Hi, My Name is NormaJean. I am writing this to help my daughter who is having a problem with a "sewerlike "smell coming from her sump pump. This all started after she discovered a leak in a pipe in ther yard. They had a new pipe put in to correct this. She had the new pipe put in and everything was reconnected. Now there is a very bad smell coming from this sump pump. We have poured gallons of bleach down the sump pump pipe and it hasn't helped. My husband installed a fan to vent the air from the room where the sump pump is to the outside. It seems to take the bad smell outside, but we don't know how to get rid of the smell. We are thinking it won't very nice to sit outside on the patio next summer if this continues; the smell is now concentrated to the side yard where the patio is. We are thinking somehow the soil got contaminated somehow and the water is trickeling down and picking up smell from the soil. Any ideas on how to get rid of the smell permanently. Thanks in advance.

it sounds like you have a dry trap on the sump pump and it's letting the sewer gasses back thru the system. the trap could be cracked or leaking and may need replacing. I would have a good plumber come out and take a look at it.

do you have a septic system,if so it could be overflow or leakage.also the new pipe could be leaking at the joints.matt

The trap could be dry , missing or broken. gallons of bleach pourd in would sugest to me there is-not a trap. There could also be a mechanicle trap(valve)that is worn out or stuck open. There should also be a vent pipe on the downhill side of the trap that goes through the roof it could be broken and alowing sewer gas in.
Sewer gas is mainly methan gas which is flamable as in natural gas from the gas company with the oder nutrulized and perfumed.

If the odor is constant, the problem is probably not a dry trap. It COULD be a broken or missing check valve. But then, theoretically, the sump pump should not be discharging into the sanitary sewer or septic system at all. It is possible that a sewer pipe is broken beneath the floor slab, and sewage is finding its way into the sump.

If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it's a duck, and if it smells like sewage, it's pretty much gotta be sewage.

One way to check is by means of a dye test, where dye is flushed down a toilet from above, and the the water in the sump is then soon checked for the presence of the dye. Many home inspectors can perform such a test, and many plumbers also.

Your pump system may need to be cleaned, as most home owners that have thease types of systems are never told that any type of maintenance is ever needed, they are in fact negelected. Like any mechanical device maintenance is needed, just like changing the oil in your car at every three thousand miles, your pump system needs to be cleaned and your control system and pumps need to be checked by a qualified pump technichian at least once a year. As the waste material builds up in the tank and begins to break down it creats the oder you are smelling, with regular maintenance you can prevent build up of sludge and gases and prevent any damage to your pump system. You may also have a venting problem from the tank to the outlet on the roof of your home, or it may be a broken vent in the wall and possibly improperly vented. All of thease things can be checked by a qualified pump technichian, do not call a plumber to inspect your pumps, 90 percent of them do not know enough about about pumps and control systems or will not admit that dont. No offense to you plumbers out there, but I,ve been in this industry for over 20 years and have seen what happens when things are not done right or misdiagnosed.

plumbing contractor/pumps and controls specialist

I think we're talking about a sump pump here, not a sewage pump. I've never seen a sump which is vented, and what would be the source of the "waste material" in the bottom of the sump, if only ground water is allowed to enter the sump?

Those comments aside, the suggestion for annual checks of the sump and pump, and the controls, is a good one.

I am wondering if you got a solution to your sump pump odor. I have the same problem. I have put in a brand new pump, installed a ventilation system to the roof, had the drain tiles power-washed, poured gallons and gallons of breach in the sump, replaced my sewer line and trap, had a camera on all my lines, dye tested from the toilet. The ventilation system blows the gases in the windows. I am beside myself. Any suggestions would be welcome.
Thanks.
Bridget

I'm wondering if these odoriferous sump pumps are discharging into the sanitary sewer (waste line). In most jurisdictions, this is not permitted, and it can, if the sump discharge isn't trapped and vented, allow aewer gases to enter the sump.

Richard,
Thank you for your response. My sump is going to a storm line (not the sewer line) however, there is concern that there is contamination in the main storm line in the street causing sewer gases to come back in.
Bridget