Endoscope to see if there is anything. Doesn`t have to cost much if you have a tablet or smartphone.
Endoscope 5.5mm LED Snake Inspection Camera Lens IP67 for Mobile Phone PC Laptop | eBay

Could I just ask.... for example if it is a dry trap on the dishwasher drain pipe - can the smell come up from all different points or would it only come up from the area where the dishwasher is plumbed?

 

[rpm]

Could I just ask.. for example if it is a dry trap on the dishwasher drain pipe - can the smell come up from all different points or would it only come up from the area where the dishwasher is plumbed?

Odours can`t travel through water.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Should only come where the dishwasher is but smells can travel in the air if there's boxing etc

 

[rpm]

Is the dishwasher plumbed into the undersink trap or is looped over a 32/40mm pipe standing vertical around 4ft high?

 

[rpm]

McAlpine Washing Machine Stand Pipe WM3
Something like this.

 

[keira01]

Is the dishwasher plumbed into the undersink trap or is looped over a 32/40mm pipe standing vertical around 4ft high?

I would have to check this as again it is behind kitchen units and blocked in but I am sure I could see something behind one of the drilled holes for the stopcock..... whatever happened to easy access to pipes

 

[keira01]

Should only come where the dishwasher is but smells can travel in the air if there's boxing etc

There are no smells in the dishwasher area and there are doors between this room and the utility where the smell is worst ....

 

[ShaunCorbs]

There are no smells in the dishwasher area and there are doors between this room and the utility where the smell is worst ..

Any chance of a pic of the sink and underneath eg pipework in the utility room ?

 

[rpm]

Any chance of a pic of the sink and underneath eg pipework in the utility room ?

 

[rpm]

I would have to check this as again it is behind kitchen units and blocked in but I am sure I could see something behind one of the drilled holes for the stopcock... whatever happened to easy access to pipes

If you cant see the vertical pipe near the dishwasher then look for something like this under the sink. With a Grey ribbed hose on the small side nozzle, hopefully with a metal clip keeping it in place.
Sink Trap with 135° Swivel Nozzle

 

[keira01]

Any chance of a pic of the sink and underneath eg pipework in the utility room ?

I can get a pic of what I can see ie directly under the sink but there are a lot of pipes behind the kitchen/utility unit carcasses which without cutting them out cant be seen/accessed - Is this the new way of fitting out houses - block all the plumbing in!!! Same in my bathroom where I also had a leak through the ceiling, I have had to disrupt floor tiles and the whole of the side of the bath was tiled with no access to the pipes so have had to disrupt all the lovely mosaic tiling too - Grrrr .....