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Jungle

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No sure but occasionally i smell something like foul like sewer gas, seems to be in the evening. There was a bird down the vent last year. I pour a few buckets of hot soapy water down the vent from above, didn't seem to make any unusually draining noise that you expect if it was blocked. So i figured it is ok.

Can you experts review this plumbing photo. The bottom is to the sewer, the next on the left is the toilet, then the sink, then bend to the vent up.
There is an access point there i might try to get off? You can see on the left the metal, but it seems glued? How do i get that off, with a hammer? Or pour some draino down the vent pipe? Is this configuration even correct?

ABC_1412.jpg
 
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Please don't use any caustic drain cleaners. They only waste your hard earned money. If you do, and realize it doesn't work and need to hire a professional, please advise them that you used these chemicals so they can take necessary precautions.
 
I would flush it afterwards with a few pails of water.
 
Ooops. Spotted it immediately. The San-T in the top middle is backwards. Should be pointing the flow to the right, not the left. Here is a picture for the proper orientation. You will be removing all that glued pipe to make the repair. For really clean cuts, use a power miter saw ... fast, clean and accurate.

SAN T.jpg
 
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So your saying that would causes a problem with exhaust? Holy crap!

I guess it is sort of half works now? Or are you saying it won't work at all?
I suppose i need a new piece and maybe an extender i will lose the 2" insert. Looks like it can bend a bit. The circular saw should get through it, then the swazel.
Will i get hit with sewer gas when it is opened up?
 
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Did you say what room you were smelling the fumes in? I would take a look at the individual traps in that room first. That tee may be backwards, but you may want to look through the cleanout at the left before you start cutting. I suspect you could see a clog or something there if the tee is the problem.
 
Good advice, Slow ... I think I see a drain line to the far left, so the toilet flush is backing into that pipe. The back pressure could be causing p-trap "burps" now and then.

Either way, hack off the offending pipes and realign the drain system. Check your p-traps for blockages and snake the lines while you have the p-traps pulled apart.

Avoid caustic drain cleaners in the future. If they get caught in the line ... and then you cut the line ... you can get burned. I posted a story about a lady at Home Depot who was trying to find a plunger for her toilet AFTER putting DRANO down the drain ... OMG!
 
If you think about it, that whole assembly is a little wonky. It looks like the main drain goes off at floor level to the left, so why are all all those pipes above going to the right? Looks to be about 8 feet too much pipe in that run.
 
If you think about it, that whole assembly is a little wonky. It looks like the main drain goes off at floor level to the left, so why are all all those pipes above going to the right? Looks to be about 8 feet too much pipe in that run.

It used to go from the toilet upstairs to the left and then down to the dran at the floor and someone just cut and changed the direction to allow for the sink in the basement, out of sight to the right.
And then we don't see a vent pipe coming back from that sink so that could be the problem with sewer gas.
 
I hacked it out and squeezed in a new piece. It's not that pretty but i got it in at least 1 cm...lots of glue

The guy at homedepot said the if it is the wrong angle air would be forced down instead of up.

There is another drain from the bathtub that drains on an angle at the high point, so it looks ok.

Thanks for that speedy help. I survived a year here already just above my computer with toxic gas coming out.
 
Unless there is a hole in a pipe you still wouldn't get sewer gas from that set up. I would be be checking traps in the area and make sure that there is water in them.
 
If the traps are blocked you notice when the water drains no?

Here is the other vent for the kitchen. You can see the basement the two drains, one form the sink and one from the washer. Then the vent pipe going to the right...

ABC_1421.jpg

ABC_1422.jpg
 
What is that red mess on the drain pipe and you are very likely getting fumes up through the vented soffit by the pipe terminating underneath. The soil stack should continue up through the roof to ventilate to the atmosphere.
 
The just some tape for the washer connection. You think that's a problem? There is a trap underneath. I have the condensation hose going there too, the is a lot of tape around it.

Also is there a simply way to test the vent pipe? Maybe put the blower vac on to it, push the air in to test it? Or put a lit match up there, should there be air coming out?
 
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No matches, sewer gas burns.
Does the one pipe sevice the kitchen up stairs, is there another vent up there?
 
The pipe on the right going up is the kitchen sink drain. The pipe coming back goes up and then out. Then turns to white and become the vent. I remember someone said something about it. They suggested something like a whirly device on the end.
Sort of forgot it, until today. I notice that slight odor again but right over the kitchen sink. Not sure, could be the garborator.
The other odor is gone and i assume the first fix worked.

I think'll the try the hose and put some water down there and listen for the girgle if it sound normal.
 
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The kitchen sink is front of the window you see there in the picture. not good?
 

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