Reeceknight Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 So I purchased my house 6-7 months ago, needed some bits and bobs doing, I did all the skirting in the bathroom etc and not long finished the whole house, recently we have been coming home to a vile sewage smell, it wasn't very often then become more regular, over the past 3 days it has been continues. I have pin pointed it to the sink, but couldn't tell if it was coming g from the plug or from the plumping itself so I pulled all the boxing and skirting off 😂 I think the smell is coming from (grey box on photo) Is this a drum trap? it doesn't seem to be leaking but does smell, the toilet also links up but I don't want to rip all that apart yet! Why is this in such a ridiculous place? I can just about get my hand in that whole. What can I do and were do I start? 👍🏼👍🏼 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbiep Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 To start with, go outside in the morning and open up the manholes to see if the drains are blocked. If they are, then that blockage will back up to there, but where you currently are might not be the source of the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortune Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 (edited) Where does that grey pipe that comes out of the top of the box go to? I cant see anything attached to it. Does the water go out of the basin as it should. you could let the water run for a time to see if there is any back up to the sink and find out if there is a leak down there. make sure that there is water in the sink trap and Put the plug in with a bit of water covering the plug. Put and a bit of tape over the overflow port. ventilate the room and then leave for a period of time. that will isolate the sink. if the stink is still there it is further down in that box or the main drain conection. Edited December 27, 2015 by fortune Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruno22rf Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 The grey "box" is a soil manifold and often used in flats-the pipework should be push fit I believe so I'm guessing you should be able to pull out the sink waste pipe and check that everything is clear-there should be a trap fitted before waste enters this manifold I would have thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupert Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 Show me a picture of the trap on the sink please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackpowder Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 As already stated the grey box is a manifold for connecting soil and waste pipes. Is the smell definately coming from here? If it was on the wet side of the system I would have thought you might have seen signs of water leakage. The other possibility is that flushing the toilet might draw the water seal from other traps, although this should not be the case with a proper vent pipe as appears to be the case here. Blackpowder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reeceknight Posted December 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 Hi guys thanks for replies, I first checked the u bend under sink and that was fine and hD water in it, the smell isn't coming from shower or toilet and if in honest now I have got better access it smells like it's coming from that hole with the grey box manifold thing? we run water for ages and there isn't a blockage down there. I need to know what the next step is I have tryed to pull the pipes off but they seem pretty on there. is the idea that that grey manifold can never be removed with cutting all he plaster board away? As already stated the grey box is a manifold for connecting soil and waste pipes. Is the smell definately coming from here? If it was on the wet side of the system I would have thought you might have seen signs of water leakage. The other possibility is that flushing the toilet might draw the water seal from other traps, although this should not be the case with a proper vent pipe as appears to be the case here. Blackpowder This is what I have read in the Internet. but shouldn't running the tap fill it back up? As already stated the grey box is a manifold for connecting soil and waste pipes. Is the smell definately coming from here? If it was on the wet side of the system I would have thought you might have seen signs of water leakage. The other possibility is that flushing the toilet might draw the water seal from other traps, although this should not be the case with a proper vent pipe as appears to be the case here. Blackpowder This is what I have read in the Internet. but shouldn't running the tap fill it back up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duckandswing Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 Check the manholes. Bet they are full of carp. Facial wipes down the toilet will be the culprit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reeceknight Posted December 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 Check the manholes. Bet they are full of carp. Facial wipes down the toilet will be the culprit. we are at he end of the line, the drain/main hole we have in garden has about 5 pipes going into it? I know which ones are ours because I can see the water flow when we flinch etc bit all seems ok there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnphilip Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 Its not coming from below the floorboards, like blocked air bricks outside? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackpowder Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 Yes Reece running taps should re-seal the traps. Blackpowder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stumfelter Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 It looks like a four branch manifold. The wash hand basin waste is going in one hole, I assume the shower waste is going into another and I can see that one has a blanking plug in it,can you feel anymore access holes and is it blanked off? If its not blanked that's your problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortune Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 Is there a possibility that there is a dead rat or similar somewhere nearby that is giving the impression that the smell is coming from the pipe work.what is above the box behind the plasterboard. Is it open up into a roof space. You seem to have ticked all the boxes in regard to the pipework. At work we had a ladies loo that hadn't been used in a while and the water had evaporated out of the trap allowing the fumes from the drains to get out into the building. The ladies was the last place that we looked in after the roof and every room. We thought that it was a dead pigeon up in the roof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reeceknight Posted December 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 So in regards to the toilet sucking back the water from the trap? How would I go about sorting that? originally I thought it was somthing dead but it's to Inconsistant, normally after we have been out the house all day we come home to the stench. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Del T Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 So in regards to the toilet sucking back the water from the trap? How would I go about sorting that? originally I thought it was somthing dead but it's to Inconsistant, normally after we have been out the house all day we come home to the stench. You want an anti vac trap on the basin, that might help. Hep do another good one I think that goes inline on the waste pipe if you have access to get in to cut and fit it. It has a rubber piece inside that seals closed after the water has stopped flowing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stumfelter Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 Have you done what I suggested in a previous post? If the wash hand basin trap was being pulled it would smell from the plug hole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reeceknight Posted December 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 Have you done what I suggested in a previous post? If the wash hand basin trap was being pulled it would smell from the plug hole. I did what you said lastnight, I blocked the plug and overflow, and blocked that big hole under skirting aswel and it stopped the smell completely, this morning I started unblocking them this morning to pin point the smell and the smell has disapeared completely (it does do this) and we have now left them unblocked as we are out for the day, but it comes and goes at strange time of the day. I did take the u bend off lastnight and it had water in it but for a week or so we was sure it was coming from the plug in the sink 😒 But Iv had enough now I'm sitting in a stench all evening Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupert Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 Start cheapest first, if no anti vac trap on sink/shower then put them on, about 6 quid each.When you flush the pooper it causes a rush of air pressure in the soil pipe that can displace and or syphon the water seal from standard traps,screwfix have them and will be open today. Look outside for top of soil stack may be coming out thru roof, is there a big seegul nesting on it, it needs to be open to allow stack to breath, No stack outside you have and air admittance valve some place, find it, test it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullet1747 Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 Blocked as people have said either soil stack or man hole , I have this quite a lot as my drains are all fed to a cess pit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackpowder Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 if it was blocked waste water would not run away. Blackpowder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullet1747 Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 if it was blocked waste water would not run away. Blackpowder Depends we're it's blocked , it could soak through slowly if so it would leave a void for the water to flow looking like its running free mine does it this way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bostonmick Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 Start with the easiest and cheapest option first shove a set of rods up the pipe from the manhole.If that is clear then look further. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banger123 Posted December 28, 2015 Report Share Posted December 28, 2015 Do you have an open vent on the main soil stack, Ie does the pipe protrude out of the roof. If not then you may have a faulty durgo valve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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