I have been dealing with a sewer smell for years now. I can’t figure out what started it. We did have a soft water system installed a few years ago so I’m not sure if that’s when it started. It seems like when we do laundry it’s worse. That’s where the soft water system was installed (in the laundry room) the smell seems to be more present in the summer time when it’s hot. And comes through the ac system. Although one day when the ac went out, both bathrooms smelled awful! This smell drives me crazy and I’m super embarrassed to have anybody over to my home. We can’t afford a plumber and I don’t know what to do. It’s not the p-traps. I had the ac checked, we had a major sewer blockage years ago as well and had to have a plumber come snake the main pipe that is in my front yard. Maybe that caused a brake in a pipe? I’m feeling so hopeless. I read a comment that you said not to do a smoke test? How do I find out if I have broken pipes without doing a smoke test?
@@Coluccify are you on a sewer system or septic? Is your house on a hill? Is there any wet spots in the yard where the grass is growing well? Is there a floor drain in the basement or laundry room like underneath the wash machine where the water in the trap evaporated? If so, pour about 2 cups RV antifreeze in the drain to seal the trap. Did you get right down on the floor and smell the base of the toilet? If you find one of these things, write me back and I’ll try to help you.
It’s just been the last few months of us living here at any time we use the water, dishwasher, shower, laundry, it smells like sewer outside the house. What could this be? Ty!
I needed this video. My apartment I live in is from 1980’s. It’s so bad. First it was coming through my heater because they had a pipe next to it and Lanlord had a new heater system put in the people did not plug it I smelled it for years they finally plugged it they fixed it. they put a p trap hooked to the heater and air conditioning system. It stopped. The next time I smelled it it was coming from the washer and dryer room through the washer hook up in wall because I didn’t have a washer yet so I poured water in it helped. But now it comes through the kitchen sink so severe there’s two kitchen sinks and it is so bad that I don’t know what to do. I’m tired of smelling the sewer. My sister and I can smell it outside in our parking lot also.
You have a problem! I think you should contact your health department and have them check it out or refer you to some other public health department like your building department.
Great video. I have a sewer gas smell from my washing machine flexible hose that snakes up to the black cast iron pipe that takes the washing machine water to the sewer. This flexible hose is 8 ‘ below the cast iron septic pipe. The flexible hose just hooks in and there is a considerable amount of difference between the circumference of the flexible hose tip and the black cast iron drainage circumference. What can I use to seal this connection between the hose and the drainage pipe. I hope this explanation makes sense. I have absolutely no knowledge of plumbing but need help.
You can get a Fernco Adaptor. It’s a reducing rubber coupling. The most important thing is the size of the cast iron pipe that you’re going to connect to. You should be able to find a way to reduce it down to your washing machine hose and make it work. It might take a few fittings.
So…I know you are grumpy and I don't want to piss you off but maybe you know the answer. You I trust. First of all I have no sewer smells. Now for my question. I live in a 1st floor condo, when my upstairs neighbor runs his air the water runs into my drain pipe causing a dripping sound. It is making me crazy. Is there something I can do without calling someone? Thank you!!
It’s difficult to tell you what to do because I don’t know how they installed the drain for the air conditioner. Your neighbor probably has it serviced every year. Talk to him and ask if his service person could reroute the drain when he comes to service it.
Here's a challenge for you. Three years ago (after living here 30 years with never a problem) we began getting sewer smell in the basement when using the shower on the second floor - ONLY in cold weather! And here we go again. No smell all summer. Today with the temps in the 50's it's back again. We've checked everything possible and now are faced with the prospect of another winter of taking less showers, and opening the basement door when we do, no matter how freezing it might be outside. There were no structural changes, nothing different. We have a septic tank which was working perfectly but we had it cleaned and checked anyway. There's no smell anywhere else in the house. The smell is very strong in the basement only. How could the weather cause this?
I don’t know what your house is like. In the winter, the air is a lot heavier. I’m also stumped as to why you only get the smell from the shower. If you can, get on the roof and use a garden hose to run water down the vents. Hopefully they are clear. I would recommend opening up the septic tank and adding an elbow on the drain line coming from the house. Make sure it breaks below the water line a couple of inches. Do not use a tee. See what happens. Good that you cleaned the septic tank but I don’t believe it was necessary.
