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SEPTIC SYSTEMS HOME SEPTIC INFO ARTICLES SEWER GAS ODORS First Steps for Sewer Gas Odors Dangerous Conditions Building Drain & Sewer Line Odors Cure Odors in Septic Systems Other Causes of Odors from a Septic System Plumbing Fixtures or Traps Plumbing Vent Definitions, Types Plumbing Vent Defects Septic System or Sewer Piping Site, Weather, or Failing Neighbors Tests for Indoor Sewer Gas Tracking Odors to Source SEWER GAS ODORS in COLD WEATHER Short Answer in Cold Weather Diagnosing Sewer Odors Cold Weather Plumbing Vent Blockage Trap Siphonage and Sewer Gases Building drain odor source Fixture versus system blockage Odors in Wet Weather Indoor Septic Odors Outdoor Causes Outdoor Odor Sources Sewer Odor Tracking Remedies for Sewer Odors Odors and Drain Lines Failed Drainfields and Odors HOME BUYERS GUIDE to SEPTIC SYSTEMS MVOCs & MOLDY MUSTY ODORS ODORS & SMELLS DIAGNOSIS & CURE SEPTIC SYSTEMS ONLINE BOOK SEPTIC TANK PUMPING SCHEDULE SEPTIC TANK PUMPING PROCEDURE SEPTIC TANK INSPECTION PROCEDURE SEPTIC FIELD INSPECTION SEPTIC TREATMENTS SEPTIC CONSULTANTS SEPTIC AUTHORITIES SEPTIC SYSTEM BOOKS REFS CODES SEPTIC SYSTEM DESIGN MANUAL - Online SEPTIC SYSTEM DESIGN BASICS SEPTIC DESIGN ALTERNATIVES SEWER LINE REPLACEMENT List Your Service/Product More Information InspectAPedia® Home & Site Map Air Conditioning & Heat Pumps Bookstore Electrical Environment Exteriors Heating Home Inspection Insulate Ventilate Interiors Mold Inspect/Test Plumbing Water Septic Roofing Structure Accuracy & Privacy Policies Contact Us |
This article discusses the diagnosis and correction of sewer gas or septic odors (and other building smells and odors with focus on diagnosing odor sources and causes in cold weather. Some of the diagnostic steps pertain to all seasons. Also see ODORS & SMELLS DIAGNOSIS & CURE for procedures to diagnose and cure all kinds of odors in and around buildings. Also see our broad-scope article on diagnosis and cure of sewer gas and septic odors: Sewer Gas Odors diagnosing, finding, and curing septic tank and sewer line smells. Citation of this article by reference to this website and brief quotation for the sole purpose of review are permitted. Use of this information at other websites, in books or pamphlets for sale is reserved to the author. Technical reviewers are welcome and are listed at "References." This is a chapter of Inspecting, Testing, & Maintaining Residential Septic Systems an online book on septic systems. © Copyright 2009 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website. Sewer Gas Odor Tracking by Location and SeasonWhere on the property are odors strongest? you may be able to point to a waste line, building exit piping, leaks at a septic tank, drainfield failure, or even a neighbor's septic system problem.
Look for a wet area, possibly covered by snow in northern climates - kick the snow aside in a grid pattern over the septic system components (don't' fall into a collapsing septic system - it can be fatal). Look for areas where snow has melted to a thinner cover. This can occur in a normal system (bacterial action in the soil over the septic system and warm septic effluent carry heat out of the septic tank). But it can also be a clue of sewage effluent coming to the surface. Check such areas for effluent. If a waste line is blocked or partly blocked and the odors are near the house, such as at the house wall at the waste line exit point, effluent could be running along the buried pipe but outside it, having leaked from a damaged pipe at the wall, between the wall and the septic tank, or at the tank itself there could be an effluent leak where the line enters the tank, or at the tank cleanout top cover (which would indicate a blocked tank outlet or blocked drainfield). Effluent will follow a buried pipe because it runs in a trench dug in the soil - the pipe and backfill in the trench are less solidly packed than in the surrounding soil - the trench acts as a conduit to bring sewage effluent to the house if the trench is filling with liquid. Broken pipe leaks may be mistaken for ground water leaks: At left we show a broken sewer pipe found by lifting a section of sidewalk in a soft smelly area of the yard. At a different property where basement paneling was removed following "a history of basement water entry from 'rising ground water' (according to the basement de-watering company)" a company had installed an expensive interior trench and drain system and sump pump to pump the "ground water" away. We saw an inverted "vee" of leak stains on the basemen wall extending from below the main waste line where it exited the building. It was obvious that the water entry had been not from rising ground water but from a broken leaking waste line outside the wall. Sure enough, our septic dye appeared in the new basement trench and drain system in just a few minutes. The basement de-watering system had not been needed at this home, and the owner still needed to have the broken waste line excavated and repaired. Look for leaks at a waste line, perhaps first by having a plumber snake the line from inside the building to see if s/he feels evidence of a broken or collapsing or damaged pipe between the house and the septic tank. See How to Find Distance to Drain Blockage If the drain field is saturated or blocked, expect to find abnormally high sewage level in the septic tank, possibly even backing up and flowing out when the tank is opened, and possibly also evident at the distribution box. See SEPTIC TANK INSPECTION PROCEDURE ... Technical Reviewers & References
Use links just below at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website. ANIMAL ODORS IN BUILDINGS
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10/23/2009 - 01/28/2007 - InspectAPedia.com/septic/Sewer_Odors_C.htm - © 2009 - 1988 Copyright Daniel Friedman All Rights Reserved - InspectAPedia® is a Registered U.S. Trademark