On Fri, 24 Mar 2017 16:02:50 -0400, Bob
wrote:

I just bought an old farmhouse (really good deal) an am going through all the repairs
that need to be done and now have a puzzle.
When a large amount of water is flushed down the pipes (i.e. bathtub emptying)
the basement fills with sewer gas. Found a clean-out cover rusted out (and now fixed)
but still having the gas odor.
I think that when the waste water enters the tank, the gas gets pushed back.
After the fix it has dropped noticeably, but it appears it has now been directed to the tank vent.
There's still some gas in the basement, and a fairly good stench from the septic vent,
have I been living in the city so long to forget that this is normal?


Does the tank have its own vent - separate from the roof-top
plumbing vent ? all three homes that I've owned were septic
systems - with only the roof-top plumbing vent
What is the elevation of the septic tank inlet pipe - when compared
to the cellar floor ? all three of mine were about 5 feet above
the basement floor The tank on my present home is only about 8
inches below surface - earlier homes were about 12-14 inches down.
I've never had any problems - never worried much about them ..
Maybe you'd want to pump out the tank and have it inspected -
- the baffle on the outlet is important. The consistancy of the
septic waste might tell you something also - the tank-pumping guy
usually knows a thing or two. Good luck.
John T.