Hello, thank you for the video it was very informative. I am upset with my apartment I told them my laundry room has an odor that smells like skunk and I was told it isn't their job to find out what the smell is or do anything about it and that Georgia doesn't have skunks and I should go into the attic myself and if I see something dead in the attic to take a video. That was a very upsetting and ridiculous conversation about an issue that is serious as the odor is very foul smelling plus that isn't something I or any tenant should have to do as it is their job. It seems to be strongest at night and in the morning like skunk then it goes away in the later morning to smell like mustard oil then by late afternoon or day my laundry room (my attic is in the laundry room so I thought the smell was coming from the attic) actually smells kind of good. So by the time apartment staff came to smell it it didn't have much odor. I thought it was a skunk or someone smoking in their laundry room but now I think its the drains from washer and dryer since the tenants beneath me got a used washer when someone moved out and the smell began not long after plus I can hear water in the wall where the laundry connections are at and I never heard that before. This has been occurring for 2 weeks now. The apartments have the connections but don't come with washer/dryers so I thought maybe the pipes are just funky from not being used for probably years. Would I just need to submit a request for a plumber to clean the drains or just wait and see if the smell goes away like after they wash more maybe the funk will be cleansed out the pipes? Thank you.
@@akaishadouglas8259 if it’s a dead rodent, it may take a couple of weeks for the smell to go away. If they aren’t using the washing machines, the traps can go dry, giving off a sewer smell. If it’s an older front load wash machine, you have to clean the big rubber gasket that seals the door. Clean it in the folds. Sorry you are dealing with this. The landlord sure likes to get your rent check, but not help.
I have been having a sewer smell every time i run the shower or use the washing machine or wash dishes i get a smell they ran a snake thru the clean outs but the smell still comes back any tips?
Yes, you can install a back flow valve. You also want to put two clean outs in. One on the street side of the back flow, facing toward the house. The other on the house side facing toward the street. The reason for this ; if the drain ever has to be cleaned, you can remove the check valve and clean the drain in each direction of the sewer line. If you have a good contractor, they will know what I’m talking about.
We use our half bath a lot but somehow that is where we always smell the sewer smell. We have tried pouring microbes in drains, cleaning sink drains, etc. Running hot water usually helps dissipate smell. Or flushing. Hard to say. More recently it seems to be in sewer pump room as well. The strongest smell seems to be half bathroom on mainfloor though. We haven't tried replacing seal. Any thoughts pr recommendations?
Smell at the base of the toilet in the half bath and see if that’s where the smell is coming from. If it is, replace the seal. I don’t think it’s the pump room because it’s vented too well.
Ended up doing that after watching another of your videos. Sure enough it was the seal. It was black. Replaced it and have had no smell in 2 weeks. Thank you for the videos, they are helpful. My hubby was abt to call a plumber to figure it out but after watching your videos and smelling around toilet I convinced him to do the seal replacement.
I have an old mobile home on city sewer...the bathrooms both smell of sewer stink. The odd part to this is that in it's past, there was flood damage and the floor ply is sagging in a few spots...one of which is the master bath. The other bathroom does not stink like the master. Last thing to add to info about this is that the vents on the roof are almost even with the surface of the roof...thought they were supposed to be taller. ??? I'll check our flange in the master for a non-seal situtation, but wondered if you guys might think the venting is a common problem.
Take a garden hose and run water down the vents on the roof. If plugged, the water will backup. If the vents are plugged, the water might also clear them. The floor could also be rotting, giving off the odor. Make sure the closet flanges are even with the floor or a 1/4” above the finished floor. Never use more than two wax rings to seal the toilet. Caulking the toilet base does not keep the odor out.
Hi Jim…thanks for the video and advice! I live in Michigan, and have this problem of sewer smell in my house. I had some remodeling done a while ago and now have a intermittent problem of sewer gas that permeates the entire house. I had a plumber come out a while ago and he ran a smoke test, after $1,000 he couldn't figure out the source. I realize you're retired, but wonder if you have any recommendations for a plumber who is experienced with this problem that you can point me to? Thanks!
