# Foul Smell in House after rain



## gabe

I bought a second-hand house 8 years ago. it is a 3 bed detached bungalow. In the last year a foul smell can be got in the hall, utility room and the back bedroom. This smell appears when it rains after a spell of dry weather and can last 3-4 days. The smell is like a mixture of sewage/stagnant water/gas and it is quite unbearable. I know smells of this nature have been talked about in previous threads but none of the solutions raised are of benefit to me. has anyone any suggestions as to where this smell could be originating from. I would be most grateful for any ideas out there.


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## june

*Re: Foul Smell in House after rain (HELP ME)*

where is the nearest toilet? A friend of mine had a similiar problem and it turned out to be a broken pipe in the floor under the downstairs toilet. A plumber dug it out and replaced or repaired it.


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## wolfspeed

*Re: Foul Smell in House after rain (HELP ME)*

There should be a vent on the waste pipe (outside your bathroom), it should be at the roof level. Sometimes this vent isn't high enough and because of that at certain times you get a terrible smell. I raised the level of mine and it got rid of smell (I am in a bungalow so it wasn't to difficult. Get someone to have a look at it if you have a high roof).


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## gabe

*Re: Foul Smell in House after rain (HELP ME)*

Sorry for my ignorance here but if it was a broken pipe would the smell not be there continuously? There has been no smell for the last 6 weeks but after the rain on Sunday the problem has again arisen and the smell is back for a few days. The smell is not in the bathroom. It is in the part of the hall at the front door, the utility which is located at the back of the house behind the hot press and a back bedroom which is located down the hall after the bathroom. I'm pretty desperate and I have phoned a number of plumbers/builders to come and have a look but no one is interested in the job.


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## wolfspeed

*Re: Foul Smell in House after rain (HELP ME)*

Have a look at the height of the vent in comparison to other houses around you. I had the same problem with a smell, depending on the way the wind was blowing. 

If it is the vent, it is simple to fix, you just extend the height of the vent and the smell will go away. Worth considering.


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## gabe

*Re: Foul Smell in House after rain (HELP ME)*

I will be taking a look the minute i go home from work. At this stage I would try anything. thanks


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## kmull

*Re: Foul Smell in House after rain (HELP ME)*

I would tend to agree and check the height of vent first. Smell may be entering roof space through roof vents. Next time you notice the smell go up into your attic and see if it seems any worse .


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## galwaytt

*Re: Foul Smell in House after rain (HELP ME)*

Even if vent height isn't an issue, you can actually fit an odour trap to the vent pipe which will cure this.


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## gabe

*Re: Foul Smell in House after rain (HELP ME)*

Can you explain what an odour trap is please.


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## Welfarite

*Re: Foul Smell in House after rain (HELP ME)*

What plumbing is in use in utility room? The fact that the smell is more prevalent after rain would suggest (IMHO) that the problem is underground ... leakage into the floor/ground area from a pipe, getting worse when rainwater seeps underground to join it?


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## gabe

*Re: Foul Smell in House after rain (HELP ME)*

now your talking. this is my fear. the smell only comes when its raining after a dry period. If what you say is true does this mean that a pipe underground is cracked? How can I go about checking this out? There is a washing machine and dishwasher in the utility room. The boiler house is next to the utility room and the bathroom is next to boiler and then the bedroom that is most affected.


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## Welfarite

*Re: Foul Smell in House after rain (HELP ME)*

How many outlets from the utility room? washing machine? Dishwasher? toilet? Its a matter of picking the most likely culprit.Where does the waste go to? Is there a open drain/manhole that you can access?


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## z109

*Re: Foul Smell in House after rain (HELP ME)*

Are you on mains sewerage or do you have a septic tank?

If on mains, check the main outside trap for a partial blockage - the dry weather may mean that some solids (often congealed fat and washing powder) have built up causing a constriction in the pipes - it's not blocked enough to flood everything, but is enough to slow everything down causing smells to linger. A long stick and a strong constitution might solve the problem, otherwise, a drain cleaning company should be able to power-hose the pipes out.

