[Art Todesco]

This may be a little OT because it's not for home, but church. My
church has developed a really bad sewer like smell in one corner of the
building, actually by the main entrance. I thought it might be the new
drinking fountain and it was just installed and maybe there was some
kind of drain leak ... apparently not. BTW, there is a basement right
under that corner, but is smells ... well it doesn't, at all. Someone
found a a bag of meat left out from the food pantry tucked away in a
corner of a room ... apparently not that. A plumber was called and he
found a somewhat loose toilet so he replace the wax ring and tightened
it ... not that either.

Ok, all that said, does anyone know of a way to trace where it is coming
from? My smeller is pretty good, however, it's hard to pin point the
spot when it seems to be everywhere. And then, on some days, nowhere;
although the bad smell days far outnumber the non smell days. Any
ideas? Thanks.

[trader_4]

On Sunday, March 6, 2016 at 7:51:14 AM UTC-5, Art Todesco wrote:
This may be a little OT because it's not for home, but church. My
church has developed a really bad sewer like smell in one corner of the
building, actually by the main entrance. I thought it might be the new
drinking fountain and it was just installed and maybe there was some
kind of drain leak ... apparently not. BTW, there is a basement right
under that corner, but is smells ... well it doesn't, at all. Someone
found a a bag of meat left out from the food pantry tucked away in a
corner of a room ... apparently not that. A plumber was called and he
found a somewhat loose toilet so he replace the wax ring and tightened
it ... not that either.

Ok, all that said, does anyone know of a way to trace where it is coming
from? My smeller is pretty good, however, it's hard to pin point the
spot when it seems to be everywhere. And then, on some days, nowhere;
although the bad smell days far outnumber the non smell days. Any
ideas? Thanks.

For me, the bag of meat tucked away in a corner is the best clue.
How does that happen? Sounds deliberate. So, I'd be looking at any
other places, closets, openings, anywhere some jerk could have left
something else to rot.
A

[Ed Pawlowski]

On 3/6/2016 8:24 AM, trader_4 wrote:


For me, the bag of meat tucked away in a corner is the best clue.
How does that happen? Sounds deliberate. So, I'd be looking at any
other places, closets, openings, anywhere some jerk could have left
something else to rot.
A



That intrigued me too. Was the area sanitized after? A little residue
can still make a good stink for a long time.

My father bought a brand new from the factory 1959 Chevy Impala.
Started to stink. Found a half a sandwich under the back seat. And
people wonder how foreign cars took such a big market share.

[Oren[_2_]]

On Sun, 6 Mar 2016 07:51:16 -0500, Art Todesco
wrote:

This may be a little OT because it's not for home, but church. My
church has developed a really bad sewer like smell in one corner of the
building, actually by the main entrance. I thought it might be the new
drinking fountain and it was just installed and maybe there was some
kind of drain leak ... apparently not. BTW, there is a basement right
under that corner, but is smells ... well it doesn't, at all. Someone
found a a bag of meat left out from the food pantry tucked away in a
corner of a room ... apparently not that. A plumber was called and he
found a somewhat loose toilet so he replace the wax ring and tightened
it ... not that either.

Ok, all that said, does anyone know of a way to trace where it is coming
from? My smeller is pretty good, however, it's hard to pin point the
spot when it seems to be everywhere. And then, on some days, nowhere;
although the bad smell days far outnumber the non smell days. Any
ideas? Thanks.

If the building has floor drains, pour a bucket of water down each
drain.

[Unquestionably Confused]

On 3/6/2016 11:09 AM, Oren wrote:
On Sun, 6 Mar 2016 07:51:16 -0500, Art Todesco
wrote:


[snip]

Ok, all that said, does anyone know of a way to trace where it is coming
from? My smeller is pretty good, however, it's hard to pin point the
spot when it seems to be everywhere. And then, on some days, nowhere;
although the bad smell days far outnumber the non smell days. Any
ideas? Thanks.

If the building has floor drains, pour a bucket of water down each
drain.

That was my first thought as well, but then, they DID have a plumber
come in so I assumed. . .

That said, if it turns out that you're (we're) correct and that cures
it, they should fire that plumber. g

[Oren[_2_]]

On Sun, 6 Mar 2016 11:23:18 -0600, Unquestionably Confused
wrote:

On 3/6/2016 11:09 AM, Oren wrote:
On Sun, 6 Mar 2016 07:51:16 -0500, Art Todesco
wrote:


[snip]

Ok, all that said, does anyone know of a way to trace where it is coming
from? My smeller is pretty good, however, it's hard to pin point the
spot when it seems to be everywhere. And then, on some days, nowhere;
although the bad smell days far outnumber the non smell days. Any
ideas? Thanks.

If the building has floor drains, pour a bucket of water down each
drain.

