Plumbing Advice

[Que]

I once worked in an older downtown office building and every couple of weeks a horid odor would consume the office. It smelled like a stink bomb or something. The maintenance worker told us to poor water down this certain pipe when it happend and that always cured the problem.

Recently, I have had the same thing occur in my house. The odor is coming from the laundry room and I'm trying to determine if it's the same thing as in the office building; however, I would like to get it fixed, rather than finding a temporarry solution.

Does anybody know what this could be and what I need to do to fix the problem?

 

[E5RANGER375]

I once worked in an older downtown office building and every couple of weeks a horid odor would consume the office. It smelled like a stink bomb or something. The maintenance worker told us to poor water down this certain pipe when it happend and that always cured the problem.

Recently, I have had the same thing occur in my house. The odor is coming from the laundry room and I'm trying to determine if it's the same thing as in the office building; however, I would like to get it fixed, rather than finding a temporarry solution.

Does anybody know what this could be and what I need to do to fix the problem?

why do you have a pic of Rambone in your avatar? or was esrice lying to me yesterday?

 

[223 Gunner]

Dry trap, i.e. pour water or veg. oil down the floor drain in your laundry room.
your water heater and or condensate pipe (this is the white pvc pipe from your furnace) are probably piped to this drain. If no water goes down the drain, the trap gets dry and you will get a sewer gas smell. Fill the drain trap, two large glasses of water or veg oil. Veg oil will not evaporate like water will.

 

[CountryBoy19]

First of all, I'm no expert, but I'll give this a shot with a brief explanation on how drain works etc.

Household drains have a "trap" in them that traps sewer gasses from coming back into the home. The drain dips down in a "U" shape, and that U holds water. Every time you use the sink/shower etc. the water runs freely but when you turn the water off, a portion of it remains in the U. It is this water trapped in the bottom of the U that blocks the gasses.

In your old office building it's like that drain never got used. So when the water trapped in that U dries up, it allows gasses back through. That is why the maintenance man told you to pour water down that drain. It restored the water trapped in the bend and blocked gasses again.

You may very well be seeing something similar in your laundry room.

Do you periodically run water down all the drain in the laundry room? Floor drain? Sink drain? Washing machine drain?

If not, that is the likely culprit.

As far as "solving" the problem rather than just coming up with an interim fix, you'll be rich if you figure out a simple, reliable way to block sewer gasses without needing a water trap. There are ways, but they're a little more complicated and not always reliable. Water traps are extremely simple and very reliable as long as the water doesn't dry up.

 

[Que]

Thanks, guys! I never run water down that trap and I didn't want to start something that may have caused more damage. I will get some water down the drain and become my wife's hero!

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

If you end up needing plumbing work done, PM me and I'll get you the name of an INGO member who does that kind of work w/ his dad...professionally!

-J-

 

[IndyBeerman]

We have 1 bathtub that is only used when the In-laws or nieces come over for the weekend and is not used that much, I have always run the water down that drain once a week just to make sure that the trap stays full.

Granted you'll not get the stench from a septic tank as bad as a sewer system, but regardless it still stinks just not as bad.

 

[gregtheplumber]

probably a floor drain hidden somewhere uner the washer or a rug or something pour some water in it should be fine