Sewage Smell in Garage

[Radams2233]

Hi all,

I have a drain at the foot of the garage that ties into the run-off system. I'm in Canada so this is all underground. I have lived in the house for 3 years now and this summer is the first i have had this issue. I have been dealing with some garage issues so we had not parked in the garage for over a year now. BUT i have also washed out the floor many times and it has not had any positive impact on stopping the sewage smell from the drain (big water flush). It's also not backed up. I'm not sure what to do next to fix this?

Any thoughts?

 

[rd65]

Does drain have a proper P trap? Make sure it always has water in it. The water acts as a plug to keep smell in sewer.

 

[Radams2233]

How would i find this? I don't think i can locate that?

 

[isb cornbinder]

Here on Burnaby, BC we are not allowed to drain rain water and floor drains into the sewer system. When we had a drainage problem a few years ago. We spent $40k having an separate rain water and floor drain system installed. This included bigger and better drain-tile around the house and the installation of a big catch and settle tank. Your drain must not have a section in the drain system called a water "P" trap. If there was a "P" trap, it is not likely you could smell the poo.

 

[isb cornbinder]

How would i find this? I don't think i can locate that?

The first thing you might do is Google for a picture so you will be better able to understand and know what it is you are looking for. You may not find a "P" trap, if it does not exist, in your system.

 

[engineer2]

Dump a bucket of water in it to refill the P-trap. Simple and it's worth a try.
I have a similar situation in my laundry closet. It has a drain that is only used in case the washer leaks. A couple of times a year I need to dump some water under the washing machine to refill the trap.

 

[Radams2233]

I've flushed a lot of water down there the last few days and it's doing nothing. many, many, many bucket full worth. I understand what the P-Trap is, but i have no way to find it in my system as it's not right at the drain and i'm unsure if there would be one further down.

 

[ybnormal]

Here on Burnaby, BC we are not allowed to drain rain water and floor drains into the sewer system. When we had a drainage problem a few years ago. We spent $40k having an separate rain water and floor drain system installed. This included bigger and better drain-tile around the house and the installation of a big catch and settle tank. Your drain must not have a section in the drain system called a water "P" trap. If there was a "P" trap, it is not likely you could smell the poo.

alternatively, the water may be evaporating out of the P-trap. I worked in an office building like that once about 23 yrs ago. they had a regular process of pouring a gallon of water down the bathroom floor drain once per week apparently because of this problem

also, exactly "what" run-off system does the OP have? like a leech field for septic? I wonder if ground heaves or tree roots have broken open the pipe?

 

[engineer2]

Usually the P-trap is right under the drain and you can see the water in it, but with an older garage, who knows.
If you push a length of wire down there or an electrician's fish tape, it won't get past the P-trap.
You can also buy/borrow/rent an inspection camera and see what is going on.

 

[jkuro]

Put some water into the drain then put a small layer of cooking oil on top of the water, this will keep your water from evaporating.

 

[Jim greengo]

Hi all,

I have a drain at the foot of the garage that ties into the run-off system. I'm in Canada so this is all underground. I have lived in the house for 3 years now and this summer is the first i have had this issue. I have been dealing with some garage issues so we had not parked in the garage for over a year now. BUT i have also washed out the floor many times and it has not had any positive impact on stopping the sewage smell from the drain (big water flush). It's also not backed up. I'm not sure what to do next to fix this?

Any thoughts?

Dump some water down it to fill the trap.

 

[engineer2]

He has tried putting water in it.

 

[larry4406]

He has tried putting water in it.

Don't confuse the issue with facts.

 

[jonesg]

bleach to kill what is producing gas.
a cup of bleach in 5 gal bucket of water kills bacteria.

 

[rlitman]

What size is the drain pipe? You can get a flapper seal that prevents gases from flowing back up.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W2FPBJG/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Bleach isn't a bad idea, but I'd use an enzyme cleaner before I went that far.

 

[BillK]

Hi all,

I have a drain at the foot of the garage that ties into the run-off system.

What are you calling "the run-off system" ??? Where does the water end up going to ?

 

[alfadan]

Could it be unrelated? I had a terrible smell in my garage, turned out to be a turtle had gotten trapped behind a box and died.

 

[racecougar]

What are you calling "the run-off system" ??? Where does the water end up going to ?

Exactly. And what is meant by a "drain at the foot of the garage"?

 

[jonesg]

What size is the drain pipe? You can get a flapper seal that prevents gases from flowing back up.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W2FPBJG/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Bleach isn't a bad idea, but I'd use an enzyme cleaner before I went that far.

most of the houses here in N. Maine use well water, we regularly do the bleach treatment to eliminate sulphur smelling water.
its safe and very cheap, bleach is an organocide, no need for anything specialized, especially in a drain.

 

[rlitman]

most of the houses here in N. Maine use well water, we regularly do the bleach treatment to eliminate sulphur smelling water.
its safe and very cheap, bleach is an organocide, no need for anything specialized, especially in a drain.

I'm not saying there's something wrong with using bleach for this purpose, but calling enzyme drain cleaner specialized is naïve.
As for me, I'll stand by my recommendation. Bleach smells terrible and accidental splashes ruin clothing. Also, a gallon of enzyme cleaner has a longer shelf life than a gallon of bleach, and isn't necessarily much more expensive, but it will likely be more effective, not to mention it's still safer than bleach, regardless of how safe you may think bleach is.