If a septic tank, do the down pipes from the guttering go into the septic tank? This is not allowed any more, but used to be common practice. A big spill of rain could cause some backlog, or the septic tank may be full of sludge and need to be pumped (the septic tank should always be full, but most of it should be water). 

There are also other things that can happen to septic tanks (percolation area blocked, grease trap full etc).

HTH, E.


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## june

*Re: Foul Smell in House after rain (HELP ME)*

further to my earlier post I think that what the plumber found was one pipe was connected to the other pipe using a connector that was slightly too small. This allowed the smell to escape into the house. He re connected using the correct fitting as I recall.


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## gabe

*Re: Foul Smell in House after rain (HELP ME)*

i have checked the vent on waste pipe and it appears to be high enough. I have a septic tank but i got it cleaned out before christmas and the smell was still around. How does one go about checking the pipes underground and does anyone think that this may be covered by my house insurance.


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## colin79ie

*Re: Foul Smell in House after rain (HELP ME)*

I had the same problem a few years ago. After rain a smell would appear in one of our en-suites and in the utility room. After a long search I found a partial blockage in the pipe outside. (Under the manhole in the garden, where the manifold usually is.) Once I cleared the blockage I have had no trouble since. Problem was that rain water was going down from the guttering into the sewer system and backing up. So the odour goes out the easiest route, usually UP through a waste pipe somewhere in your house close to the sewer. Have you noticed any bubbling noises in any toilets/sinks?


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## gabe

*Re: Foul Smell in House after rain (HELP ME)*

There is no bubbling noise coming from the toilets or sink. In fact there is nothing else out of the ordinary bar the foul smell.


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## Caveat

*Re: Foul Smell in House after rain (HELP ME)*

Just on the off chance - what are the gutters like?  

All the gunge that can gather there can smell pretty bad - but usually doesn't when it's dry.  It's maybe possible that any smell from this once it gets soaked can drift under slates/tiles etc?


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## Mopsy

*Re: Foul Smell in House after rain (HELP ME)*

If you have a septic tank, quite clearly, you are in a rural location. I have one but was recently connected to a sewerage (County Council) scheme. What I would suggest you do, in addition to all advice given, is to contact your Community Warden attached to your local County Council - get this info on the web for your local County Council. People underestimate the knowledge their brief and the knowledge and advice they can give. If it is a second hand house, they may be aware of previous problems there and they are in contact with the Enviromental Departments and would be familiar with experts who they may be able to call on. Whenever I had a problem as I did with my septic tank, I would contact a small time builder, because they are more familiar with what is underground than any plumber!!


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## ludermor

*Re: Foul Smell in House after rain (HELP ME)*

you can get a specialist company out to do a camera survey. they can repair broken pipes without breaking up the ground. Dynorod or Accellerated drainage would be the bigger companies but there are loads more, with Green Day enviromental being very competitive.
with the smell coming and going, is it worse when the wind is blowing a certain direction?


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## bullbars

*Re: Foul Smell in House after rain (HELP ME)*

I would agree with Ludermor, CCTV survey of drains would show up any defects etc immediately. I would also investigate whether or not you have a separate drainage system. Your foul water (WC/Sink) & your storm water (gutters/outside drains) should be all separate systems, If the smell occurs when it rains I would think the rain water is going in to the foul system somewhere and washing some debris back up the line. There must be a sufficient outfall gradient on the pipes to get the stuff moving out,however the foul pipes need more of a fall away due to the nature of the debris. If a lazy builder has just slapped a connection on to a storm pipe the lines could be slightly blocked, thus creating a stagnant mess that is slower to drain out.


