# Smell outside my house



## scalcen (Nov 18, 2007)

Hi,
we have a nasty septic like smell outside my house, You can smell it immediately when you walk out the front or side of the house. We had the smell inside our house whenever we put the heat on so we put water in drains (we have not finished our master bath yet) and then we capped all the open pipes. so, now the smell is outside!!! Any thoughts??!!
Thanks


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## 52Caddy (Jun 5, 2007)

Probably a long shot, but I've seen it. I had a friend that had what was described as a sewer like smell outside. Turned out to be a propane tank that had the outlet valve cracked open. You could smell it if it was calm out for a few hours, otherwise nothing.
Good luck!


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## Chris Johnson (Oct 31, 2007)

I saw once where the plumbing vents on the roof and the locale of the front door and the enclosed area of the entrance along with the wind blowing caused a sewer like smell. Took a long time to put the pieces together, but moving the vent pipe made a world of difference. Just a thought to look at.


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## slickshift (Aug 25, 2005)

..or your septic system has failed and is leaking sewage into the yard


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## scalcen (Nov 18, 2007)

52Caddy said:


> Probably a long shot, but I've seen it. I had a friend that had what was described as a sewer like smell outside. Turned out to be a propane tank that had the outlet valve cracked open. You could smell it if it was calm out for a few hours, otherwise nothing.
> Good luck!


Thanks but no smell near the propane


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## scalcen (Nov 18, 2007)

Chris Johnson said:


> I saw once where the plumbing vents on the roof and the locale of the front door and the enclosed area of the entrance along with the wind blowing caused a sewer like smell. Took a long time to put the pieces together, but moving the vent pipe made a world of difference. Just a thought to look at.


 
Hi and thanks I will check it out...the vent pipes are in the back of the house - do you think I would smell it in the front of the house??? I guess it depends on which way the wind is blowing???


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## LawnGuyLandSparky (Nov 18, 2007)

Where is the main house trap, and the septic/cesspool vent located?


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## Chris Johnson (Oct 31, 2007)

Yea, it all depends on the way the wind is blowing. If you think this is the issue, a quick thing to try is to extend the vent pipes up from there current height, just try a foot and see if that helps. Real simple to do, just use short length of pipe and a coupler. Since it is a test for smell I wouldn't even glue them, let them friction fit for a week or so and see if that is the issue, else look around. Do you have a septic as Slick said? That too could be the issue, what about the next door neighbors? You gotta look at everything.


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## robut (Aug 22, 2007)

*Search for a dead animal*

This is probley something you have done! 
BUt I will ask?
Look for a dead animal. On a calm day.
Even a bird could have fallen into your chimny, under a deck , porch a racoon eaten some poison and crawled onto your property and died.

Deck Hand


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