Terrible Sewage Odors (Please Help)

Hello Everyone,
I am new to this forum but would really appreciate any help I can get. I seem to be running out of options. I will give the best details I can. Whenever it rains hard we always get a sewage smell from our sump pump and our heater is next to it so the smell eventually travels throughout our 2 story house. The smell is so bad it awakings us in the middle of the night and makes us nautious. It lasts for 2-3 days until the water dries out a little. We have a septic system and my house is roughly 40 years old. I also noticed my washer drain line to the septic has been capped off and is now running to the sump pump. I have had numerous people give me different answers but no real solution. I have even had the health department involved because it got so bad. I have a cleanout riser on the tile that runs in the back of my house and have had tree roots cut because they said there is blockage in the tile. I share this one and only tile with 5 other houses. But there is no cleanout riser on there property and he can only run 100ft. of line. Bottom line is even if the tile is partially blocked I should not have a rotten sewer smell in my house. Anyone have any ideas on how to fix this problem. the soil in my area is only about 1 ft deep and then it is clay. I need help desperatley. Thanks wishon1

This sounds to me to be a classic case of an old septic system drainfield sewer water backflowing into another drainfield line (from the sump pump) whenever the ground is saturated from heavy rainfall. The problem is your soil type. Clay-based soils are notorious for this.
I know of entire old rural subdivisions in this area built with all septic systems in clay soils, and every time that there is a ground-saturating storm (especially hurricanes) everyone's septic system backs up into their home. There is no way that these subdivisions would ever get approval today.
Back to your problem...the best solution in my opinion is to replace (move if possible) or add to your septic system drainfield with new additional lines, preferably with a built-up (18" of sand, for instance) bed above the drainfield for run-off and absorption. Your Health Department septic system technicians should be trained to custom design such systems for that soil type.
A more immediate solution would be to install a check valve on the discharge side of your sump drain line to prevent the sewer water from backflowing into it and getting back into your home.
It sounds like you may have to do a major drainfield replacement or improvement project.
Good Luck!
Mike

Thanks Mike,
I appreciate the advice. I also noticed that when I was outside and my sump pump was running I could hear gargling in the ground and see a little water moving above ground. Do you think it is possible that my sump pump could be ran into my septic?

Its possible - but you don't want that sump pump flowing into the septic tank. That should flow into the yard.

As MG said, it's possible, but probably not. It more likely goes into an underground perforated drainfield line or dry sump, which, when the ground is saturated, is allowing sewer water to backflow through it into the sump pump pit inside your home and the odor is getting spread throughout your home from it by your heating system.
The "quick fix" is to install a check valve in the sump pump discharge line outside your home to prevent any backflow of any kind. That should solve your immediate problem. Then you can look at the alternatives of improving your entire home drainage system.
Good luck!
Mike