sewage odor/mold problems

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woodchik

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I have 2 problems that may or may not be related, but I could use any info on either problem.

My daughter recently moved into an apartment (5 months ago) and has been sick (bronchitis, colds, flu) more in those 5 months than she has been in her entire life. So I started wondering if it could be something environmental related to her apartment.

Here is some back ground about why I think it might be something in the apartment. Around the late August/September time frame, there was sewer odor so strong INSIDE their unit that they couldn't stay there. They complained to the apartment manager and the manager said it was because the city needed to "jet" the sewer and apply deodorizer blocks. The City told the manager to have the tenents pour bleach or draino down their drains. The city did their jet thing and the odor subsided. It is a single story unit that is built on a slab. In SUNNY Arizona. I have looked under all the sinks and they all have s-bends/p-traps. I've never heard of sewer gasses getting past the p-trap and from my limited knowledge of plumbing have understood that the purpose of the p-trap is to stop the sewer gas from getting through. Under one of the sinks is still a distinct sewage odor, although it's very slight right now. Have any of you had this issue before where there are p-traps in place but occasionally the sewage smell is still coming into the house?

Next issue is mold. Under another bathroom sink, there is obvious water damage. The particle board of the vanity is swelled and crumbling. In an attempt to repair/cover the damage caused by previous tenents, the maintenance guy screwed 2 layers of 1/8" masonite over the damaged vanity bottom, but we took out the screws and looked underneath and the bottom is all crumbled and caved in. Definitely water damage. Around the drain pipe, the drywall is black. Is there any way to determine if this is mold? That is my assumption, but I would like to verify. The apt. manager admitted to previous water damage, but said they sprayed the mold with bleach solution and it is no longer any danger. If it is solid black does that mean it's growing again?

Sorry this was so long but I am concerned about my daughter's health and don't want the apartment people to keep giving her a run around about the sewage smells.

Thanks for any insight anyone can provide!
Tracy in AZ
 

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Tracy, it is important to get rid of the mold for your daughter runs a health risk problem due to it.

I developed Lobar Pneumonia due to mold. My insurance company paid the entire restoration services and for the machinery needed. You might want to mention to the landlord about putting in a claim so it gets done.

http://www.lakesidepress.com/pulmonary/books/breathe/Sectn.htm
 

Patrick88

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Around the drain pipe, the drywall is black. Is there any way to determine if this is mold?

If it is damp I would bet it is live and active. Mold doesn't die from bleaches it just covers it up. I bet if a plumber opens the wall a hole or crack will be found in the plumbing system.
 

Jimbo

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I would immediatley do a home mold test. It's easy. You buy a mold test kit at any hardware store. You put the medium into the petri dish, and just leave it in the room for an hour. You then cap it, and leave it for 48 hrs. No matter what, you will see some stuff growing. But you don't know what it is. SO, you spring the $25 and send it in the prepaid envelope to the lab, and they will send you a complete analysis about what type of mold and relatively whether it is a lot or a little.
 

woodchik

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now what about the sewage smell?

Thanks for all your replies about the mold. I will definitely get a couple of those test kits and send them in for analysis!

So what about the sewage smell? Is there any way that in a properly plumbed home any sewage smell might be coming in from the city sewage drain system?

Thanks again!

Tracy in AZ
 

Patrick88

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Thanks for all your replies about the mold. I will definitely get a couple of those test kits and send them in for analysis!

So what about the sewage smell? Is there any way that in a properly plumbed home any sewage smell might be coming in from the city sewage drain system?

Thanks again!

Tracy in AZ

yup if you have a hole in a drain pipe. I will assume your two problems are related.
 
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