SEWER GAS FROM CAPPED OFF BATHROOM OUT OF USE FOR LAST 15 years HELP!

[Apryl Brown]

Need advice, broke nursing student with a semi handy man hubby.
We started smelling a bad sewer gas in my daughters closet. This closet was capped off 15 years ago and not ever used d/t expense of repair, we basically pulled everything out, capped it off and dry-walled it into a closet. Orig. it had its own water line/water heater that was under the kitchen sink (small bathroom), this was all disconnected, not used when we moved here 15 years ago.

We have a laundry room that recently started having some leaky pipes (or so we thought, turned out to be the washer). My hubby capped some pipes off in the laundry room (mainly the one to the watersoftener because we orig. thought it was the source of the pipes leaking in there when it turned out to be the washer). I suspect a dry line from him capping that off but why would it smell in my daughters room closet on the other side of the house when to my knowledge that plumbing was never connected and ran on separated pipes/water heater that hasn't been used in 15 years.

We have well water with city sewage.
It is my understanding the genius' that built the house laid the pipes in the concrete (going to my daughters room where sewer smell is). The rest of the house (which was an addition 15 years ago, has a craw space and normal pipes) so 1/2 house is slab with pipes under and the other 1/2 is crawspace if that makes sense.

The smell is horrid and I don't know if he will have to start tearing out drywall in that bathroom/closet to solve the problem. It just makes no sense we are just now getting this sewer smell when it's never been an issue in 15 years and the only "outside" factor is that we recently capped off pipes in the laundry room (has the crawspace) going to the water softener... HELP is appreciated!!!

 

[Reach4]

How did you cap off the toilet flange?
How did you cap off the sink drain?
How did you cap off tub drain?

Have you tried sniffing each of those to see if you can locate the source of the smell?

When you capped of pipes in the laundry room, what was the largest diameter pipe that you "capped off"?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Apryl Brown]

He said in the bathroom which has never been in use, he never capped off the toliet flange, sink or tub drain, so does he need to open that up and cap it off?

Wonder why it would just now start smelling..

 

[Apryl Brown]

largest pipe in laundry room capped off he said was 1.5 inches

 

[Apryl Brown]

Trying to go from the least expensive to the most expensive, shouldn't we check the top of the vents to ensure no dead animals/blockage? Would him capping off the laundry room cause sewer to back up to the other side of the house?
Someone mentioned that we should uncap the laundry room and be prepared for shit or water to back up and have buckets on hand? But if he drilled a hole into that pipe he capped off would we still need to do that?

 

[Reach4]

He said in the bathroom which has never been in use, he never capped off the toliet flange, sink or tub drain, so does he need to open that up and cap it off?

Wonder why it would just now start smelling..

Those drains are connected to your sewer system. Those would be the places to expect allow sewage gasses to come out of. If he just disconnected the drain pipe and put drywall etc over the hole, gasses and smells could leak out.

Why now? Hard to say. But the timing of the modifications to the laundry room is interesting. Your venting may have been inadequate before, but the loss of this path could have triggered [problems.

largest pipe in laundry room capped off he said was 1.5 inches

The 1.5 inch pipe would be a drain or a vent line. If that vent was working before and now is not, that could increase pressures for smells to work their way out.

I think posting pictures (800 pixels max) may be useful in identify problems and cures. You want to show the parts that formerly went to drains and toilets.

 

[Apryl Brown]

I will post pics on Wednesday. I am a busy nursing student and this is the soonest I can get to it. I appreciate the EXPERTISE!!! It is my understanding that he just drywalled over and didn't properly cap them off so I think you are right... Pics to follow. Thanks for the help!!! Should we check to make sure the vent is OK? anything to look for there?