This is what I would look for: check to see if there is a vent that might not be sealed by a trap. That would not show up on a smoke test. Are you on a septic? If so, do you smell sewer gas outside? If you do, add an elbow on the inlet pipe in the tank so it breaks below the water line. Do not add a tee. Another idea….Get down on the floor and do a smell check on the base of all your toilets. Especially if you added ceramic tile floors to an existing bathroom floor and they didn’t raise the closet flange. P.S. I never recommend smoke tests.
Thanks…I am on a septic but no issues outside nor on base of the toilets or traps? It's very random and when it happens it usually lasts for the day and then dissipates. Understood on the smoke tests, but not sure how to isolate it without? Any suggestions for a plumber in MI that is experienced in this sort of thing?@@TheGrumpyPlumber
Check the water levels in the toilet bowls when you smell sewer gas. See if the water level dropped below the outlet on the bowl. The level should be maintained at 1/2 to 1 inch above the outlet. If the water level is low, now you need to find out the cause and it’s usually a vent. I haven’t been in Michigan for over twenty years and the good plumbers I knew are either retired or have moved to the big pipe yard in the sky.
Hi, I have a question for you . I never smelled sewer in my home until they built a prison about 3 miles down the road. Could that affect the sewer lines that would somehow travel to my home? The smell is in my basement. And only happens occasionally.
Thanks for watching. Leave a question if you have a sewer smell and you need some tips from Jim. He will do his best to answer.
Thanks this helps.
If you still can't find it , hire a divorce lawyer.
I have been dealing with a sewer smell for years now. I can’t figure out what started it. We did have a soft water system installed a few years ago so I’m not sure if that’s when it started. It seems like when we do laundry it’s worse. That’s where the soft water system was installed (in the laundry room) the smell seems to be more present in the summer time when it’s hot. And comes through the ac system. Although one day when the ac went out, both bathrooms smelled awful! This smell drives me crazy and I’m super embarrassed to have anybody over to my home. We can’t afford a plumber and I don’t know what to do. It’s not the p-traps. I had the ac checked, we had a major sewer blockage years ago as well and had to have a plumber come snake the main pipe that is in my front yard. Maybe that caused a brake in a pipe? I’m feeling so hopeless. I read a comment that you said not to do a smoke test? How do I find out if I have broken pipes without doing a smoke test?
@@Coluccify are you on a sewer system or septic? Is your house on a hill? Is there any wet spots in the yard where the grass is growing well? Is there a floor drain in the basement or laundry room like underneath the wash machine where the water in the trap evaporated? If so, pour about 2 cups RV antifreeze in the drain to seal the trap. Did you get right down on the floor and smell the base of the toilet? If you find one of these things, write me back and I’ll try to help you.
You guys are the happy plumber. You tell us how to live happily ever after with our plumbing
It’s just been the last few months of us living here at any time we use the water, dishwasher, shower, laundry, it smells like sewer outside the house.
What could this be? Ty!
I needed this video. My apartment I live in is from 1980’s. It’s so bad. First it was coming through my heater because they had a pipe next to it and Lanlord had a new heater system put in the people did not plug it I smelled it for years they finally plugged it they fixed it. they put a p trap hooked to the heater and air conditioning system. It stopped. The next time I smelled it it was coming from the washer and dryer room through the washer hook up in wall because I didn’t have a washer yet so I poured water in it helped. But now it comes through the kitchen sink so severe there’s two kitchen sinks and it is so bad that I don’t know what to do. I’m tired of smelling the sewer. My sister and I can smell it outside in our parking lot also.
You have a problem! I think you should contact your health department and have them check it out or refer you to some other public health department like your building department.
Instant fix (#3). Thank you so VERY much.
