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I just started renting a condo in TJ, and recently noticed that one of the bathrooms has a really bad odor that is probably from the septic. Does anyone have any information on possible courses of action and/or remedies?

If you're smelling sewer gas it means either one of the "traps" in that particular bathroom has gone dry



or there is a vent problem allowing bubbles to be sucked(pushed?) through one when other fixtures drain due to the negative(?) pressure created that can't be relieved properly.



Toilets incorporate a trap in their design; all other fixtures must have one in the pipes.

I'd bet you have a dry trap since you just rented the place and it might have been unoccupied for a while. The water in them will evaporate eventually.

Have you run water in all drains and flushed the toilet? If so then it's probably a vent problem.

Here's a forum I found; might ask there.
Plumbing Forum discussions

Put some water in each drain, sometimes the trap goes dry and allows odors to come back through the pipes.

Also check to see if their is any faulty / broken / corroded plumbing under the sink. Another possibility is that the wax seal under the toilet is not sealing. That is a quick and easy fix...

Originally Posted by BajaGringo

Also check to see if their is any faulty / broken / corroded plumbing under the sink...[or the] wax seal under the toilet is not sealing. That is a quick and easy fix...

Ah, so; excellent advice.

I've seen 2 toilets with that problem. Whoever set the tile under both allowed a high spot somewhere along the contact surface. Then they ignored it and used silcone caulk on one(to keep it from rocking), and cranked the hell out of the bolts on the other to keep it cinched on one side of the teeter-totter.

Only problem with both ideas is that as soon as substantial weight is applied



it rocks imperceptibly anyway.

Google toilet wax ring

P.S. Do NOT "...Use little planks of wood to shore up the toilet to make it level..."

The first place I would look after doing everything suggested above is the vents in your toilet to tank line. It wouldn't surprise me if you can't find one.

Septic tanks, and other sewer systems, are designed to breathe through these vents so as not to emit gasses back into the house.

What makes you think you have a true septic system? You're in a condo away from city sewege connections?

What do your neighbors have to say about this?

Should we inquire about your diet?

Just dig another hole and move the outhouse... that's the way my dad did it...

Originally Posted by wessongroup

Just dig another hole and move the outhouse... that's the way my dad did it...

I think you do that when it's full to the seat level.

I have always thought that septic odor was common to TJ just part of the local flavor so to speak.

Oh my gosh, I don't know if I should say thanks first, or be concerned about such a tough crowd. lol.

The house is in a tiny colonia, maybe about 8 - 15 domiciles kind of in the middle of a bit of a warehouse district. I asked my friend, who is my landlord, and she says it uses a septic system. But we have a LOT of communication problems when it comes to technical information, so I just want to try and get a handle on it myself.

Anyway - I have done a lot of research, but am really in way over my head, having not much plumbing or construction knowledge.

So does anybody know how I might call in a service to help me out with diagnosing the problem? Or if any of you all were interested in doing a handy-man job to evaluate the basic possibilities, that would be a good option for me. I am at the disadvantage of not know much plumbing or Spanish, so a guide that is competent in both areas would be appreciated. Just post or send me a note about your rates if interested.

This is kind of an interesting forum, I am glad I found it. Thanks again.

OMG Marty, I'm going to have to print that photo and stick it on my fridge door!

Klgeels, in addition to the other suggestions, you could use the process of elimination (so to speak) to isolate where the odor is coming from. Get one of those flat rubber sink stoppers (or something similar) to cover the drains one at a time to see if it makes a difference. Start with the shower because some of those drains lead to the same place as the toilet and don't have traps. I've been in several homes here where the people keep a rubber mat over the shower drain for that reason. If that's your problem, plumbing supply places sell plastic inserts with a little cup at the bottom to catch water and act as a trap. There's also stainless type with a magnetic or spring flap that opens with water weight but snaps closed when there's no water.

This discussion may also be helpful.

Originally Posted by kate

OMG Marty, I'm going to have to print that photo and stick it on my fridge door!

