Man, what IS that smell?

November 7, 2006 4:19 PM

I have a funky smell coming from a pipe in my apartment. What is it, and what can I do?

The pipe is down in my basement (it's a split level). It has an exposed area that runs through a little closet I had been hanging clothes in. I'm pretty sure it's a waste water pipe... it's large and PVC white. I'll link to a picture below:

The Pipe

There is a sort of odd, sweet smell coming out of the pipe area. It's not really like sewage... more like toothpaste, or something like that. It pervades the closet and the little hallway area around it. I'm worried that it's going to get into my clothes, and that it might be a sign of something else. Anyone want to venture a guess as to what it is, and/or how I can get rid of it? I'm happy to provide more details... just ask.

posted by selfnoise to Home & Garden (9 answers total)

Is it leaking? Can you see/feel any moisture? The paint in the right corner looks like it has moisture damage...
posted by Big_B at 4:27 PM on November 7, 2006

It is a sewer pipe--only sewer pipes are that big. Someone is going to have to tear it out and replace it. The nice thing about renting is that someone won't be you.
posted by LarryC at 5:06 PM on November 7, 2006

Drain pipes have a P=trap that collects water in the bottom and blocks sewer gas. There's a good chance the water in the trap has evaporated if it isn't used much. Just pour a little water into the drain and see if that blocks the smell.
posted by buggzzee23 at 5:19 PM on November 7, 2006

Response by poster: Big_B - I checked around the entire pipe and didn't feel any moisture or see any kind of leak-type damage. I did find 2 really old, closed bags of mice poison... not sure what that was about. A dea mouse would smell a lot worse, I would think.
posted by selfnoise at 5:21 PM on November 7, 2006

Response by poster: buggz- sorry, I'm fairly ignorant about this stuff. Is this a separate drain somewhere I need to find?
posted by selfnoise at 5:25 PM on November 7, 2006

Is the smell coming from the pipe itself or from a drain that it's connected to? If it's from a drain, then I've fixed similar problems by using drain cleaner to get rid of the source of the smell.
posted by concrete at 10:51 PM on November 7, 2006

The piece of pipe in the extreme right of your photo looks kind of warped to me, which says that the pipe is under stress (perhaps because the building has settled a little). There will be a joint underneath that metal strap on the right, and I'm tipping there's a crack in the top of the joint that's letting a tiny amount of sewer gas into your closet.

If it's your apartment, it couldn't hurt to pump a crapload of silicone sealant in behind the strap with a caulking gun and see if the smell goes away. If you're renting, tell your landlord about it. Remind him that sewer gas buildups in poorly ventilated spaces can poison tenants and/or cause mighty explosions.
posted by flabdablet at 3:03 AM on November 8, 2006

Where does the pipe come from? From the photo it looks like a tee goes vertical at the center of the picture. Is there a bathroom directly above that or a kitchen? It's also hard to judge scale from the pic, what is the diameter of the pipe? Around 6"?
posted by JJ86 at 5:50 AM on November 8, 2006

Response by poster: JJ- the pipe is below and a little offset from a bathroom. The kitchen is also fairly nearby.
posted by selfnoise at 2:50 PM on November 8, 2006