Weird stinky drain!

kaylajane

Good Morning

I wonder if anyone can help.
I moved into a property in December, which has an intermittent sewage smell coming from the shower in the bathroom. I had DynoRod out and they said that it was the waste pipe from the shower, as its one of those flexi types, fitted with not enough downward gradient.
Rather then rip the bathroom apart at the time we held off as we will shortly be putting a new bathroom in and scrapping the shower.

Last night there was another sewage smell, in the kitchen (directly underneath the bathroom). The soil pipe is boxed in behind kitchen cupboards. I opened the cupboard where the washing machine lives and the smell was even stronger. I shone a torch into there, as the soil pipe isn't blocked in under there as the washing machine waste is linked to it. I couldn't see any signs of a leak. The smell has gone again this morning.

I'm not sure on what to do now. The smell comes and goes, there is no sign of a blockage as everything drains as it should, the only unusual thing is when you flush the upstairs toilet, it creates a suction noise in the shower.

Is it worth getting someone out with a camera? Not sure what they'd be looking for. I've read lots of articles on the soil pipe vent, but I don't no where this is, I cant see that the pipe goes any higher then the bathroom (the pipe is under the bath)

Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance!

Ruski

When the toilet flushes it sucks the water out of the shower trap and allows foul gas to escape through the shower trap

Poor plumbing I'm afraid.

Either fit an anti siphon shower waste or wait until the bathroom is re done and sort it out then.

Hth
Russ

xjay247x

Hi I have a very similar problem in my newly converted property.

The builder has done a real shoddy job at the plumbing.. There's no vent stack to begin with!

When I flush the upstairs toilet it sucks the water out of the bath trap and after a while my bathroom smells like a sewage factory.. so I have to run the bath now and then to stop the smell.

Done a bit of research and people recommend installing an AAV Valve?

DaftyDuck

Ruski is right, in both cases. The only real fix is to get the pipework sorted out with a decent vent or, admittedly, an air admittance valve (but I don't like them, and prefer a proper vent if at all possible.

Short term measure, throw a little water down the plughole. Works. You can keep a spare lastic mug handy, so you can just chuck some in the bath/shower.