# Strange sewage smell only during the night time



## edge323 (Mar 1, 2013)

In the master bedroom of my house there's a strange sewage smell coming from the ground (Atleast I think it is from the ground). This is only happening around 8-9pm PST and would last about 30-45 min. The smell doesn't happen everyday, there would be some days where there is no smell, then there are some days where it is very awful.

I would call a plumber, but kinda hard to source where the smell is coming from if it only occurs during that time.

Anyone have ideas what it could be? and whom I should contact?


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## jmon (Nov 5, 2012)

We had a simular problem in our laundry room. Drove us crazy, sometimes we would smell it really bad, other times seemed fine. We thought something was seriously wrong with our sewer system. Hired a pro, he found nothing wrong with our sewer system, turned out to be a dead rodent. He recommended not using poision bait anymore because, he said, you never know where the rodent will finally die. 

That's why we don't use poision bait anymore. Just mouse traps so we can see them and remove them.

Don't know if it's related to your problem at all.

Is your master bath and master bedroom close together? Do all the drains seemed to be working good? Does vent stack pipe run up through your master bedroom walls out through the roof? Vent stack could be cracked, maybe someone forgot to glue pipe and it has disconnected somewhere allowing sewer gas to enter your bedroom? 

They'll be other people joining the post shortly with some other ideas. Just guessing at this point.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

How old is the house?
Reason I ask is often times I've seen some really strange ways vents were run in older houses. 
When does everyone take there showers?
Septic or city sewer?
Heard any strange sounds coming from the sink, tub or toilet?


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## jmon (Nov 5, 2012)

You don't mentioned how long it's been going on? Is the smell stronger at the ground/basement level then maybe coming up through the floors to your mb? 

Possibly check your drainage pipes in the basement leading out to your sewer main for leaks or cracks? Like the above post asks, do you have septic/city/leach field?


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## edge323 (Mar 1, 2013)

Thank you for your responses.

Here's some answers to questions you guys asked:

Is your master bath and master bedroom close together? 
Ans: yup close together , they're in the same room and it seems to becoming from the bathroom area (maybe right before it)


Do all the drains seemed to be working good? 
Ans: haven't seen issues with the drains

Does vent stack pipe run up through your master bedroom walls out through the roof? 
ans: No, I don't think so. Its a single family house, so i'm not sure if we even have vent stack pipes.. anyway to check?

Vent stack could be cracked, maybe someone forgot to glue pipe and it has disconnected somewhere allowing sewer gas to enter your bedroom? 
Ans: I see... wouldn't it be smelly all day and not just during the night time?


How old is the house?
Ans: House was built in 1960

When does everyone take there showers?
Ans: yep. There is two bathrooms in the house and we use both of them daily

Septic or city sewer? 
Ans: City sewer i believe

Heard any strange sounds coming from the sink, tub or toilet?
Ans: Nope, pretty quiet and sounds normal when we use it

You don't mentioned how long it's been going on? 
Ans: Been going on since the last 2 years now

Is the smell stronger at the ground/basement level then maybe coming up through the floors to your mb? 
Ans: its a one story house. Seems to be smelling more at the ground level of the room.


Possibly check your drainage pipes in the basement leading out to your sewer main for leaks or cracks? 
Ans: Unfortunately, there's no basement in this house. It is a one story house w/o a basement. I could go underground through a trap door, but it is in a different room


Like the above post asks, do you have septic/city/leach field? Yep city sewage i believe. Do you think I should contact the city?


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## jagans (Oct 21, 2012)

Is your house near any high rise apartments or condos?


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## edge323 (Mar 1, 2013)

nope, not near any apts...its a corner house, but i have other houses surrounding.


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## jaydevries (Jan 29, 2012)

sewer gas can very in strength of smell due to weather and usage . it can be a lot of things some times it is as easy as a wax ring and you put your nose down at base and it smells strongest, to a trap being dry or siphoned out, to having a vent pipe coming apart in attic,to someone just venting into attic, to one time it was a recessed light against vent pipe and melted a small hole in pipe now that one took a while to find. it is a matter of process and elimination :thumbsup:


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## jmon (Nov 5, 2012)

wow! been going on for over 2 years. I wish I could tell you more, but I can't. 
Like you suggested maybe call the city, have them come out and see if it's on their end before you call in a pro. Might save you some time and money. Worth a shot.

Maybe they can give you some additional guidance or recommend a pro in your area.

Also you can check angieslist.com or google.com for a reputable professional master plumber in your area.

Jay makes an excellent point.

Maybe invite some friends over and see if they can help you pinpoint the source better.


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## Ghostmaker (Mar 2, 2013)

I would suggest you call a local plumber that has a sewer camera.


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## jagans (Oct 21, 2012)

Most of us are creatures of habit. What do you do between the hours of smell that is different than what you do all day? 

Run Dishwasher?

Shower?

Sit on the throne?

As someone else said, The most common cause of sewer gas smell is a bad wax seal.

Have you ever experienced a sewage backup of any type, in any location?


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## edge323 (Mar 1, 2013)

cool thanks guys, i'll check w/ the city and a plumber on angieslist. 

Yeah there's nothing we do around that time that is plumbing wise... we only run the dishwasher every 4 days, shower in the mornings, and toilet wise.. well that's varies... the smell doesn't. 

I'm thinking it might be the wax ring that you guys talked about. i'll call the city and find out! 

Thanks again for the tips


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