Sewer smell in yard

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erinw1268

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Hi,
I was hoping for a little advice. I just moved into a new house in August, a 1920's brick bungalow with a recently finished basement (with a bathroom). I have one problem and one question.

Problem: I've noticed that there is a sewer smell in the back yard. I know the home has a clay sewer pipe that runs out back but when we bought the house, the seller produced a receipt from a plumbing company that showed he had the pipe cleaned out and camera'd. Although we have sprinklers in the back, there are patches of dead/yellow grass. Would a leaking sewer line do this to the grass and/or cause the smell? I noticed just the other day that I can actually smell the foul odor on the side of the house as well at times. I haven't determined if the smell occurs around the time I use my washer or shower - both in the basement. The smell isn't noticable all the time. Could I simply need to get the pipe cleaned out again? (there is one large tree in the back so possible root issues?)

In my old house we had a clay sewer line as well that ended up needing to be replaced with PVC to the alley. We were charged $9,000 for that job so while we understand that we may eventually need to do that again, we definitely don't want to go there yet.

Question: we have a pump in the basement in the washer room that pumps water out from the bathroom and washer. I've never had one of these before but boy is it loud. When it's moving water, it clunks and you can hear it upstairs. Is that normal?

Thanks,
Erin Winchester
 

Redwood

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I doubt that a leaking line would kill grass unless it was a swamp type leak.
More than likely it would be like that old line the grass is alway greener over the septic tank!:D

The fact that they had the line cleaned and camera'd says it is probably a problem line! Buyer beware would have been my thoughts.

As for the sewage ejector the clunking noise may be stopped by replacing the check valve with one of these silent check valves By A.Y. McDonald Series# 2066S - "Silent" Union Swing Check - Socket Ball Valve Combo

http://www.aymcdonald.com/ProdList_Plumbing.cfm?getgroup=73&sendCat=13
 
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