Re: sewer gas

Posted by Moore on October 13, 1999 at 21:16:49:
In response to Re: sewer gas
What a detective you are! The floor drain is usually not able to let gas back from the sewer because of what is called a "Trap" that is designed to catch water as ti drains, and retain a little bit to effectively seal our return gasses.If you rarely send water down the floor drain, it is very likely it has dried out, and the remedy is simply to dump about three gallons of water down the drain. The very small flies breed in the moist humid environment of the sewer system and usually are prevented from entering the house by the water in the trap. You might try pouring a gallon of bleach down the drain to sanitize bacteria buildup in the sewer pipe after you pour a gallon or so down. The sewer gas is a toxic poisonous methane gas that is extremely harmful in large doses and prolonged periods of time. In the smaller doses you are getting, the methane gas could very likely contribute to your general lack of energy. Try pouring water into the drain, and monitor it for a week. If the flies stop, and gas odors stop, you might just need to pour water down the drain every month or so. Older houses experience a rusting condition in the trap where tha water has stood stagnant for a long time, and the trap leaks itsd water out and won't retain it even if you pour water in each day. In that case if you really need to have the floor drain operating, you might need to break out the floor and follow the drain away to a point where you can install a new trap, then replace the concrete. If the drain doesn't need to operate, you can buy a rubber stopper at a plumbing supply house, and screw in a stopper. : Recently in our home we have been seeing a lot of very small black flies. My wife first attributed it to : fruit flies.we now think they may be coming from the floor drain in the basement. We have also been : experiencing a general lack of energy, particularly my wife, who spends a lot of time working on a : computer in the same room as the floor drain. Could it be related to sewer gas emanating from : the floor drain? If the flies are coming from the drain that aould indicate a dry trap does it not? That : would also allow for sewer gas to enter through the drain. Can sewer gas cause this type of health : problem? Also, we do not notice any however we both have limited sense of smell due to sinus : problem. How detectable is sewer gas in small quantities and what health hazards does it pose? : How gas the problem be rectified?

Posted by Moore on October 13, 1999 at 21:16:49:

In response to Re: sewer gas

What a detective you are! The floor drain is usually not able to let gas back from the sewer because of what is called a "Trap" that is designed to catch water as ti drains, and retain a little bit to effectively seal our return gasses.If you rarely send water down the floor drain, it is very likely it has dried out, and the remedy is simply to dump about three gallons of water down the drain. The very small flies breed in the moist humid environment of the sewer system and usually are prevented from entering the house by the water in the trap. You might try pouring a gallon of bleach down the drain to sanitize bacteria buildup in the sewer pipe after you pour a gallon or so down. The sewer gas is a toxic poisonous methane gas that is extremely harmful in large doses and prolonged periods of time. In the smaller doses you are getting, the methane gas could very likely contribute to your general lack of energy. Try pouring water into the drain, and monitor it for a week. If the flies stop, and gas odors stop, you might just need to pour water down the drain every month or so. Older houses experience a rusting condition in the trap where tha water has stood stagnant for a long time, and the trap leaks itsd water out and won't retain it even if you pour water in each day. In that case if you really need to have the floor drain operating, you might need to break out the floor and follow the drain away to a point where you can install a new trap, then replace the concrete. If the drain doesn't need to operate, you can buy a rubber stopper at a plumbing supply house, and screw in a stopper.

: Recently in our home we have been seeing a lot of very small black flies. My wife first attributed it to
: fruit flies.we now think they may be coming from the floor drain in the basement. We have also been
: experiencing a general lack of energy, particularly my wife, who spends a lot of time working on a
: computer in the same room as the floor drain. Could it be related to sewer gas emanating from
: the floor drain? If the flies are coming from the drain that aould indicate a dry trap does it not? That
: would also allow for sewer gas to enter through the drain. Can sewer gas cause this type of health
: problem? Also, we do not notice any however we both have limited sense of smell due to sinus
: problem. How detectable is sewer gas in small quantities and what health hazards does it pose?
: How gas the problem be rectified?

Replies to this post

Re: sewer gas Cris 22:23:00 11/23/99(0)