Sewage Pump Smell

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HoneyDO

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Hi,

I have a terrible odor from my basemet sewage pump. I have bar sink almost directly over the pump that I have draining into the pump via the vent pipe. Is this incorrect? Would this cause the smell?
 

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You need to have a trap in the sink drain. Are you sure you have tapped a vent and not the pumped (ejector) sewage line? If you are into the pumped line you probably also need a check valve to prevent sewage being pumped back into the sink.
 
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HoneyDO

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Thank you for your reply.

I do have a trap on the sink and it is most certainly tapped into the vent line. I do have a check valve on the sewage line. Other thoughts? I have attached a photo of the pump. You can see both the sewage line with the check valve and the vent pipe that has the bar drain tied into it. Sorry the photo is small, I had to shrink it to get it to attach.
 

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OK. Other ideas.

No water in the sink trap or running an exhaust system that is powerful enough to pull gas through trap.

A leak somewhere in the system - lid gasket, pipe joint, wire entry

Vent is blocked or too small and pressure of waste coming in pushes gas through trap. Pumping out waste sucks water out of trap.
 
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HoneyDO

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I do run the sink to fill the trap, as I do will the other fixtures in the bathroom. I silicone caulked around the entire lid and wires on top of the pump.

Can I reroute the sink to flow into the sewage line below the check valve? Maybe this would preven any gas from being pushed out through the sink?
 

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I am not following something. Where does the sewage normally enter the sump pit for pumping up to sewer level? Embedded in/under floor? If one of those pipes are available that is probably where you should be attached. You probably should have posted this under plumbing. It would be easier to attract real plumbers.

Which connection on the vent pipe is your sink? I don't know what the rules are but that pipe coming out the top of the vent pipe (I will assume it is the vent) looks sorta small for a closed pipe with a fast pump (think vacuum).

If you connect your sink to the line that the pump uses to eject sewage it will most likely pump it into your sink instead of the sewer line, since you are probably lower. If there was a check valve between your sink and the ejector line it might work; but I personally would not want to depend on the check valve not clogging to keep the pump from filling my sink and floor with raw sewage. If done this way it would have to be a tap below the check valve for the pump ejector line. Even then it probably would not work properly because whatever you run down the sink drain will simply sit on top of the pump. If the pump allows backflow it may work if you are lucky and don't run much into the sink at one time.

Short version. Don't tap into the ejector pipe. Bad idea.

Best is a line designed to accept sewage from another fixture going to the same pit.

Vent is third choice. It may violate code (plumber comment here?). If it is on a vent, the sink waste should not be able to block the vent. your picture has a lot of horizontal piping that I believe is involved with your vent and sink. It feels rather wrong. This may cause some strangeness.

Has it ever worked without odors before the sink was installed? After the sink?

Keep in mind that someday you are going to want to get into that sump for maintenance.
 
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HoneyDO

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Youre right. Now that I read your reply, tapping into the ejection line is not smart.

The waste is dumped into the pump by an 4" line under the concrete foundation.

The vent pipe is I am using was run by the builder, so I made the assumption that it was the proper size for venting.

I have always had the odor problem,so I am just trying to fix it once and for all. I will take your advice and post under the plumbing area as well.
 

Redwood

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I'd get a plumber over there to look this over. Pipe sizes are wrong and you do not want that sink tapped into the vent. Some onsite professional look see is needed!
 

Herk

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The pump on a sewage ejector empties it very quickly. In order to do this, it must have a vent. However, the vent should never have another trap on it - that just makes it easy for the pump to suck the water out of the trap. Our code requires that the vent from the sump not vent anything else. (UPC) It has to be a separate vent through the roof. I've watched toilet traps being sucked dry when the sump isn't properly vented.
 

HoneyDO

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What would you suggest I do about the drain going into the vent pipe? The main 4" line going into the sump is under the concrete below. Do I have to dig up the concrete, or is there another solution?

I am afraid I know what your answer will be.
 

Markts30

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What would you suggest I do about the drain going into the vent pipe? The main 4" line going into the sump is under the concrete below. Do I have to dig up the concrete, or is there another solution?

I am afraid I know what your answer will be.

You know the answer...
Remove the sink from the vent line and chip up some concrete...
Tie the sink into the 4" below the grade of the slab...


You might be able to plumb the sink line into the sump through a separate line into the top of the pit but that would involve cutting a new hole...
As well - that waste line would have to be disconnectable for the lid to be removed for service...
By far the best solution is to connect it to the other line below the slab...
 
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