[Photo] 3 Years+ Sewage Smells in the house (man hole to fill)

[bernardgreen]

We never had sewage smells before the building work was done. This why I think the green pipe where the old toilet used to be is the culprit. When it's wet and rainy the smell is worse.

How much building work was done. Could a foundation have been dug across the line of the sewer and that has damaged it some distance from where the smell is finally reaching the surface in the cupboard.

The fact it is stronger when wet could mean that when the ground is dry some ( much ) of the smell is escaping outside the house perimeter through dry earth but is "trapped" under the house when the earth is wet and therefore less permeable for fumes and odours.

 

[brooky_agb]

Not much was done. We had a pitched roof instead of flat and the kitchen was a galley. The green area shows the new small extension. Other than that only non supporting internal walls were changed. So we can rule that out. Thanks Bernard.

 

[brooky_agb]

 

[russellsmiler]

Time for my Twopenneth worth!!
You mentioned you had a rubber bung!! this is part of a drain testing kit, by another bung a few tubes and a u tube and you could undertake an air test, from the Manhole internal manhole to the downside existing manhole.. obviously you need to have a period of running copious fresh water through the waste system to make the testing more agreeable.. you may then test up stream, but not certain how the wast from the sink could be made airtight for testing.

You havent said, but surely if this manhole is the source of the smells, then i would imagine on opening that cupboard door that the manhole is in, you should be hit with the sewer smell!!
Regarding blocking up this manhole, why not fit a few vertical battens to the side walls of the manhole with the tops level and as low down as possible cut a piece of ply as close to the shape as possible and insert to sit on batten ends, use a few tubes of mastic to seal the perimeter, and monitor for a day or two... if the smell persists then its probably not coming from the manhole base... it souds like you have had enough of it... but approach it methodically... putting upside down channel and concreting above seems fine idea... but that work may need to come out if the problem not cured, and that would be tough going.

As a matter of interest have you said smells appeared after builders... were there when you purchased?? if you did recent purchase what lebvel of survey was carried out??

 

[brooky_agb]

Thanks Russell! The smell is pretty constant in the hall, toilet and utility. We don't get a hit in the cupboard! I think it's the pipes leading from the manhole cover in the cupload that's the issue. As I said we are desperate now so will try anything (like this).

It was fine when we bought the house. It started after the builders made rearrangements and put a new soil pipe outside. I've had them back many times and now I just don't want anything to do with them.

I will post back with my findings on Saturday once I've excavated.... or I might just bail and go to the pub.

 

[russellsmiler]

Hi
Have just realised that the first picture you posted was the CCTV inside the pipe showing the chamber, thought it was looking down from above.. apologies...
I tend to agree and think first thing i would do is dig up floor and see whats going on, you say everything is working ok with the drain, just the smells!! I had a situation were a sewr that run under my kitchen and serving six houses had become blocked, the 5 meter 1200mm diameter manhole just outside my property was to the top with sewage.. the smell was throughout the neighbourhood... we couldnt locate the next manhole downstream so i prodded at the outlet with a six metre long piece of rebar... i must of prodded for ages before suddenly a gurgle and a sloop saw the sewage starting to move... what followed was so dramatic... the chamber was sploshing like an angry sea, and the soil stacks on each house (cast iron) were all whistling... by time it cleared it had sucked the water out of 14 toilets, god knows what would of happened if fat arse glyn would of been taking a dump were he lived at no 6..

Good luck... post your findings as you progress.

 

[theprinceofdarkness]

That does look like the gulley at the base of a manhole. The pipes do look dry so are not in use. I would drill a hole in the cupboard floor as you seem certain thats where the manhole is to gain access to it, say 20mm. Hire an endoscope and have a peer into the interior to ascertain what the problem is and how bad the smell is now, because the "smell" will not penetrate very far into and certainly not through the concrete.
How did you get the camera into the drain? I found that my unused septic tank was as smelly as a village pond after 3 years which means if you can still smell the sewerage then its from something connected to a live drain or a live drain is leaking somewhere else.
Frank

 

[brooky_agb]

Wow! Sounds like something out of a horror movie! I hope everyone escaped unsmathed!

 

[brooky_agb]

That does look like the gulley at the base of a manhole. The pipes do look dry so are not in use. I would drill a hole in the cupboard floor as you seem certain thats where the manhole is to gain access to it, say 20mm. Hire an endoscope and have a peer into the interior to ascertain what the problem is and how bad the smell is now, because the "smell" will not penetrate very far into and certainly not through the concrete.
How did you get the camera into the drain? I found that my unused septic tank was as smelly as a village pond after 3 years which means if you can still smell the sewerage then its from something connected to a live drain or a live drain is leaking somewhere else.
Frank

Hi Frank, Yet more excellent advice! Thank you. We hired a local chap to come and do a CCTV inspection. He did it via the outdoor manhole cover which can be seen on the right in the architect's plans.

 

[endecotp]

Looking at the plan, as you have a straight run of pipe between two manholes with no (in-use) buried junctions, I think you should consider having the pipe lined.

Otherwise, what is the utility room floor made of? Finding that end of the pipe would involve less digging. Digging through solid concrete to get down to the manhole inside a cupboard sounds ghastly.

 

[brooky_agb]

Looking at the plan, as you have a straight run of pipe between two manholes with no (in-use) buried junctions, I think you should consider having the pipe lined.

Otherwise, what is the utility room floor made of? Finding that end of the pipe would involve less digging. Digging through solid concrete to get down to the manhole inside a cupboard sounds ghastly.

You know what.. the builders though that where the old part of the kitchen was used to be a lean to with kids toilets and they found all kinds of pipes, bracks and crap. There could even be more adjoining pipes.

This may be the best solution. I will have a look into it. Are there any specialist companies? The whole run is about 15 meters. It's probably going to be expensive.

 

[endecotp]

It's probably going to be expensive.

You might like to ask this guy how much he had to pay to get his pipe lined:

//www.diynot.com/diy/threads/traps-drainage-smells-please-help.437736/

 

[kazuya]

id be more worried about crap falling into the manhole while im digging it out
put the bung up the pipe then fill over it with concrete, flaunch it so its smooth and blends in with the other flaunching, you don't want any ruff edges that might snag any waste and cause a blockage, then id bed a concrete paving slab onto the top of the manhole, then fill the hole with sand and tamp it down firm, I wouldn't concrete it over yet id leave it a while to see if its worked and the smells gone

 

[brooky_agb]

I phoned a company and they said it would cost £970 ex VAT to line it.

 

[joe-90]

None of this sounds right to me. You MUST have airflow from the sewer into the kitchen to make it smell bad. It CANNOT just permeate the concrete floor.

You need to find out where that airflow is.

You must check and temporarily block EVERY drain into the kitchen. It usually turns out to be a dry trap that is allowing the air from the sewer in.

Block the drain from the sink, From the washing machine. You must block ALL entry points, because from the info you've given so far, you are saying that this airflow from the sewer gets there by magic. I would bet good money that it doesn't. Find the airflow or just keep on chucking money down the smelly drain.

Use your intellect man, the bad air must be getting in somewhere.