odor
#1
10-27-12, 02:38 AM
odor
My bedroom has an odor of which I can't find its source. The bedroom is right above a powder room which doesn't seem to have the odor. It smells like it might be coming from the septic tank but the tank doesn't overflow from being too full. I have checked all connections for the plumbing and haven't found anything amiss. I last had the tank emptied in April of 2011. Could the smells be coming from a full septic tank even though there is no sign of overflow? There is another full bathroom right next to the one in my bedroom but that doesn't have the odor. It's in a different part of the house as the bedroom/bath is part of a building addition on the second floor.
#2
10-27-12, 04:08 AM
I would suspect a broken, or dislodged vent pipe since you are in such proximity to the bathroom downstairs. The vent pipe would most likely run up the wall and exit the roof. Do you have access above this area? I would go up there and "sniff" around a little. I'll bet you will smell the same smell up there as it may be migrating up the wall. Don't know of a solution, yet, until you determine the source.
#3
10-27-12, 05:37 AM
Group Moderator
Just a few weeks ago I found a leaking vent line in an attic. It was a complex area where several pipes came together to make one roof penetration. One joint was never glued and over time it finally worked apart.
#4
10-27-12, 11:36 AM
I don't see any vents that go through the roof so I suspect they end up in the space above the rooms, which of course is sealed off. The lines from both toilets have their own vent pipe that goes up through the ceiling but I can't see where either one ends. I would imagine that I will have to tear away the one from the main bathroom and see what the vent pipe is doing. Instead of running it through the roof is it okay to turn it and run it outside through the wall?
#5
10-27-12, 12:17 PM
Not good. If you have no vents that extend through the roof, that is quite a problem. Do any of them extend into the attic space? What happens to them from there?
#6
10-27-12, 03:02 PM
Group Moderator
#7
10-27-12, 05:55 PM
No, I don't have any vents going through the roof. I have two separate lines from toilets but as far as I know they both end inside the roofed area where there is no access. Do they have to go through the roof or can they elbow and go out through the wall?
#8
10-28-12, 03:49 AM
No, they must exit out the roof. You still haven't been in the attic, yet, have you? Would be interesting to see what you have up there, so we can offer ideas.
#9
10-28-12, 07:54 AM
Member
Can you access any areas behind bathtubs or showers? These would be in relative close proximity to vent stacks if you are trying to pinpoint the source. Have we ruled out moisture related issues that may have soaked a rug, gone musty, or even my favorite, pet urine?
