QUESTION:
We have urine smell (or worse) coming up from sump pump cover. I was told that we didn’t have to get the septic tank cleaned out until next year. I think air is coming up through the sump pump. Is this natural?
–DAN
ANSWER:
Failure to pump the septic system should not cause a smell. There should be no smell with a typical sump pump system. The sump pump pit collects clear rain water from the drain tile system, and ejects to the outside or an underground septic system. You could flush out the sump crock with lots of clear water if you have a smell problem. At times, there could be a smell from rodents or other debris.
Since you mentioned a septic system, I suspect the pump and crock you are referring to is a gray water or septic pump. It will look just like a sump pump and crock, but it collects water from the floor drain or basement laundry tub and pumps the water up into the septic tank line. The sewer ejector pump could be an open crock for an older system.
The ejector in all newer systems is sealed with a cover and will have a vent pipe connected. This system with an open crock can develop a smell and again you can flush it out with lots of clear water. If you have an open crock, consider changing to a sealed, vented crock. Finally, air should not enter either type of crock through the sump pump, so I don’t know what is happening there.
–MR. FIX-IT
To remove the smoke smell, you need to remove the soot. This involves washing or cleaning any cloth materials. The hard surfaces should be cleaned with a dry sponge. A dry sponge is specifically used to remove soot from hard surfaces. You will find a dry sponge at big-box stores and professional cleaning suppliers. A dry sponge is like a big soft eraser that is wiped on the surface to absorb the soot.
