Awful Smell

Updated on October 06, 2008
B.B. asks from Du Bois, PA
16 answers

My husband & I purchased a 1995 trailer in March of this year. We didn't start living there until August. During those months when we didn't live there we would do our laundry there b/c we had a washer & dryer that we hooked up. Shortly after doing a few loads of laundry and starting the dryer we noticed this awful smell coming from the drain of the washer. This smell only happened though after doing a load of laundry & then starting the dryer. We unhooked both washer & dryer & had them checked out. Everything was OK. We called the owner of the trailer court to ask him if maybe it could be coming from the septic system (because the smell was a strong sewage smell). He suggested that we check the traps in the drains. OK--checked 'em and they're all working well & set up the correct way--no blockages. About 3 weeks ago we turned on a/c b/c it was very warm out (remember, this isn't the first time we used the central a/c there) and the smell came our every vent in the trailer! Now, the smell comes out the vents when the furnace turns on (but not every time). I've had a plumber check out the pipes in the trailer & even the holding tanks for the septic system. None of the other neighbors are having this problem. The plumber found NOTHING WRONG! I have no idea what this smell is or where it's coming from but it only happens when we use the dryer (after doing a load of laundry) or when the furnace or a/c is turned on & then it DOESN'T HAPPEN EVERY time. I can not find a constant thing that is being done prior to this that would cause it. I don't know who to turn to in order to get answers. With winter coming up I don't want to have the trailer smelling like sewage all the time but then I'm not guaranteed that it will... HELP!

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J.B.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Something similar happened to us and thank God we caught it in time. It was electricity burning. Every time we used a certain outlet this would happen. We finally noticed a burning spot on our wall, felt the wall, and then called 911. We then had a electrician come and fix the outlet and no more smell.

It would smell when we used our dishwasher and we would wonder if it was the dirty dishes. It smelled like a fishy odor sometimes. So I would check the outlets that your washer and dyer or plugged into.

Hope this helps
J.

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L.B.

answers from Philadelphia on

I forwarded your email to my husband for his thoughts.

He wrote:
Would check to see if the plumbing is properly vented (I think you did that)

The HVAC running could actually cause the sewer smell being pulled back thru from drains etc.if they are not trapped and vented correctly

Try taping off drains with duct tape, running the HVAC to smell if possible which drain it is coming from etc

good luck

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J.W.

answers from York on

sometimes shower drains allow sewer gas to swell up into your house when they are not used and dry out. a/c can grow mold while not being used.

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J.G.

answers from Philadelphia on

I'm thinking there may be a dead mouse or some kind of animal in the duct running from your drier to the outside. You may need your duct cleaned and all your ventilation ducts as well.

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V.N.

answers from Harrisburg on

We have an older home and we had the same sewage smell occaionally what I finally found out is that our washer (like a PP said) drains into a sink basin and the smell was coming from that. Every month I take a cup of baking soda and a cup of vinegar and pour both down the sink wait a bit and pour boiling water down after them. This took care of the smell and we haven't had it since I started doing this six months ago. I hope this helps you, too!
~V.

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C.J.

answers from Harrisburg on

Sounds like there is a dead animal in there somewhere. Hmmm.weird

B.K.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Hi Becky! Check out all your vents! Check out all the duct work for standing water in/around them. It could be rotting insulation or water somewhere in the system that is creating the smell. If it were in your drains the simple use of them would ease the smell not make it worse. Not to mention if you smell it when you are using the dryer or the heat/ac then it has to be somewhere around the air intakes or exhust. (I saw a similar thing on a DIY channel program about house mysteries.) Best wishes and good luck!

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K.P.

answers from Philadelphia on

Hi Becky, We own a trailer in Maryland. Sounds as if you have a dead animal in your A/C ducts. Have them checked. You would be suprised what can get in there. Hoped I helped. Kristin P

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E.M.

answers from Philadelphia on

We had a similar problem. Does your washing machine water run into a tub basin or does it go directly into a pipe? When laundry is washed in a washing machine it gives off a smell like sewage. I know this sounds strange, but it is true. When we moved to our new home, every time I did laundry it smelled so bad and it was because we have a big basin that the laundry water runs into and then it goes down the drain. If your water does go directly into a pipe, I would have this pipe checked to make sure there isn't a leak or crack somewhere!

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K.W.

answers from Scranton on

sounds like an animal is getting near the dryer/ a/c vents...maybe the moisture that comes from running the washer is attracting an animal to the area

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D.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Becky,
Just a thought--does your dryer vent to the outside? Is there a foil-like vent "pipe" type thing? If you had your dryer checked--maybe they checked it but something could be in there (dead animal). I wiuld disconnect and pass a rag all the way through the vent pipe. But you and I know that dead animal smell is not really the same as sewage smell. Hmmmm....
Once we had a dead mouse somewhere and we couldn't find where it was. Seemed like the smell would leave and then, at times, be SO strong it would gag us. After days of searching and searching, my husband discovered it was under the fridge but ON the heating coils and that explained why the smell would get bad (when the fridge was ON). It almost sounds like something similar with your sewage situation....have you put the stuff down the toilet that keeps the septic tanks healthy? It might help. Do the tanks need emptied out?
Sorry--just a few ideas I had. Good luck.

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B.K.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I had a similar problem in our home and it was a skunk that decided to live under our front porch. Sometimes when I ran the dryer the smell would be awful. We just had to live with it until the skunk decide to move on. The area we lived in had many, many skunk so trapping and removing never really solved the problem.

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D.K.

answers from Reading on

Becky,
This may be a little off the wall, but are you sure you don't have a dead mouse(mice) laying in the air ducts? I would think that by this time it would be dessicated and not smelling, but your problem seems to me to be more in the air ducts than in the plumbing. Or, could there be a mouse nest in the vicinity of the dryer vent/air ducting.
good luck
Dottie

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T.M.

answers from Philadelphia on

could be a dead animal some where...will run it by my husband when i talk to him

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M.W.

answers from Philadelphia on

I am so sorry to hear about your problem. Have you had anyone check the ventilation? Maybe something is trapped in there. Good luck.

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C.W.

answers from Philadelphia on

We had a house years ago w/ the same sewer smell coming from a basement toilet. We never found out the cause. It would come and go--no rhyme or reason--everything checked out okay. We ended up moving away for other reasons. The people who bought the house knew about the smell and bought it anyway, thankfully. I can sympathize w/ you and know the smell...not a dead animal, etc. Definately sewer.

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