Foul Smell in House after rain

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.

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..

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

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.

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.

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

GBAE hasn't posted since Sept 2007!

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!

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.

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?