Thank you Jim and Son! 👍💯😉
You forgot number 8 when someone uses the bathroom and Bombs out the entire home for hours ... good video guy very informative
Great video. I have a sewer gas smell from my washing machine flexible hose that snakes up to the black cast iron pipe that takes the washing machine water to the sewer. This flexible hose is 8 ‘ below the cast iron septic pipe. The flexible hose just hooks in and there is a considerable amount of difference between the circumference of the flexible hose tip and the black cast iron drainage circumference. What can I use to seal this connection between the hose and the drainage pipe. I hope this explanation makes sense. I have absolutely no knowledge of plumbing but need help.
You can get a Fernco Adaptor. It’s a reducing rubber coupling. The most important thing is the size of the cast iron pipe that you’re going to connect to. You should be able to find a way to reduce it down to your washing machine hose and make it work. It might take a few fittings.
So…I know you are grumpy and I don't want to piss you off but maybe you know the answer. You I trust. First of all I have no sewer smells. Now for my question. I live in a 1st floor condo, when my upstairs neighbor runs his air the water runs into my drain pipe causing a dripping sound. It is making me crazy. Is there something I can do without calling someone? Thank you!!
It’s difficult to tell you what to do because I don’t know how they installed the drain for the air conditioner. Your neighbor probably has it serviced every year. Talk to him and ask if his service person could reroute the drain when he comes to service it.
Here's a challenge for you. Three years ago (after living here 30 years with never a problem) we began getting sewer smell in the basement when using the shower on the second floor - ONLY in cold weather! And here we go again. No smell all summer. Today with the temps in the 50's it's back again. We've checked everything possible and now are faced with the prospect of another winter of taking less showers, and opening the basement door when we do, no matter how freezing it might be outside. There were no structural changes, nothing different. We have a septic tank which was working perfectly but we had it cleaned and checked anyway. There's no smell anywhere else in the house. The smell is very strong in the basement only. How could the weather cause this?
I don’t know what your house is like. In the winter, the air is a lot heavier. I’m also stumped as to why you only get the smell from the shower. If you can, get on the roof and use a garden hose to run water down the vents. Hopefully they are clear. I would recommend opening up the septic tank and adding an elbow on the drain line coming from the house. Make sure it breaks below the water line a couple of inches. Do not use a tee. See what happens. Good that you cleaned the septic tank but I don’t believe it was necessary.
Wait… I clicked on this to find out about my smelly shower drain and it’s…. The Hawaii Vacation Guide ? So disconcerting to see Jordan here 😂
Hello, thank you for the video it was very informative. I am upset with my apartment I told them my laundry room has an odor that smells like skunk and I was told it isn't their job to find out what the smell is or do anything about it and that Georgia doesn't have skunks and I should go into the attic myself and if I see something dead in the attic to take a video. That was a very upsetting and ridiculous conversation about an issue that is serious as the odor is very foul smelling plus that isn't something I or any tenant should have to do as it is their job. It seems to be strongest at night and in the morning like skunk then it goes away in the later morning to smell like mustard oil then by late afternoon or day my laundry room (my attic is in the laundry room so I thought the smell was coming from the attic) actually smells kind of good. So by the time apartment staff came to smell it it didn't have much odor. I thought it was a skunk or someone smoking in their laundry room but now I think its the drains from washer and dryer since the tenants beneath me got a used washer when someone moved out and the smell began not long after plus I can hear water in the wall where the laundry connections are at and I never heard that before. This has been occurring for 2 weeks now. The apartments have the connections but don't come with washer/dryers so I thought maybe the pipes are just funky from not being used for probably years. Would I just need to submit a request for a plumber to clean the drains or just wait and see if the smell goes away like after they wash more maybe the funk will be cleansed out the pipes? Thank you.
@@akaishadouglas8259 if it’s a dead rodent, it may take a couple of weeks for the smell to go away. If they aren’t using the washing machines, the traps can go dry, giving off a sewer smell. If it’s an older front load wash machine, you have to clean the big rubber gasket that seals the door. Clean it in the folds. Sorry you are dealing with this. The landlord sure likes to get your rent check, but not help.
I have been having a sewer smell every time i run the shower or use the washing machine or wash dishes i get a smell they ran a snake thru the clean outs but the smell still comes back any tips?
I recommend you check the vents to make sure they are not plugged. They should have also checked the vents when they ran the snake.
