# vapor lock???



## Evil Lady Lynn (Apr 13, 2012)

For the last 6 months or so we have had an issue with our master bath and laundry room, (the rooms are located next to one another)....We first noticed a very rancid odor coming from our washer periodically, once the smell was noticed it went through the whole house in a matter of minutes. My husband said it was a problem with the washer being it's a front loader, but I knew it wasn't for that fact it happened at different times and wasn't a constant problem.....When we take a shower the toilet won't flush afterwards, if we plunge or pull a bucket of water down the toilet, you can hear weird sounds coming from the washers drain pipe, the master shower and jacuzzi tub, then the toilet will work until the shower is used again....The main bathroom or kitchen has not had an issue.....We bought our modular house brand new on January, 2005 and the drainage pipe to the sewer was replaced the same time...I have wondered if there is some sort of vapor lock going on in the system...


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## Homerepairguy (Aug 1, 2010)

Evil Lady Lynn said:


> ... if we plunge or pull a bucket of water down the toilet, you can hear weird sounds coming from the washers drain pipe, the master shower and jacuzzi tub, ...


Do the waste vent pipes on your home's roof have wire mesh or other means of preventing critters or leaves from falling in? If not, your vent pipe may be blocked.

HRG


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## Evil Lady Lynn (Apr 13, 2012)

No we do not have a wire mess on the pipe, but we will go up on the roof tomorrow to see if it needs cleaning, and then pit on some screening to cover it...thanks for your help and wish Me luck


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## Homerepairguy (Aug 1, 2010)

Evil Lady Lynn said:


> No we do not have a wire mess on the pipe, but we will go up on the roof tomorrow to see if it needs cleaning, and then pit on some screening to cover it...thanks for your help and wish Me luck


You may need to run a snake down the vent pipe to find/clear any blockage. If there's a critter in the pipe, I don't know how to get it out other than hiring a pro to do it.

I've never tried this myself but maybe running a water hose on the roof and slowly putting water down the pipe might tell you something. Just have helpers by every drain that the vent serves to warn of any water overflows. Never tried this myself.

HRG


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## ben's plumbing (Oct 6, 2011)

you may also have a clogged drain????:yes:


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## Evil Lady Lynn (Apr 13, 2012)

I thought at first it may be a clogged drain, but the issue hops back and forth from the master shower, toilet, jacuzzi and washer...I am in the process of washing a load of laundry, the wash cycle went through fine, in the middle of the rinse cycle we got the odor.....I wonder if the vent pipe may be clogged with leaves or the brown wormy looking stuff that falls from the trees in the spring.....


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## Homerepairguy (Aug 1, 2010)

Evil Lady Lynn said:


> I thought at first it may be a clogged drain, but the issue hops back and forth from the master shower, toilet, jacuzzi and washer...I am in the process of washing a load of laundry, the wash cycle went through fine, in the middle of the rinse cycle we got the odor.....I wonder if the vent pipe may be clogged with leaves or the brown wormy looking stuff that falls from the trees in the spring.....


If the same vent is serving the items you are having issues with, and if the vent is clogged, air needs to come from someplace to allow drainage. It sounds to me like the vent is clogged causing water in the shower's trap to be sucked out and when that trap is empty, the shower's drain then becomes the vent allowing the toilet to work. Maybe at other times, some other trap gets sucked out and then becomes the vent allowing drainage.

Any trap devoid of water allows sewer gasses to enter your home resulting in bad odors.

The washer may be a separate problem since some front loading washers are known to have odor problems like your husband alluded to.

My $.02
HRG


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