Thanks everyone! I’m sending my DH this thread.

Could also be a cracked vent pipe from a bathroom

We had this smell, which would happen occasionally in our basement over the course of years. We could not figure out what it was. Checked all the toilets. Poured water down floor drains. Ripped up carpet to look for hidden floor drains. Looked at a bunch of other possibilities. Finally we started poking holes in our basement ceiling and found it was a cracked cast iron vent pipe. Unfortunately it was not an easy or inexpensive fix. Fortunately we were just about to have a renovation/addition done so we just added it to the list, though that meant we couldn't use one toilet for a few weeks before we moved out. We're thankful we finally realized what the issue was since it had bothered us for years and my H had spent so much time and effort trying to identify the issue.

We have a 2nd washer/dryer we don't use because the dryer doesn't work. We do get a sewage smell from there. We recently ran the washing machine and the smell went away.

Anonymous wrote:When this happened to us, it was a disintegrating drain pipe under our foundation. 20 feet of a 2'x2' trench to repipe under our basement.

under our slab, rather.

When this happened to us, it was a disintegrating drain pipe under our foundation. 20 feet of a 2'x2' trench to repipe under our basement.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Make sure to flush toilets and run showers that aren't in use often. This can happen if the water in the P trap evaporates.

If you have a floor drain somewhere, pour a little bit of water down it so that the P trap refills. (We have one in the basement.)

Thanks!

Anonymous wrote:Try dumping baking soda and vinegar down your drains. Let it sit for 10-15 mins then rinse down with boiling water. See what that does. We have the same issue, we have an 80 year old beach house (west coast) and sometimes it gets really stinky. This fix always works for me, along with of course collecting any hair in the drains. If after you do this you still have a problem, then call a plumber so they can snake the drains and look to see if there's anything else going on.

Thanks!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Often this is caused by a leaking air admittance valve (AAV). AAV's are typically fitted to sinks so that a big sure of drainwater from a toilet flush or bathtub being emptied doesn't create a vacuum which sucks the water out of the sink trap. If you look under the sink, follow the drain pipe and look for a pipe going up under the cabinet, that would go to the AAV. They can be unscrewed and replaced, it's a one-minute job once you find it.

The other common cause is the trap in a seldom-used drain has gone dry. You see this a lot in floor drains. Pouring some mineral oil into the trap will keep this from happening.

"sure"="surge"

Thanks! I have a strong feeling that this could be it. I am going to also trouble shoot with the other ideas from above. Thanks

Anonymous wrote:Make sure to flush toilets and run showers that aren't in use often. This can happen if the water in the P trap evaporates.

If you have a floor drain somewhere, pour a little bit of water down it so that the P trap refills. (We have one in the basement.)

Make sure to flush toilets and run showers that aren't in use often. This can happen if the water in the P trap evaporates.

Anonymous wrote:Often this is caused by a leaking air admittance valve (AAV). AAV's are typically fitted to sinks so that a big sure of drainwater from a toilet flush or bathtub being emptied doesn't create a vacuum which sucks the water out of the sink trap. If you look under the sink, follow the drain pipe and look for a pipe going up under the cabinet, that would go to the AAV. They can be unscrewed and replaced, it's a one-minute job once you find it.

The other common cause is the trap in a seldom-used drain has gone dry. You see this a lot in floor drains. Pouring some mineral oil into the trap will keep this from happening.

"sure"="surge"

Often this is caused by a leaking air admittance valve (AAV). AAV's are typically fitted to sinks so that a big sure of drainwater from a toilet flush or bathtub being emptied doesn't create a vacuum which sucks the water out of the sink trap. If you look under the sink, follow the drain pipe and look for a pipe going up under the cabinet, that would go to the AAV. They can be unscrewed and replaced, it's a one-minute job once you find it.

The other common cause is the trap in a seldom-used drain has gone dry. You see this a lot in floor drains. Pouring some mineral oil into the trap will keep this from happening.

Try dumping baking soda and vinegar down your drains. Let it sit for 10-15 mins then rinse down with boiling water. See what that does. We have the same issue, we have an 80 year old beach house (west coast) and sometimes it gets really stinky. This fix always works for me, along with of course collecting any hair in the drains. If after you do this you still have a problem, then call a plumber so they can snake the drains and look to see if there's anything else going on.

My toilets and drains are all fine. What could this be? The smell is horrible. Who do I call? A plumber? TIA