That was my first thought as well, but then, they DID have a plumber
come in so I assumed. . .

That said, if it turns out that you're (we're) correct and that cures
it, they should fire that plumber. g

Should have also mentioned any shower stalls sinks rarely used and a
Baptismal ...

[Unquestionably Confused]

On 3/6/2016 11:33 AM, Oren wrote:
On Sun, 6 Mar 2016 11:23:18 -0600, Unquestionably Confused
wrote:

On 3/6/2016 11:09 AM, Oren wrote:
On Sun, 6 Mar 2016 07:51:16 -0500, Art Todesco
wrote:


[snip]

Ok, all that said, does anyone know of a way to trace where it is coming
from? My smeller is pretty good, however, it's hard to pin point the
spot when it seems to be everywhere. And then, on some days, nowhere;
although the bad smell days far outnumber the non smell days. Any
ideas? Thanks.

If the building has floor drains, pour a bucket of water down each
drain.

That was my first thought as well, but then, they DID have a plumber
come in so I assumed. . .

That said, if it turns out that you're (we're) correct and that cures
it, they should fire that plumber. g

Should have also mentioned any shower stalls sinks rarely used and a
Baptismal ...



Any drain PERIOD

At my office (~1800 sq feet) we have one floor drain in the basement
area and one floor drain in the washroom. When the trap in the washroom
drain evaporates (its only purpose is to receive possible disharge from
the pressure relief valve on the water heater) we KNOW it.
Interestingly, that smell permeates our side of the building and it's
really non-specific to the washroom. If it starts smelling on Friday
night when we shut down, Monday morning we'll smell it when we enter the
foyer of the building, a have story down and through two closed doors.
It won't be any stronger in the office or the washroom. It's everywhere
but we know the source.g 16 to 20 oz of water dumped in every month
and we're good to go. No problems.

[Bob F]

Art Todesco wrote:
This may be a little OT because it's not for home, but church. My
church has developed a really bad sewer like smell in one corner of
the building, actually by the main entrance. I thought it might be
the new drinking fountain and it was just installed and maybe there
was some kind of drain leak ... apparently not. BTW, there is a
basement right under that corner, but is smells ... well it doesn't,
at all. Someone found a a bag of meat left out from the food pantry
tucked away in a corner of a room ... apparently not that. A plumber
was called and he found a somewhat loose toilet so he replace the wax
ring and tightened it ... not that either.

Ok, all that said, does anyone know of a way to trace where it is
coming from? My smeller is pretty good, however, it's hard to pin
point the spot when it seems to be everywhere. And then, on some
days, nowhere; although the bad smell days far outnumber the non
smell days. Any ideas? Thanks.

Maybe someones dog could help.

[Don Y[_3_]]

On 3/6/2016 5:51 AM, Art Todesco wrote:
This may be a little OT because it's not for home, but church. My church has
developed a really bad sewer like smell in one corner of the building, actually
by the main entrance. I thought it might be the new drinking fountain and it
was just installed and maybe there was some kind of drain leak ... apparently
not. BTW, there is a basement right under that corner, but is smells ... well
it doesn't, at all. Someone found a a bag of meat left out from the food
pantry tucked away in a corner of a room ... apparently not that. A plumber
was called and he found a somewhat loose toilet so he replace the wax ring and
tightened it ... not that either.

Ok, all that said, does anyone know of a way to trace where it is coming from?
My smeller is pretty good, however, it's hard to pin point the spot when it
seems to be everywhere. And then, on some days, nowhere; although the bad
smell days far outnumber the non smell days. Any ideas? Thanks.

Make sure the traps in *all* drains have water in them (an unused drain
can dry out in short order).

Vent the area (you said it was proximate to the main entrance so some
fans running for a few hours should vent EXISTING fumes). Then, start
hunting. I.e., finding the highest concentration in an otherwise
"clean" area is easier than finding it in a perfused area.

[I had a *tiny* natural gas leak, here. SWMBO, plumber, neighbors, etc.
couldn't smell it. I borrowed a portable gas analyzer from the local
hospital and used it to isolate the point of the leak.]

[Stormin Mormon[_10_]]

On 3/6/2016 7:51 AM, Art Todesco wrote:
This may be a little OT because it's not for home, but church. My
church has developed a really bad sewer like smell in one corner of the
building, actually by the main entrance. I thought it might be the new
drinking fountain and it was just installed and maybe there was some
kind of drain leak ... apparently not. BTW, there is a basement right
under that corner, but is smells ... well it doesn't, at all. Someone
found a a bag of meat left out from the food pantry tucked away in a
corner of a room ... apparently not that. A plumber was called and he
found a somewhat loose toilet so he replace the wax ring and tightened
it ... not that either.