Is it possible to install a sewer main shut off to one’s home? (To prevent sewage backup from the city)
Yes, you can install a back flow valve. You also want to put two clean outs in. One on the street side of the back flow, facing toward the house. The other on the house side facing toward the street.
The reason for this ; if the drain ever has to be cleaned, you can remove the check valve and clean the drain in each direction of the sewer line. If you have a good contractor, they will know what I’m talking about.
We use our half bath a lot but somehow that is where we always smell the sewer smell. We have tried pouring microbes in drains, cleaning sink drains, etc. Running hot water usually helps dissipate smell. Or flushing. Hard to say. More recently it seems to be in sewer pump room as well. The strongest smell seems to be half bathroom on mainfloor though. We haven't tried replacing seal. Any thoughts pr recommendations?
Smell at the base of the toilet in the half bath and see if that’s where the smell is coming from. If it is, replace the seal. I don’t think it’s the pump room because it’s vented too well.
Ended up doing that after watching another of your videos. Sure enough it was the seal. It was black. Replaced it and have had no smell in 2 weeks. Thank you for the videos, they are helpful. My hubby was abt to call a plumber to figure it out but after watching your videos and smelling around toilet I convinced him to do the seal replacement.
I have an old mobile home on city sewer...the bathrooms both smell of sewer stink. The odd part to this is that in it's past, there was flood damage and the floor ply is sagging in a few spots...one of which is the master bath. The other bathroom does not stink like the master. Last thing to add to info about this is that the vents on the roof are almost even with the surface of the roof...thought they were supposed to be taller. ???
I'll check our flange in the master for a non-seal situtation, but wondered if you guys might think the venting is a common problem.
Take a garden hose and run water down the vents on the roof. If plugged, the water will backup. If the vents are plugged, the water might also clear them. The floor could also be rotting, giving off the odor. Make sure the closet flanges are even with the floor or a 1/4” above the finished floor. Never use more than two wax rings to seal the toilet. Caulking the toilet base does not keep the odor out.
@@TheGrumpyPlumber Thanks, I'll be dealing with it all tomorrow.
lol @ 'not my house' 🤣
Thanks Jim for the great information 👍
Hi Jim…thanks for the video and advice! I live in Michigan, and have this problem of sewer smell in my house. I had some remodeling done a while ago and now have a intermittent problem of sewer gas that permeates the entire house. I had a plumber come out a while ago and he ran a smoke test, after $1,000 he couldn't figure out the source. I realize you're retired, but wonder if you have any recommendations for a plumber who is experienced with this problem that you can point me to? Thanks!
This is what I would look for: check to see if there is a vent that might not be sealed by a trap. That would not show up on a smoke test. Are you on a septic? If so, do you smell sewer gas outside? If you do, add an elbow on the inlet pipe in the tank so it breaks below the water line. Do not add a tee. Another idea….Get down on the floor and do a smell check on the base of all your toilets. Especially if you added ceramic tile floors to an existing bathroom floor and they didn’t raise the closet flange. P.S. I never recommend smoke tests.
Thanks…I am on a septic but no issues outside nor on base of the toilets or traps? It's very random and when it happens it usually lasts for the day and then dissipates. Understood on the smoke tests, but not sure how to isolate it without? Any suggestions for a plumber in MI that is experienced in this sort of thing?@@TheGrumpyPlumber
Check the water levels in the toilet bowls when you smell sewer gas. See if the water level dropped below the outlet on the bowl. The level should be maintained at 1/2 to 1 inch above the outlet. If the water level is low, now you need to find out the cause and it’s usually a vent. I haven’t been in Michigan for over twenty years and the good plumbers I knew are either retired or have moved to the big pipe yard in the sky.
Hi, I have a question for you . I never smelled sewer in my home until they built a prison about 3 miles down the road. Could that affect the sewer lines that would somehow travel to my home? The smell is in my basement. And only happens occasionally.
Most Excellent ¿
🤢👍👍
👍👍
Wat about the vent
If you’re wondering about the vent that is connected to the sewer line, put a garden hose a few feet into the vent pipe and flush it out.