q for plumbers on septic odor in yard

Not sure if this should go here or in the "Pumps and Wells" section, but here goes. We have a new house built in a relatively low area. The house on the hill next to us has their vent pipe in their backyard. Ours is above our roof. (We only have one.) We frequently get a very strong sewer odor in our backyard. I've heard that living in a low spot can cause prevailing winds to draw odors from the vent stack down into the yard, and I've heard that there is a smoke test that you can do to diagnose certain plumbing problems. So, will a regular plumber do this smoke test, and is this what will tell me whether the smell is from my pipe or the neighbors, and is it the plumber who can figure out how to raise the offending vent pipe to eliminate the smell?
Any help, as always, is much appreciated.

vent

I am not sure what kind of pipe they have in their backyard, but it should not be a "vent" pipe. Sewer odors flow wherever the wind takes them on any particular day. Even if a smoke test showed that they were coming from the neighbor's area, there may not be anything that can be done to eliminate them, without causing serious drain problems inside the house.

Some septic systems are pumped chamber systems that have vents in the yard. The vent is usually a 4" pipe with elbows turning down. They emit odors.

Ours is a straight white pvc pipe on the roof - maybe two or three feet high off the roof. The neighbors' is a white pipe extending about three feet off the ground with an elbow on the top. I know their purpose is to vent the odors, but I guess I'm wondering if by entending the height or otherwise tinkering with them, you can reduce the odors. I could live with a little whiff of odor here and there, but I'm talking gagging odors that send you into the house.
So are you guys suggesting that a plumber probably would not be able to help?
Thanks

It might be possible to put an activated charcoal filter on the vent. Check some at the returns from Googling septic vent odor filter.

http://books.webelements.info/info.php?asin=B0009VM7J2&lang=us

Sweetfilters Eliminate Vent Stack Odor

Sweetfilters are zeocarbon filled vent pipe filters that easily slide onto any vent pipe to eliminate sewer odors for up to 5 years. For more info lookup sweetfilter on any search engine.

alleycat said:

The house on the hill next to us has their vent pipe in their backyard. Ours is above our roof. (We only have one.)

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The vent pipe in your neighbors yard is probably an inspection pipe into the leach field, it should be capped. The vent on your roof makes your plumbing drain properly and if you neighbor doesn't have one... well he has to have one., you also should have a leach field inspection pipe.

Rancher