Intermittent Septic Smell

[jdcayhill]

I am having intermittent septic odor outside the house that seems to happen only when using the washer. The odor is only noticed outside when the wind is blowing over the house. The odor seems to last about a day or two the goes away. I have inspected my leach field several times and can not find any wet spots or odors, everything seems to be leaching fine. We had the tank pumped and inspected about 2 months ago as we normally do every 2 to 3 years. The tank was fine at the time, no cracks, leaks, and both intake and output baffles in place. I even checked the tank myself after it was pumped. Everything appears fine in the house, no drain problems, and no odors. We have 4 people taking showers and a dishwasher that a dishwasher that gets used regularly. But the odor only seems to happen after using the washer.

I have not been up on the roof but it appears the odor is coming out of a roof vent when the wind is blowing in the right direction. We have lived in this house for over 13 years and this is the first time we have had this problem. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[Hube]

Sometimes large shrubs/ trees can effect the wind directions and cause down-drafts. Also newly built structures such as houses and sheds,etc can have a downdraft effect on the air currents surrrounding the home.
You could try and lengthen the vent pipe stack/s .Place a coupling on the existing and add perhaps a 4' length or so. It may not look proper but this additional heigth may solve the odor problem.
Give if a try.

[jdcayhill]

Thanks Hube, I may have to try extending the vent pipe.

Nothing has changed around the house as far as trees, shrubs, or any structures. I guess I'm still trying to come up with a cause before I try a fix. We have lived here for quite a few years and never had this problem before.
The only thing that might have changed is we did have a wet spot in the leach field 2 months ago right before having the tank pumped. I dug down and found a break in the leach line a little more half way through the leach field. I fixed it and the wet spot went away and has not returned. At that time I did put Copper Sulfate into the leach line to try and protect against any root invasion. I wonder if this has disturbed the PH in the system, and the tank is more churned up when the washer is used causing more gasses to be released?

[HayZee518]

isn't the effluent from a laundry drain usually fed to a dry well? my thoughts are the addition of soap products to an existing septic system raises the level of the liquid and inhibits the formation of bacteria which breaks down the solids. have you tried adding RID-X to your system to see if that helps?

[jdcayhill]

isn't the effluent from a laundry drain usually fed to a dry well? my thoughts are the addition of soap products to an existing septic system raises the level of the liquid and inhibits the formation of bacteria which breaks down the solids. have you tried adding RID-X to your system to see if that helps?

Our septic system is around 40 years old and the drain for the washer does go into the septic tank. I checked what type of laundry detergent and fabric softener we use (Arm & Hammer liquid detergent and Gain liquid fabric softener) and both are labeled as being biodegradable. Although I have read some articles stating that most liquid fabric softeners are like dumping hamburger grease down your drain. We might have to change to dryer sheets.

I have not tried using RID-X yet. I did add a cup of baking soda to the tank earlier this week. I have read so many pros and cons about adding commercial septic tank products to a system that it makes me a little leery. The septic tank service driver recommended adding a cup of baking soda for proper PH and a quart of buttermilk to feed the good bacteria. But I have not tried the buttermilk yet.

[Redwood]

Here while there may be a drywell for laundry they cannot be replaced when they fail and the laundry must go to the septic system.

[HayZee518]

baking soda is an alkaline - it does the opposite of what an acid does. neutral or normal Ph is 7.4 to 7.6. In one direction the Ph goes up, but I can't remember if its by adding acid - like muriatic acid. I'll have to check my Ph test kit from my swimming pool. Buttermilk has active cultures

[Redwood]

Acid is the lower numbers and alkaline is the high numbers.

[jdcayhill]

With being on vacation this week I decided to do a test today and help the wife at the same time. I did 2 loads of laundry, ran the dishwasher, cleaned 3 bath rooms, and took a long shower. After using what should be a good amount of water and waiting a while, I walked my leach field and around the house. I only detected a slightest hint of septic smell and that was standing directly over the leach bed and being close to the ground. We also just had a fairly good soaking rain, so a very slight smell in the leach bed really doesn't seem concerning. There are no obvious wet spots and no strong odors. This is really confusing. Either the weather conditions have to be just right to produce a down draft from my vents, or the neighbor behind me has a problem. I am starting to wonder about the later. When the wind blows over my roof and the odor is noticeable, it is also coming from his direction. I guess the mystery continues.