cedros Posted October 23, 2021 Report Share Posted October 23, 2021 I am trying to find the septic tank and the date it was last pumped out but the owner is not sure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferret Posted October 23, 2021 Report Share Posted October 23, 2021 Make sure that there is water in all traps... if there even are any traps. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cedros Posted October 23, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2021 Thanks. If there are traps there is water in them. The shower drain seems to be the problem. I guess I have to get a plumber to look at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferret Posted October 23, 2021 Report Share Posted October 23, 2021 The shower drain is often the problem and, unfortunately, is often the one without a trap. Which makes it difficult to live with. The flat covers work well. Alternatively, trapped hair stinks! And the stink won't go away until the hair is removed or rots completely. I wouldn't suggest bleach since it's a septic tank but you may want to pour a bottle of hydrogen peroxide down it. I prefer the drains lid in a checkerboard rather than slots or slits. Hair sits on the top and is easily removed after every shower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibarra Posted October 23, 2021 Report Share Posted October 23, 2021 We had a bad smell coming from our shower drain about a year ago. We removed the drain cover, cleaned the area that we could reach and put Draino down the drain. We then ran water in the shower about an hour later. Problem was solved. We did not need a plumber. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cedros Posted October 23, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2021 1 hour ago, Ferret said: The shower drain is often the problem and, unfortunately, is often the one without a trap. Which makes it difficult to live with. The flat covers work well. Alternatively, trapped hair stinks! And the stink won't go away until the hair is removed or rots completely. I wouldn't suggest bleach since it's a septic tank but you may want to pour a bottle of hydrogen peroxide down it. I prefer the drains lid in a checkerboard rather than slots or slits. Hair sits on the top and is easily removed after every shower. It smells like I need more than the flat cover. I'll try draino next. 1 hour ago, ibarra said: We had a bad smell coming from our shower drain about a year ago. We removed the drain cover, cleaned the area that we could reach and put Draino down the drain. We then ran water in the shower about an hour later. Problem was solved. We did not need a plumber. 1 hour ago, ibarra said: We had a bad smell coming from our shower drain about a year ago. We removed the drain cover, cleaned the area that we could reach and put Draino down the drain. We then ran water in the shower about an hour later. Problem was solved. We did not need a plumber. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cedros Posted October 23, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2021 My Mexican neighbours say to put cloro down the drains but would not chloro kill good bacteria which are supposed to be doing the digesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferret Posted October 23, 2021 Report Share Posted October 23, 2021 Never put cloro down into a septic tank!!!!! It kills the bacteria that do the digesting that keeps the system working properly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcscats Posted October 23, 2021 Report Share Posted October 23, 2021 1 hour ago, cedros said: My Mexican neighbours say to put cloro down the drains but would not chloro kill good bacteria which are supposed to be doing the digesting. Same for drano with a septic tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferret Posted October 23, 2021 Report Share Posted October 23, 2021 Actually, I thought the same so I googled. Drano is (apparently) safe for septic tanks and pvc pipes. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHILLIN Posted October 23, 2021 Report Share Posted October 23, 2021 Many houses in Mexico do not have vented toilet or vented washing machines. This creates a vacuum when any large quantity of water, like the rinse cycle of a washing machine. Sewage gases need somewhere to go, so they can bubble up anywhere that is connected to the system. Also, making it hard to flush toilets, showers, etc. It is expensive to retrofit venting systems. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cedros Posted October 23, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2021 I have cleaned the hair out of the trap and used Drano Max Gel and the place smells much better. Tracked down someone who knows the property-apparently the septic tank has never been pumped out. The place is about 30 years old and the soil has poor drainage so the tank might be quite full. Mixed reviews on whether or not Draino can damage PVC piping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ea93105 Posted October 23, 2021 Report Share Posted October 23, 2021 Here you can buy a shower drain with a built in mini trap to prevent air escaping, but the volume of water it holds is very small so good idea just to run water into them every so often Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cedros Posted October 23, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2021 5 hours ago, ea93105 said: Here you can buy a shower drain with a built in mini trap to prevent air escaping, but the volume of water it holds is very small so good idea just to run water into them every so often My shower has an air/water trap but what about sink drains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudgirl Posted October 23, 2021 Report Share Posted October 23, 2021 12 minutes ago, cedros said: My shower has an air trap but what about sink drains. They aren't "air traps", they are water traps. Of course sinks have traps, or they are certainly supposed to. It's the u-shaped piece under the sink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudgirl Posted October 23, 2021 Report Share Posted October 23, 2021 3 hours ago, cedros said: Tracked down someone who knows the property apparently the septic tank was never been pumped out. The place is about 30 years old. Septic tanks need to pumped if they are full. The number of years is immaterial. A properly functioning septic system that is the right size for the number of people using it may never need to be pumped out. Mine is 13 years old and has never required pumping. Anyone building a place with a private septic should route the grey water into the gardens, rather than the septic. The less water that goes into a septic system, the better it functions. Ideally, only the toilets should be routed into it. And if you want to help it digest properly after dumping cloro or something down it, just flush some bits of raw chicken you cut off when cooking. You can also buy products which are designed for that purpose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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