Ok, all that said, does anyone know of a way to trace where it is coming
from? My smeller is pretty good, however, it's hard to pin point the
spot when it seems to be everywhere. And then, on some days, nowhere;
although the bad smell days far outnumber the non smell days. Any
ideas? Thanks.

Others went with my thought, a dried out
drain trap of some kind. Another concern
is possibly a pipe that is unconnected, or
broken.

Perhaps you can open all the doors and blow
the building out. Then sniff around when the
doors are first closed.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
.. www.lds.org
..
..

[Stormin Mormon[_10_]]

On 3/6/2016 12:23 PM, Unquestionably Confused wrote:
On 3/6/2016 11:09 AM, Oren wrote:
On Sun, 6 Mar 2016 07:51:16 -0500, Art Todesco
wrote:


[snip]

Ok, all that said, does anyone know of a way to trace where it is coming
from? My smeller is pretty good, however, it's hard to pin point the
spot when it seems to be everywhere. And then, on some days, nowhere;
although the bad smell days far outnumber the non smell days. Any
ideas? Thanks.

If the building has floor drains, pour a bucket of water down each
drain.

That was my first thought as well, but then, they DID have a plumber
come in so I assumed. . .

That said, if it turns out that you're (we're) correct and that cures
it, they should fire that plumber. g


Different workers have different things they look
for. Might be the plumber had a bad day?


--
..
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
.. www.lds.org
..
..

[micky]

On Sun, 6 Mar 2016 07:51:16 -0500, Art Todesco
wrote:

This may be a little OT because it's not for home, but church. My

You need to post this on alt.church.repair.

church has developed a really bad sewer like smell in one corner of the

There are no bad sewers. Only sewers that do bad things.

building, actually by the main entrance. I thought it might be the new
drinking fountain and it was just installed and maybe there was some
kind of drain leak ... apparently not. BTW, there is a basement right
under that corner, but is smells ... well it doesn't, at all. Someone
found a a bag of meat left out from the food pantry tucked away in a

A bag of meat!

corner of a room ... apparently not that. A plumber was called and he
found a somewhat loose toilet so he replace the wax ring and tightened
it ... not that either.

Ok, all that said, does anyone know of a way to trace where it is coming
from? My smeller is pretty good, however, it's hard to pin point the
spot when it seems to be everywhere. And then, on some days, nowhere;
although the bad smell days far outnumber the non smell days. Any
ideas? Thanks.

Not me. Check alt.church.repair .

[TimR[_2_]]

A dry trap is the most likely but they do tend to have a distinctive smell.

If you have someone with a sensitive nose sometimes they can discriminate between different causes.

If it is a dry trap, it doesn't happen suddenly and it will always recur regularly. Pouring water in helps, but you have to figure out the interval and remember to do it quarterly, monthly, weekly, whatever; depends on temperature and humidity usually. Some people put a tablespoon of vegetable oil on top of the water on the theory it prevents evaporation in the trap. Maybe it works, maybe not, I dunno. I just make sure I run water periodically.

I have also run into a case where the exhaust fan was strong enough to pull some sewer gas up through the trap even though it wasn't dry. That was solved by putting a vent in the door so the makeup air could come in that way..

[TimR[_2_]]

On Sunday, March 6, 2016 at 7:51:14 AM UTC-5, Art Todesco wrote:
This may be a little OT because it's not for home, but church. My
church has developed a really bad sewer like smell in one corner of the
building, actually by the main entrance. I thought it might be the new
drinking fountain and it was just installed

Did the smell start soon after the drinking fountain was installed?

[Colonel Edmund J. Burke[_16_]]

On 3/6/2016 4:51 AM, Art Todesco wrote:
This may be a little OT because it's not for home, but church. My
church has developed a really bad sewer like smell in one corner of the
building, actually by the main entrance.


It's probably karma come back to you and the rest of those ignorant
jesus worshippers.
LOL

[[email protected]]

On Sun, 6 Mar 2016 07:51:16 -0500, Art Todesco
wrote:

This may be a little OT because it's not for home, but church. My
church has developed a really bad sewer like smell in one corner of the
building, actually by the main entrance. I thought it might be the new
drinking fountain and it was just installed and maybe there was some
kind of drain leak ... apparently not. BTW, there is a basement right
under that corner, but is smells ... well it doesn't, at all. Someone
found a a bag of meat left out from the food pantry tucked away in a
corner of a room ... apparently not that. A plumber was called and he
found a somewhat loose toilet so he replace the wax ring and tightened
it ... not that either.

Ok, all that said, does anyone know of a way to trace where it is coming
from? My smeller is pretty good, however, it's hard to pin point the
spot when it seems to be everywhere. And then, on some days, nowhere;
although the bad smell days far outnumber the non smell days. Any
ideas? Thanks.

