2manyrocks
Super Member
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- Jul 28, 2007
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- 9,506
Agree with Marlowe. Doesn't appear to be a tractor project yet. About the last place I want to dig is in a used septic field.
Septic Fun
- Thread starter KiotiAcres
- Start date
- Views: 12053
gemini5362
Veteran Member
everyone is mentioning vents. It seems to me that I remember a vent for the dishwasher by itself is it possible that is where the problem is. I might would take and open all the doors and windows in my house if you can stand that with the temperature put a fan in each room to try and pull fresh air into the house and maybe see if you can narrow down which room the smell is coming from.
Renze
Super Member
To ensure proper bacterial growth there are some basic rules that have worked for us:
- use only pot cleaning chemicals that dont kill the biological breakdown
- throw some chicken or a dead piglet in the solids pit to ensure that proper bacterias are put in. Not only the cadaver has these bacterias, also it makes a "naval base" from which they can take over the pit.
- make sure that the pit can get oxygen. My neighbour worked at a civil contractor and took one of these poured concrete pit heads with a cast iron lid from a city sewer project to replace the old brick tower, connecting the pit to the field level in his driveway.
Within a year he had sewer problems, he drilled a lot of holes in this steel lid, and i brought him a dead piglet of about 50 pounds. That did the trick for him. He doesnt have problems anymore now.
- use only pot cleaning chemicals that dont kill the biological breakdown
- throw some chicken or a dead piglet in the solids pit to ensure that proper bacterias are put in. Not only the cadaver has these bacterias, also it makes a "naval base" from which they can take over the pit.
- make sure that the pit can get oxygen. My neighbour worked at a civil contractor and took one of these poured concrete pit heads with a cast iron lid from a city sewer project to replace the old brick tower, connecting the pit to the field level in his driveway.
Within a year he had sewer problems, he drilled a lot of holes in this steel lid, and i brought him a dead piglet of about 50 pounds. That did the trick for him. He doesnt have problems anymore now.
AKfish
Super Member
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- Oct 1, 2004
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- Alaska
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- JD 5115M; JD 110 TLB; JD 4720; Ford 9N; JD X300R
Yeah.. I've had ALOT of fun with septic systems over the years... they never fail in the summer! Always "**** the bed" in the dead of winter!
I believe you've got a leach field problem. Obviously, not as bad as the root backing everything up into the house but you're (your folk's..) not getting the normal dispersal of the effluent thru the leach field and vapors are migrating back thru the lines and tank and into the house.
Most installs have a vertical inspection tube on the leach lines. You can pull the cap and look into the line and/or measure the liquid level within the leach field. Many pumping services will assess the liquid level for the respective leach lines and give you a height number. If the level is high -- that particular section of the leach field is not working very well and will likely need to be replaced (field is closing off or the line is obstructed; roots, etc.) or repaired soon.
Nonetheless, whenever I start getting strong odors thru the septic (really noticable after 3-4 loads of laundry and my youngest son's 2-3rd shower for the day) I know that I'm gonna have to either extend on the leach lines or plumb in a new branch line - soon.
Best of luck.
AKfish
I believe you've got a leach field problem. Obviously, not as bad as the root backing everything up into the house but you're (your folk's..) not getting the normal dispersal of the effluent thru the leach field and vapors are migrating back thru the lines and tank and into the house.
Most installs have a vertical inspection tube on the leach lines. You can pull the cap and look into the line and/or measure the liquid level within the leach field. Many pumping services will assess the liquid level for the respective leach lines and give you a height number. If the level is high -- that particular section of the leach field is not working very well and will likely need to be replaced (field is closing off or the line is obstructed; roots, etc.) or repaired soon.
Nonetheless, whenever I start getting strong odors thru the septic (really noticable after 3-4 loads of laundry and my youngest son's 2-3rd shower for the day) I know that I'm gonna have to either extend on the leach lines or plumb in a new branch line - soon.
Best of luck.
AKfish
Renze
Super Member
A story from relatives in Canada:
Family had a broken sewer pipe in the crawl space under the house. Result was that crawlspace unvoluntarilty became sewer pit. Took a lot of time and vomit to clean up the mess in the crawlspace. I think they threw sawdust in there to absorb the moisture and kill the stink, before they actually sent people with shovels in there.
Family had a broken sewer pipe in the crawl space under the house. Result was that crawlspace unvoluntarilty became sewer pit. Took a lot of time and vomit to clean up the mess in the crawlspace. I think they threw sawdust in there to absorb the moisture and kill the stink, before they actually sent people with shovels in there.
This may sound stupid but it fixed my problem. The wax collar on the bottom of my commode DID NOT have the rubber lip on the bottom of the wax collar that would fit into the sewer pipe in my floor. I guess the guy that installed it a few years back used the wrong collar. I replaced the wax collar with the correct type and have not had the problem again. It was so bad that I had to keep the bathroom door closed. Hope this is the problem due to being a cheap fix.
EMS503
Silver Member
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- Dec 17, 2006
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- Harmony, NC
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- 1960 or 61 MF35 Deluxe, 2008 Kubota L3940 GST
I had a similar problem as Terhune had, My fix was the same but also had to caulk around the base of the toilet. No more odor. I would start in the room where the odor was the strongest and work out from there. Hopefully a simple fix.
CaptPat
Silver Member
A story from relatives in Canada:
Family had a broken sewer pipe in the crawl space under the house. Result was that crawlspace unvoluntarilty became sewer pit. Took a lot of time and vomit to clean up the mess in the crawlspace. I think they threw sawdust in there to absorb the moisture and kill the stink, before they actually sent people with shovels in there.
Happened to my BIL too
In this case it was the drain line from a toilet, for a long time they attributed the smell to irritable bowels until the smell like to drove them out of the house.
dodge man
Super Star Member
I don't see how it can be a septic problem. The system could be messed up but unless it's backing up in the house, the bad smell should stay outside. Somehow the smell is getting in the house. Alot of good suggestions from other posters. It about has to be a missing trap, broken pipe, bad toliet seal or some similar issue.
Kays Supply
Veteran Member
What are the sewer and vent pipes made of? I have seen copper vent lines that were eaten out on the top side from the sewer gas and water. They combine to make H2S04. After many years you can see day light through them. A sewer smoker could find your leak also. I have even put a smoke bomb in a bucket and suck the smoke up and blow it down a vent pipe on the roof. If the break is bad it will show up. The toilet wax is also a good start.
