Terrible smells in new house I have moved into

[snowhead]

Is this house Detatched, Semi, Terrace, or flat?

If it's semi , terrace or flat it may not be your drains causing the smell.
In fact it may not be drains at all.

Try pouring something with a strong odour, like mouthwash or Jeyes fluid or bleach (a whole bottle not just a drop), down the kitchen sink waste.

If the smell comes out in the affected rooms it confirms it's an open drain venting to inside. If it does you may be able to pin it down to a room.

 

[Welder]

My three penneth.

Issue is no vent to atmosphere for the soil stack...

Builders etc fit AAVs but do not understand the dual role of a soil stack. Suspect malodour coming back up or traps being sucked dry when something like WC being flushed causing odours to be smelt.

Action is to find the AAV, remove it and extend pipework so foul smells can be vented. The vent needs to be a min of 50mm but pref 4". Outside it must terminate at least 900mm above last opening window if within a certain distance - bugger cant remember!

 

[keira01]

My three penneth.

Issue is no vent to atmosphere for the soil stack...

Builders etc fit AAVs but do not understand the dual role of a soil stack. Suspect malodour coming back up or traps being sucked dry when something like WC being flushed causing odours to be smelt.

Action is to find the AAV, remove it and extend pipework so foul smells can be vented. The vent needs to be a min of 50mm but pref 4". Outside it must terminate at least 900mm above last opening window if within a certain distance - bugger cant remember!

Hi thank you for your reply. My plumber was of the same thoughts as you so he has extended part of the soil pipe (there was an easily accessible branch downstairs to which has has added an extension to the outside and upwards in the hope that this would solve the problem (by venting out this way) without having to break into all my plastered walls to find the top of the soil pipe (as its not in the loft and no obvious evidence elsewhere so has to be in the walls?) So for 4 days there was no smell and today it has started again. I am back at the beginning again now. Would you suggest now finding the end of the soil pipe (by breaking into the walls) and capping it off at that point so it has to go out of the extended part he has just put in?? Or could it be something else? Its a massive nuisance.

 

[Chuck]

On photograph 4, the convoluted grey pipe appears to be wet. Also there is evidence of corrosion on the compression fittings. Where is this water coming from?

What do the smells smell like? For example, are they 'mushroomy' (fungus or rotting wood), 'eggy' (hydrogen sulphide) , rotting vegatables (mercaptans), etc. ?

 

[Welder]

what size pipe has been used to vent? it needs to be 2" (50mm) minimum. 40mm will NOT suffice.
PLUS you should fit anti vac traps to basins & sinks.
why? because its quite likely that a trap is having its seal sucked out. if you fit anti vacs everywhere you can it helps reduce that impact by allowing more air into the system.

 

[keira01]

what size pipe has been used to vent? it needs to be 2" (50mm) minimum. 40mm will NOT suffice.
PLUS you should fit anti vac traps to basins & sinks.
why? because its quite likely that a trap is having its seal sucked out. if you fit anti vacs everywhere you can it helps reduce that impact by allowing more air into the system.

I don't know about pipe size on the extended bit I will have to find out but it is the same size as the soil pipe (I think) - Is it possible this isn't working because the end of the soil pipe still has an AAV (behind walls as stated above) on it that is possibly malfunctioning? or should the extended pipe pull the gases/smells through to the outside . Thanks for all your advice.

 

[keira01]

On photograph 4, the convoluted grey pipe appears to be wet. Also there is evidence of corrosion on the compression fittings. Where is this water coming from?

What do the smells smell like? For example, are they 'mushroomy' (fungus or rotting wood), 'eggy' (hydrogen sulphide) , rotting vegatables (mercaptans), etc. ?

I think eggy..... (although not sure exactly what others smell like)....

 

[Welder]

with an adequate vent the aav's condition will not impact performance. However, if its failed open it WILL stink the place out. in your shoes id find it and either cap it off or extend it to vent as it should have

 

[keira01]

with an adequate vent the aav's condition will not impact performance. However, if its failed open it WILL stink the place out. in your shoes id find it and either cap it off or extend it to vent as it should have

 

[keira01]

Ok... I guess its not failed open as the smell isn't always there.... it mainly appears in the area of the soil pipe downstairs once the loos and sinks (upstairs) have been used and flushed in the morning and then it is not every day it happens - it can go a few days with nothing and then the last two days it has happened each morning. I have two issues - traps and soil pipe I think.... The plumber also told me that the soil pipe has a few bends in it to get to the eventual ground extraction point (which he advised should not be happening on a soil pipe!!).... its a DIY botch job I think and everything is behind walls, kitchen units etc to give me maximum disruption to sort it all out.

 

[Stigster]

If the AAV has failed closed, there is a good chance the flushing of toilets or emptying of basins could pull traps elsewhere. When you flush a toilet do you get any gurgling noises or change of water level at a second toilet (if you have one) or at any sinks or basins?

Are you still searching for the location of any AAV on a stub stack hidden somewhere?

 

[keira01]

If the AAV has failed closed, there is a good chance the flushing of toilets or emptying of basins could pull traps elsewhere. When you flush a toilet do you get any gurgling noises or change of water level at a second toilet (if you have one) or at any sinks or basins?

Are you still searching for the location of any AAV on a stub stack hidden somewhere?

Yes there have been some strange water levels in toilets and a thudding noise on one of them after the flush and Yes I am searching for the location of a hidden stub stack which I think must be behind the plastered walls in the main bathroom at the back of the toilet. We put in an pipe extension off a visible part of the soil stack downstairs to outside in the hope it would solve the smell but with an idea it may also mean capping off the actual soil stack. Unfortunately this means will have to disrupt walls but what you are saying sounds right - the smell is intermittent and can happen twice a day, once a day and then not at all for three/four days.