Bad smell in old house

scomp74

Registered User
Messages
13
We’re getting a bad smell in the front of the house (inside) occasionally (it sometimes goes for weeks at a time then comes back) and I think it’s to do with the drains. We had a blockage and called a drain company and the guy who came out said the trap was missing (?).

The house is a 100 year old redbrick terrace and the drains seem to go a strange route - from the back under the two reception rooms on one side, then over to the other side under the front yard, then out into the street.

Anyway, we’re just about to break ground on a new extension and I got the builder to have a look at the drain for me but he seems as clueless about it as me. The only thing he suggested was to vent the drain at the front. I’m thinking of taking off the two drain covers in the front yard for an hour or so next time the smell comes back just to see if venting helps.

Anyone come across something like this before? What’s a trap? How are the smells getting into the house? Will venting help at all?

Thanks in advance for any help!
 
We had a blockage and called a drain company and the guy who came out said the trap was missing (?).

Grease trap probably?

Can you describe the smell and does it improve/deteriorate according to weather for example?
 
We moved into an apartment years ago and there was a smell like a wet towel. It took a while to find and it turned out that during a shower the water was dripping between the bath and the tiles down behind the bath and soaking underneath. It didn't always do this ie not after every shower, so it made it difficult to find. Could it be something like that? I used to close all the doors of the apartment so as to trap the smell in a location so as at least to try to find the source, after I pinpointed it to the bathroom it was easier after that.
 
Grease trap probably?

Can you describe the smell and does it improve/deteriorate according to weather for example?

Thanks for the response! We haven't noticed a correlation with the weather. The best description of the smell I can give is “like farts” if you’ll excuse the coarseness.

I’m not sure what kind of trap he was talking about, but he seemed to think it should be where the drain when into the road.
 
We moved into an apartment years ago and there was a smell like a wet towel. It took a while to find and it turned out that during a shower the water was dripping between the bath and the tiles down behind the bath and soaking underneath. It didn't always do this ie not after every shower, so it made it difficult to find. Could it be something like that? I used to close all the doors of the apartment so as to trap the smell in a location so as at least to try to find the source, after I pinpointed it to the bathroom it was easier after that.

Thanks Wishbone. This smell is confined to the front of the house (front living room and hallway) and the bathroom is at the back upstairs so I’m not sure if that could be it. The fact that the drain runs along under the front yard, and the nature of the smell make me think it must be the drains.
 
Do you have a rainwater gully at the front of your house. You know just a small square 6" X 6" thingy where rainwater drains into. The reason I ask is that we had a similar problem and it all stemmed from there. That gully (in our case) linked up with a pipe which ran under our house and out the back, linking up with a main rainwater pipe and then onto the sewer. the problem was that the main rainwater pipe had collapsed and was causing a partial backflow ; resulting in stagnant water lying under our house. the gully sometimes overflowed in heavy rain, but you would never think there was much wrong with it by looking at it. Anyway, to cut a long story short, phone your council office and they will investigate, for free. Hopefully they will be able to diagnose and if its not a big job fix it. Otherwise you may have to pay them to fix it. I think that should be your first port of call. We have had no trouble since. The horrible 'ghostly' smell has now gone.
 
Thanks ophelia - i tried Dublin City Council and they told me to get someone out of the yellow pages since it's a private house ... i guess i'm going to have to call a drain company again - only problem is last time one came out they seemed to want nothing to do with it since the trap is missing - he wrote on the receipt "no garentee trap is mising"(sic)
 
scamp 74, Mine is a private house and they didn't question coming out. South Dublin County Council - in fact they were wondering why I hadn't called them first. I had just forked out over E300 for one of those private companies (who didn't fix the problem). Ask them why Dublin Co. Council do and they don't. It will work out very expensive if you have to go the private route. Also don't understand what the previous people meant by 'no grantee - trap is missing'. Keep pestering them!
 
They are probably refering to a missing broads trap on the drainage. ( a requirement in city area)
this prevents sewer gases passing back into immediate house drainage.
Which should be ventilated..but not via you living room

I am told some local authorities are eliminating sewer gas traps on certain housing developments.
All wastes should be trapped in any case.

Study the drainage pics and items on plumbersdiary.com plumbing page

Let me know if I can help further
 
They are probably refering to a missing broads trap on the drainage. ( a requirement in city area)
this prevents sewer gases passing back into immediate house drainage.
Which should be ventilated..but not via you living room

Thanks theplumber - this sounds like what's going on. Do I have to get the trap replaced would you know? (and if so, who could do it?) could the drains be vented with a pipe up the side of the house (as our builder suggested)?
 
Your builder would appear to be right.

Firstly there should be a gas trap between the sewer and the property drainage Often one broads trap ( sewer gas trap)serves drainage from a few houses Some houses may have their own individual trap.

In therory the property drainage should be through ventilated, That means having a low level vent to allow air in Preferably away from the property traditionaly this would have a light mica flap to allow air to pass in only in one direction. Then a high level vent on the building to allow the air out.

This basic principle of good drainage is rarely applied in practice today.

You will rarely find a low level air inlet.

As you can see from the photo the broads trap is quite a large heavy object and must be sitting on a broad enough concrete base so that it will not sink and break conections. Quite a task for any builder to undertake successfully.
 
Thanks for all your help - great website, lots and lots of useful info on there. Sadly, the drain immediately outside our front door looks exactly like the picture on your site with the rat coming out of the hole - even down to the rotting wood in it (the reason for the blockage and my call to a drain co. in the first place)

OK so if i've got it right i need a new broads trap fitted and ventilation of the drain at ground level and above the roof.
 
Clarify what the requirment is locally.
I am told by one local autority that they are not fitting sewer gas traps between house drainage and sewer. I would be surprised if this were actually the case.

In any event the immediate drainage in and around a property should be ventlated. As your builder suggested.
You may not have a suitable location for low level air inlet in any event

Ideally the drainage passing through the house should be properly tested before any decision is made.

I am sure you could find a person to do this in your area Where are you located.
I take it that you have removed debis and old shuttering by now.

Is it possible that you have a sewer gas trap somewhere with the rodding plug missing. Thast is a common occurance???
 
Hi

I live in an your typical 1895 midd Victorian terrace house (althogh in London), 3 beds upstairs and a 1987 side bathroom extension beside the kitchen downstairs.

I moved in late Nov 2005. Apart from a whole host of previos bad DIY that needed rectifying, nothing much bothered me. Now for the last 10 months I get transient bad odours / smells emerging from beneath the floor boards from various spots around the living room, dinning room and occasionally the hallway.

One afternoon I came back home to a smell in the house that would be reminiscent of tipping out your festering house rubbish inside. Then there was lull, but recently these these smells have been coming back and lingering with varying amount of time and intensity.

This has also coincided with a sulpher type smell which comes from the downstars toilet after flushing. Not sure if these smells are connected?

I thought at first the smell might have been a decompossing mouse / rat? But as it keeps coming back and then disappearing, I do not know what to make of it.

The only other thing that was out of the ordinary was the stench pipe at the back of the bathroom extension that was strangley very short and capped off. I had it opened and extended but seems to made no difference.

In the front garden I also have a low lying vent which seems to 'belch' smells consistently, so it does not appear blocked? There is a man-hole cover too, but have not attempted removel as it is the type that is full of block paving and is no doubt hefty and wedged in.

Will call out home serve to check it out!

Your not alone!
 
Back
Top