Thirty year old cabin with septic tank. Has toilet, shower, bathroom sink and kitchen sink; no food or grease down kitchen sink.
Occassional two/three day use once every six weeks/two months. Recently, wife and I moved in while building a house.
PROBLEM: after three weeks we are now getting a BAD odor out of shower drain on floor that will fill house if leave bathroom door open. Pulled shower top drain, cleaned..Looked down curveature of drain pipe with flashlite and all is clear/clean heavy duty PVC. Poured a solution down toilet to cure septic…no change. There is a water trap under the slab as per father-in-law that built place. Cannot see far enough down floor drain to see water trap.
Water drains freely in ALL drains..By water “sounds” it seems like all drains go to the same common location as the shower drain. (I can hear back thru the shower floor drain) No problem with other drains.
What are possible causes of this odor and how to cure??
Edited 12/7/2003 11:54:43 PM ET by DVANPERNIS
Replies
Maybe a clog in the vent pipe that runs off the shower?
You might want to have a word with your FIL about just where he put the trap(s).
If you can look down the shower drain and NOT see water standing in the trap as well as HEAR the water running when listening at that shower drain then I suspect that the trap was NOT installed at the shower.
Sounds to me merely like your traps are drying out during periods of non-use.
Today's codes require a seperate water supply to some of them.
“When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone. Let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for; and let us think...that a time is to come when those (heirlooms) will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say, as they look upon the labor and wrought substance of them, ‘See! This our father did for us.’ “ --John Ruskin.
Trap cracked from freezing?
Based on the evidence you provide, I agree with Ralph that there may be no trap at all. If you had a septic system problem, things would be backing up. Since you are living there, I doubt the trap has dried out.
Each drain should have a trap and vent. Can you peek in the attic to see if there is a vent running up from the shower drain? The shower drain may not have its own vent if it is close to the main drain and the main stack from the toilet (3" or 4" diameter) rises vertically from the bathroom in the immediate vicinity. It must have its own trap, however. Perhaps you could snake the drain and feel for a trap since you can't see one. If there is a trap, but no vent, or the vent is clogged, it's possible that water gets sucked out of the trap, allowing sewer gas to rise from the drain.
Worst-case scenario: Jackhammer the slab to install a proper trap and vent.
Good luck! Keep us posted. We often see these questions, but don't always hear "the rest of the story."
Al Mollitor, Sharon MA
Thanks for the input...
Don
When a shower is built correctly, you will see the water in the trap and you will not hear water running from other fixtures. I see it all the time, people dont know how to install plumbing. Worst case is when someone pours gasoline down the drain and the vapor come up someone trapless drain and causes an explosion in a basement.