Klgeels, in addition to the other suggestions, you could use the process of elimination (so to speak) to isolate where the odor is coming from. Get one of those flat rubber sink stoppers (or something similar) to cover the drains one at a time to see if it makes a difference. Start with the shower because some of those drains lead to the same place as the toilet and don't have traps. I've been in several homes here where the people keep a rubber mat over the shower drain for that reason. If that's your problem, plumbing supply places sell plastic inserts with a little cup at the bottom to catch water and act as a trap. There's also stainless type with a magnetic or spring flap that opens with water weight but snaps closed when there's no water.

This discussion may also be helpful.

That's really helpful Kate. I have this weird feeling that it may be the shower drain. I'll give it a try. Thanks a lot.

Kathy

I think that you have a dry trap, as has been discussed above. The big (and expensive) question is; Why is the trap dry? I have seen many places built without proper vents. Some with none at all. When you run water down an unvented drain, the passing water will syphon the water out of the trap, and thus allow the sewer gasses to vent through the sink or shower. In some cases floor drains are built without traps because they only have water in them very infrequently and thus dry out anyway through evaporation.

I would suggest that you give your drains the "sniff test" and see if you can find the source. Once you've done that, pour some water, say 16 oz or so, down the drain. If a dry trap is the problem, you should notice a reduction in the odor.

Not many folks realize that all of our detritus, hair, skin, etc, will decay in a slow drain and can make the same smell as a toilet leak. It may be that there is some hair stuck in a drain, and is beginning to rot and that is where the smell is coming from.

I hope that you can systematically check your drains and that the fix is easy and cheap.

Wear gloves. Have a beer when you're done, and don't forget to belch, you're a plumber now!

Originally Posted by Islander

...Have a beer when you're done, and don't forget to belch, you're a plumber now!

Gotta dress the "part" as well...

Originally Posted by Marty Cortez

If you're smelling sewer gas it means either one of the "traps" in that particular bathroom has gone dry



or there is a vent problem allowing bubbles to be sucked(pushed?) through one when other fixtures drain due to the negative(?) pressure created that can't be relieved properly.



Toilets incorporate a trap in their design; all other fixtures must have one in the pipes.

I'd bet you have a dry trap since you just rented the place and it might have been unoccupied for a while. The water in them will evaporate eventually.

Have you run water in all drains and flushed the toilet? If so then it's probably a vent problem.

Here's a forum I found; might ask there.
Plumbing Forum discussions

This is really informative, thank you. The forum looks awesome, if I can get a better handle on the way things should work.

Hey you guys, lay off with the "cracks" now.

Originally Posted by klgeels

The house is in a tiny colonia, maybe about 8 - 15 domiciles kind of in the middle of a bit of a warehouse district.

Ummm.....uhhhh......How in the......never mind.

So did you isolate the problem?

Originally Posted by BajaGringo

So did you isolate the problem?

No, and I don't think I can do anything without someone with a stronger stomach and some degree of expertise in home construction and/or plumbing.

The P-traps do seem to be fine, I think. If I look down inside the drains in the problem areas, I can see standing water. So if I understood some of the tips, the P trap is really like a big U shape bend in the pipe, so that the water follows gravity and sits in that bend to act as a physical barrier to the odors that might otherwise want to flow backwards back into the house.

It is a two story house, and when I hit a certain point on the stair-well, the odor decreases to almost nothing. Coincidentally, their are vents on the second level, but not on the first. So I'm just wondering if maybe air pressure is keeping the odor down on the bottom floor due to lack of ventilation. Also, the odor does not really seem to emanate strongly from a single drain, it is more like it is much more concentrated in certain areas.

Lastly, I'm not even sure it really is a septic system, since this neighborhood seems to have a lot of man-hole covers, I don't know if that means it's linked to public sewage or not. And also, the smell seems more chemically than like raw sewage. Not sure how I would know this, I have no expertise in discerning raw sewage, just a weird feeling.

Anyway. My interim solution is just to stay upstairs, since downstairs gives me a serious head-ache. So we shall see. I like it here anyway, it is warm and quiet, and there is a soccer field a few houses away where they had a game last night...

For now, I will just do my best to avoid getting head-aches, and see if I can get some more general information about the odor problem. I doubt it is just this one house.

Thanks again for the tips and the follow-up.