Sewage smells in bedrooms HELP!

anotherbaldrick

keystone wrote: »

Yes but I wouldn't automatically assume that there is one without knowing whether or not there was. You appear to have done that.

The plumbing on the upper floor is totally relevant. OP says the bathroom is on the top floor not the middle floor. Any AAV has to be above the flood level of the highest point so why would there be one on the middle floor? You may only install AAVs if the soil system is already vented to atmosphere. An AAV may NOT replace an open vent. So my question is designed to get the OP to tell us how the soil system is actually configured which is the only starting point from which to give advice.

Cheers

We had exactly this problem a few years back . A top end property where we were called in to investigate drain air smells. We found it but it took some doing, the AAV had been hidden within the thickness of the wall adjacent to the WC with no access or way of knowing it was there whatsoever. You are wrong about the positioning of the AAV
(Any AAV has to be above the flood level of the highest point ). The AAV has to be above the overflow level of the fittings it is serving . Not the topmost fittings , there would be no point if this were the case you might as well take the vent up to atmosphere.
The OP has been asked to advise the locations of bathrooms on the middle floor but has not responded as yet.

keystone

anotherbaldrick wrote: »

We had exactly this problem a few years back . A top end property where we were called in to investigate drain air smells. We found it but it took some doing, the AAV had been hidden within the thickness of the wall adjacent to the WC with no access or way of knowing it was there whatsoever.

Well installed then.

You are wrong about the positioning of the AAV
(Any AAV has to be above the flood level of the highest point ). The AAV has to be above the overflow level of the fittings it is serving . Not the topmost fittings ,

Thanks. Sorry but I am not wrong at all I may have expresssed myself badly (perhaps). As the only fittings it might serve (if there was one present) would be the top floor bathroom from what the OP has said currently it would have to be above the flood level in that bathroom. Thats what I meant. OP has only said that there is a ground floor loo and a top floor bathroom so that's all we have to go on.

there would be no point if this were the case you might as well take the vent up to atmosphere.

Thats precisely my point. There s no clear need for an AAV so it would not need to be fitted so its pointless asking about it - yet.

The OP has been asked to advise the locations of bathrooms on the middle floor but has not responded as yet.

Actually not directly although its hinted at (if there are........) in an earler post you wrote. So they haven't read it probably.

Cheers

Fred56

Have there been any changes to the Soil and Vent or connections to it. There may have been a pipe removed from a boss somewhere. Has any of the sanitaryware been changed. Any traps dried or syphoned out? Any waterless traps with gunge holding the flexible valve open?
With a tall stack you can get the water being syphoned out of the traps on sinks and baths in particular. The waterless traps occassionally accummulate gunge. That said replacing the old style u-bends with waterless traps is a good idea on tall stacks.

I once had the same problem in a new build. The smell was one room only. We ripped out the whole stack and had to close it up and replaster etc when we found no faults. The fault was enventually traced to a faulty toilet pan casting. The pot had a void in it alowing sewer gases to bypass the trap. Manufacturer fessed up as soon as challenged but it cost hundreds in finding and putting it right.

keystone

We are wasting our time. K.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.katy posted on 29th and hasn't been back since. As they've lived with the problem for two months anyway it seems not to be urgent then.

Cheers

kookookaty

sorry for the late response - my internet connction's been down - thank you so much for all your replies. The layout of the pipes is as follows. On the top floor we have a bathroom at the front of house with bath, sink and loo - all are used regularly. The toilet has never had a strong flush and the soil pipe runs under the floor boards under a bedroom and out trough the back wall and down into the man hole. The top bed room doesn't smell at all but the bedrooms underneath it and under the bathroom does. There is also a shower room on the ground floor with a shower and loo and sink and these are all used regularly. One thing to note is that the middle back bedroom that smells used to be a bathroom but the externam soil pipe has been blocked off at the wall entrance with concrete and there are no pipes in the floor boards that we can see. Do you think we should pull up the floorboards in the top bedrooms to locate the soil pipe? And why does it only smell below? Thanks Katy

anotherbaldrick

Katy .
Do I understand you correctly that the old pipe to the removed bathroom has been blocked off by putting a plug of concrete (cement/sand ) into the end of the old pipe at the internal wall face ???? Do I read you right ??? :eek:

keystone

anotherbaldrick wrote: »

Katy .
Do I understand you correctly that the old pipe to the removed bathroom has been blocked off by putting a plug of concrete (cement/sand ) into the end of the old pipe at the internal wall face ???? Do I read you right ??? :eek:

I fear she does and I fear you have!

Cheers

keystone

kookookaty wrote: »

Do you think we should pull up the floorboards in the top bedrooms to locate the soil pipe?

No because thats not where your problem is.

And why does it only smell below?

Because that is where the problem is. You need to get the boards up in the bedroom that used to be a bathroom. The branch that has been filled with cement needs ripping out and the whole section made as one continuous flow from upstairs to the stack. Alternatively the soil pipe from the top floor bathroom needs to be rerouted through the wall and then connected to the stack outside. Then you can rip out the old soil pipe inside and problem gone away.

How this piece of bodgery got past the BCO I've no idea.

Cheers

keystone

Can you put up a pic of the OUTSIDE of the building showing your stack and the old bathroom and also location of the new upstairs bathroom.

Cheers

Edit: Oh and Balders we are now entering the time when an AAV might be entering the discussion - I haven't forgotten.

themacster

How this piece of bodgery got past the BCO I've no idea.

The work was probably done without any reference to them!!