Sewer smell associated with use of washing machine

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KAWhite

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We live in a 2 story home & the washing machine is located in the basement. The home is 38 years old and the issue began a few months ago. After running a load of wash the smell of sewer gas is very apparent but only in the basement. We had our septic tank pumped six months ago and everything seemed to be in good order. Occasionally a single wash load causes no problem but a 2nd load done shortly afterward certainly does.

We checked the drain pipe trap and it has water. Could it be possible that the problem is a partially clogged vent pipe? I'm curious about whether the initial drain of water between cycles could empty the trap and the spin cycle, with it's trickle of water into the drain, refill the trap. I doubt that the vent pipe, that services the washing machine, is unique to that drain. We don't, however, have any issues with odor in other areas of the house. All drains & toilets work properly - they are all located on the first & second floors of the house. The closest tie into this vent stack would be 9-10 vertical feet above the washing machine drain pipe.

Thanks for any suggestions.
 

Jenny B

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We live in a 2 story home & the washing machine is located in the basement. The home is 38 years old and the issue began a few months ago. After running a load of wash the smell of sewer gas is very apparent but only in the basement. We had our septic tank pumped six months ago and everything seemed to be in good order. Occasionally a single wash load causes no problem but a 2nd load done shortly afterward certainly does.

We checked the drain pipe trap and it has water. Could it be possible that the problem is a partially clogged vent pipe? I'm curious about whether the initial drain of water between cycles could empty the trap and the spin cycle, with it's trickle of water into the drain, refill the trap. I doubt that the vent pipe, that services the washing machine, is unique to that drain. We don't, however, have any issues with odor in other areas of the house. All drains & toilets work properly - they are all located on the first & second floors of the house. The closest tie into this vent stack would be 9-10 vertical feet above the washing machine drain pipe.

Thanks for any suggestions.

It could be your lint trap- that was happening with my machine too. Older machines had lint traps you could remove and clean... my new machine’s was located behind the bottom panel, inside a clamped rubber hose. Totally inconvenient- and likely would require a service call if you didn’t know what to look for.
 
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