Sewer Gas Problems

[kittylin]

I own a 75 year old home. There has always been a nasty smell in the basement. At first I thought it was from pet urine soaked into the concrete floor, as the previous owners had cats and dogs in the basement. Now I am beginning to wonder if it might actually be sewer gas that I smell instead. There are two floor drains which seem to stay full of water. I recently found that the washing machine waste line just sort of poors directly into the main sewer line for the house and there appears to be no trap (there is definitely no seal). Can someone please tell me a) what is the nature of sewer gas and what are its dangers, is there any way to tell if the odor in the basement is actually sewer gas or not, and C) how should the waste water outlet for the washing machine properly be plumbed. Thanks for your help!

[Travis MorganParticipant]

: I own a 75 year old home. There has always been a nasty smell in the basement. At first I thought it was from pet urine soaked into the concrete floor, as the previous owners had cats and dogs in the basement. Now I am beginning to wonder if it might actually be sewer gas that I smell instead. There are two floor drains which seem to stay full of water. I recently found that the washing machine waste line just sort of poors directly into the main sewer line for the house and there appears to be no trap (there is definitely no seal). Can someone please tell me a) what is the nature of sewer gas and what are its dangers, is there any way to tell if the odor in the basement is actually sewer gas or not, and C) how should the waste water outlet for the washing machine properly be plumbed. Thanks for your help!

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