Question:

Three years ago we bought our first house, 6 months later in the spring we had a month with terrible odours coming from the sum pump on and off. We checked the septic tank, had it pumped out and checked the connection to the house. Here we found an old root had punctured a holein the pipe close to the house, how long ago, who knows. We fixed the problem but every year the smell comes back after HEAVY rain. I have even covered the pump hole and sealed it with expanding foam and installed and exhaust fan in a nearby window to help.

Answer:

You're into a lot of digging to get rid of this odour. You have to excavate and haul away the soil between the sump pump inlet under the footings and the drain pipe from the septic to the tank. If you do not, the odour will keep coming back. When you fill the excavation again, you should use a lot of gravel and sand. To cover the sump, try this: Sump pumps should never be allowed to operate alone. There should always be as much back up for them as possible. One system is to have a second pump on hand for urgent, quick replacement. This means that the actual hook-up would probably be better done with hose clamps and radiator hoses than corrodable, threaded joints. Another is to install a "T" with a threaded cap somewhere along the interior line so that if the hose plugs for whatever reason (frost, collapse, vermin, etc.) another hose can be attached inside and there is no embarrassing gap in service. The preferred system incorporates two pumps in the same hole (both of them submersible) set at slightly different levels for being activated. Sump holes should also be fitted with covers which have weather stripped holes only large enough for the various protrusions (pipes, wires, etc.) through them. Three-quarter-inch plywood makes a good cover and if the necessary holes are drilled in a straight line, the plywood can be cut to fit around all the protrusions, the edges of it properly weather-stripped and put in place. This keeps an otherwise large surface of water from evaporating into the basement and substantially raising humidity levels there.

Answered By: Ren Molnar

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