Posted by Tim on October 22, 2003 at 21:41:46:
I have been noticing a odor in the basement when water is draining, particularly from the washing machine upstairs. It seems to be coming from the main
drain pipe,were all the lines meet, that leads to the sewer pipe. I can smell the odor around the pvc connectors. There is a short
PVC pipe that leads to the outside just before the main drain pipe leads to the sewer drain pipe. What is this pipe for? Is it a vent pipe, or an emergency pipe for water to escape if the main line is clogged? I am thinking that this pipe might be clogged causing the odor to leak into the basement. Is this possible? Are there vent pipes that vent outside at ground level right were the main pipe meets the sewer line in the basement?