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In my basement I often notice a sewer smell. It is likely caused by an open drain (I think it has a trap) that is used as an outlet for my washing machine and water heater's overflow drain pans. Because there is never any water going down these drains I believe the water is either stagnant or dries up sometimes.

The drain is in a cutout part of the skirting board so it would be hard to add a cap without cutting more of the board out. So temporarily to stop the smell I have taken out the pipe from the drain pans and covered the sewer pipe with a large block of plumbers putty to cover the hole.

What is the solution to this that would be up to code? It's a flipped house I have been in for a while and I am sure they were not supposed to do this. Ideally I need a place for my drain pans to go without releasing sewer gas!

Thanks

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isherwood
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excessliquidity
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2 Answers2

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If there is a trap, a trap-primer is the stock way to deal with the issue of the trap drying up from disuse. So, every time the washer runs, a little water is dispensed into that drain, for example. Could even be done (in many areas) by diverting a small portion of the drain water (a greywater primer), rather than using more water.

I do think the setup of that drain is highly suspect, however, which might indicate a need to make more extensive changes for a proper fix.

Ecnerwal
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First, try reconnecting the way it was, and then just pour water into one of the overflow pans once a week or so to fill a trap (if there is one) and see if that stops the smell. If so, then just use (as @Ecnerwal suggests) install a trap primer to keep it wet. If the smell persists, then more work is needed to figure out what to do.

Milwrdfan
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