septic smell in basement

[MasterPlumbersKeymaster]

We’ve been having a steadily building septic smell in our basement over the last few days. I have checked the stink stack and it is clear, we do not have any fixtures that are rarely use (so no dry p-traps). We also had the septic tank pumped a few months ago. The smell is not coming from a toilet so I don’ t think it is a bad wax ring issue. The waste lines are PVC. I cannot see any water leakage on those lines. We do have a floor drain, but it is not tied into the septic system (it empties on the other side of the house). I would apprecaite any ideas on how to locate where the septic gas is coming from, and what to do about it.

thanks!

[Retired plbg1Participant]

Since you said it is comming from toilet ,meams that the wax ring that is sealing your toilet to floor is bad, try replacing that. If you dont know how go to search site and ask how to replce wax ring on toilet.

---

Art retired plbg

[Retired plbg1Participant]

Sorry thought I read from toilet. Since you had tank pumped out makes it easy for smell to gonthrough vent stack and can be smelled, There could be a cracked pipe in the Plumning, if you can do it put a water test on pipe, it will take some fig. out maybe you will have to get a Plbg. to do it, also you could dig it up and install a trap into main line, I had to do that to mine. When tank was full it closed the pipe and blocked the smell out, when you had it pumped it opened it, let me know.

---

Art retired plbg

[PaidpiperParticipant]

---

In reply to message posted by mattc:
The smell is not coming from a toilet so I don’ t think it is a bad wax ring issue.

---

Sometimes a wax ring can leak odor but not water. Anothe thing that happens is when you are searching for a source of the odor you become immune to the smell and consequently when you arew near the source you don’t smell it. I have experienced odor leaks that the wind was forcing the odor through the vent sytem to the wax ring. I would replace the wx rings especiallly if a toilet in basement and look at it when the toilet is first pulled up to verify if this is the problem or rule it out.

---

Eric

[Author]

Posts