Sump Pump Odor and Smell

Information about your basement sump pump

If your basement is smelling foul, you may want to smell near your sump pump, it could be the culprit of your foul odor. There are a number of reasons sump pump order can begin to make your basement stink.

A sump pump is normally used for storm and ground water drainage when you have no natural gravity draining system. A sewer ejector is an enclosed pumping system designed for moving any type of waste into a sewer system. Sewage and waste water does not belong in a regular sump pump. You shouldn't even drain water from your laundry with it.

Sometimes it is acceptable to drain water from your sump pump into a sewer line drainage system. This type of draining often requires a back flow valve to insure that the water does not come back into the pump itself.

Sometimes sewer lines fail and can bring sewage or waste water into the drainage system in your home. Check your permiter drain to make sure that the water from your sump pump is not coming back inside.

If you have a sump pump odor, first try to think about what originally happened before you started getting the smell. Consider any changes or other problems you may have had with your home before you started getting a smell from your unit.

A usual mistake people make when installing a sump pump is draining the water onto your lawn or some other place right next to your home. Many times this water will make its way back into the pump's well. Always remember to put the drainage in a "french drain" or a storm drainage sewer. This will make sure that the water will not come back into the permimeter of your home.

Try taking a clean jar and put some of the smelly water in it to a lab and get testing done on it. They can always tell you the root of your problem. There is a test they do called a "fecal coliform" test that will let you know if you have sewage in the water. They may also be able to recommend other tests to do on your sample to better help you see what the problem is.

Another option to try is to put food coloring into all of your plumbing drains to check if any of your drain lines are broken and allowing water to seep out. It is recommended that you begin with testing your kitchen and laundry drains.

If you find that you have water draining into your sump well on a regular basis, you will usually have what is called a "ground water supply line break." If you see that most of your draining happens either during or after it rains, it is most of the time going to be a broken downspout. However, if most of the draining happens when everyone is at home, then it is most likely going to be a problem with your plumbing system. This could be causing your sump pump odor.

Sump Pump News