Dead mouse/rat, or other critter.

Worse yet, a dead deity (you cant see them)!!!!

[TimR[_2_]]

For a permanent solution, find the smell. Baptize it, confirm it, and you'll never see it again.

[Art Todesco]

On 3/7/2016 9:13 AM, TimR wrote:
On Sunday, March 6, 2016 at 7:51:14 AM UTC-5, Art Todesco wrote:
This may be a little OT because it's not for home, but church. My
church has developed a really bad sewer like smell in one corner of the
building, actually by the main entrance. I thought it might be the new
drinking fountain and it was just installed

Did the smell start soon after the drinking fountain was installed?

Yes it did, however, I don't think it is coming from the water fountain.
I've stuck my nose right against the drain and also behind the unit
and there was nothing. I haven't been there since I first posted, but
will be there tomorrow. Thinking about this and all the replies, I
think there are 2 washrooms just under the lobby, and these washrooms
are not heavily used. I don't think many people even know they exist.
My wife was there yesterday and didn't smell anything, but it does seem
to come and go. I'll keep you posted.

[trader_4]

On Wednesday, March 9, 2016 at 9:13:18 AM UTC-5, Art Todesco wrote:
On 3/7/2016 9:13 AM, TimR wrote:
On Sunday, March 6, 2016 at 7:51:14 AM UTC-5, Art Todesco wrote:
This may be a little OT because it's not for home, but church. My
church has developed a really bad sewer like smell in one corner of the
building, actually by the main entrance. I thought it might be the new
drinking fountain and it was just installed

Did the smell start soon after the drinking fountain was installed?

Yes it did, however, I don't think it is coming from the water fountain.
I've stuck my nose right against the drain and also behind the unit
and there was nothing. I haven't been there since I first posted, but
will be there tomorrow. Thinking about this and all the replies, I
think there are 2 washrooms just under the lobby, and these washrooms
are not heavily used. I don't think many people even know they exist.
My wife was there yesterday and didn't smell anything, but it does seem
to come and go. I'll keep you posted.

I'd try tracing where vents for the drain system for those 2 bathrooms
go. Possible something is broken, not connected, etc. If it's hidden,
you could scope it from the roof.

[Unquestionably Confused]

On 3/9/2016 8:38 AM, trader_4 wrote:
On Wednesday, March 9, 2016 at 9:13:18 AM UTC-5, Art Todesco wrote:
On 3/7/2016 9:13 AM, TimR wrote:
On Sunday, March 6, 2016 at 7:51:14 AM UTC-5, Art Todesco wrote:
This may be a little OT because it's not for home, but church. My
church has developed a really bad sewer like smell in one corner of the
building, actually by the main entrance. I thought it might be the new
drinking fountain and it was just installed

Did the smell start soon after the drinking fountain was installed?

Yes it did, however, I don't think it is coming from the water fountain.
I've stuck my nose right against the drain and also behind the unit
and there was nothing. I haven't been there since I first posted, but
will be there tomorrow. Thinking about this and all the replies, I
think there are 2 washrooms just under the lobby, and these washrooms
are not heavily used. I don't think many people even know they exist.
My wife was there yesterday and didn't smell anything, but it does seem
to come and go. I'll keep you posted.

I'd try tracing where vents for the drain system for those 2 bathrooms
go. Possible something is broken, not connected, etc. If it's hidden,
you could scope it from the roof.



Good thought. I'd completely forgotten an experience that I had.

Did a complete gut job of the kitchen (house built in 1974) down to the
stud walls. On a common wall shared by the kitchen plumbing and a bath,
I discovered that over the years something (sewer gas?) had corroded a
section of the 3" copper vent stack in that wall, necessitating replacement.

We never experienced sewer gas smell, but strange stuff can happen with
plumbing, so trader's suggestion has merit.

[[email protected]]

On Sun, 6 Mar 2016 07:51:16 -0500, Art Todesco
wrote:

This may be a little OT because it's not for home, but church. My
church has developed a really bad sewer like smell in one corner of the
building, actually by the main entrance. I thought it might be the new
drinking fountain and it was just installed and maybe there was some
kind of drain leak ... apparently not. BTW, there is a basement right
under that corner, but is smells ... well it doesn't, at all. Someone
found a a bag of meat left out from the food pantry tucked away in a
corner of a room ... apparently not that. A plumber was called and he
found a somewhat loose toilet so he replace the wax ring and tightened
it ... not that either.

Ok, all that said, does anyone know of a way to trace where it is coming
from? My smeller is pretty good, however, it's hard to pin point the
spot when it seems to be everywhere. And then, on some days, nowhere;
although the bad smell days far outnumber the non smell days. Any
ideas? Thanks.

*** IT'S THE DEVIL AND HE'S FARTING ***