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## Elphaba

*Re: Foul Smell in House after rain (HELP ME)*

As I came home from work each day a while ago, there was an awful smell
in the hall that permeated the whole downstairs. It drove me mad for weeks, called a drain man to have a look, he couldn't find a problem.
Called a plumber friend, turns out it was a simple leak from the outflow pipe under the bath, but as it dripped onto the bare concrete floor, the water mixed with what was ever in the concrete to cause the foul smell.
You wouldn't think a simple drip drip of water could cause such a stink,
but there was just plain old whiteish concrete under the bath. It was simple enough to fix. Smells are terrible in a house, like an unwanted guest...
Good luck getting rid of yours..


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## nutty nut

*Re: Foul Smell in House after rain (HELP ME)*

I have been reading this with interest and frankly the problem could be down to any one of some of the various factors that have mentioned already. The thing to bear in mind is that the smell is only noticeable when it rains which seems to indicate that the rain water and the foul water or getting linked together.

As posted above the rainwater should be piped separately from the foul water that discharges to the septic tank but a lot of builders have run the rainwater to the septic tank to save a few quid. If the tank gets too much water it will back up and you have a situation whereby you have a mixture of rainwater and wastewater backed up to your doorstep. This would explain smells on the outside of the house but your smell is inside and at both the front and back of the house I think.

Its down to piping then and you would have no rainwater pipes inside the house so theres a chance that it is going back up from the manhole and into the house. Have you manholes at the front and back of the house? Are there any pipes going under the house instead of around it - you would need to look into the manholes to be sure.

Run some water (from a hose) into the rainwater gullies and open the septic tank to see if the water is going to there in the first place. If it is then its definitely a part of your problem

I recall a young couple moving into their new house a few years ago and were tortured with a bad smell for quite some time. The problem was finally located. It was the outlet pipe from the kitchen sink where it passed out through the cavity wall. Instead of fitting one single straight length of piping through the wall the builder got 2 short pieces and stuck them together with insulating tape which needless to say it didn't last too long. The joint was opening up in the pipes and some of the soapy water from the sink was running into the cavity which started to pong after a few days. They only found it when the water eventually seeped through the bottom of the cavity wall


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## gabe

*Re: Foul Smell in House after rain (HELP ME)*

Thanks a million for all your posts. I live in Donegal and i am now going to see if I can locate any drainage experts to come in and have a look. I had contacted the environmental section of Co-Co but it was a waste of time. I have had the dye tests done and they were ok. I will keep ye all informed of any developments. hopefully these drainage people will come up with something. thanks again.


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## nutty nut

*Re: Foul Smell in House after rain (HELP ME)*

You should be able to locate a couple of firms in Letterkenny. You could also contact one of the local council roads engineers or foremen and see who they use and get a bit of advice and possibly a contact number for the company.


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## ABC3

GABE did u locate the smell? as i currently have the same problem.


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## Welfarite

GBAE hasn't posted since Sept 2007!


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## johnmcc1977

I have a very similar problem as well, smells from Bathroom in a 3 bed bungalow 1960s. A conservatory butts on to the back of the house at the bathroom, the air brick has been blocked and no additional air flow has been provided. however the room is pretty small so i hope that isn't the problem.

Had the bath panel off and a couple of boards up below the bath for about 3 months now. The bath and the WHB trap have been replaced as there had been some leakages. These have had plenty of time to dry and we have had some great weather recently. The smell has improved a lot since the traps were replaced but the smell came back the other day before the good weather broke. It has come back even more since the rain came back too. All drains are running well but this smell seems to appear after a long period of the system sitting stagnant.

Thinking of getting a CCTV survey carried out to see what the problems is. Im totally stumped on this one,its driving me mad!


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## danial3262

It should be because of a vent on the waste pipe, you need to call plumber and take his help and extend the height of the vent.


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## RMCF

Pity Gabe hasn't posted since 2008, as I have the same problem and am curious if he ever got sorted.

One thing I noticed is that my soil vent stack is 3inch whereas my neighbours is 4". 

Would replacing that make any difference?


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