Hydrogen Sulfide is driving me nuts!

[jmwe29]

We have had the rotten egg smell in our basement for a couple months now. I have scoured the internet and have done all suggested troubleshooting to no avail. It's not a dry trap. We had well work done this summer at which point the hot water (not the cold) took on the same lovely odor, so we drained the electric water heater, threw in hydrogen peroxide, let it sit for abt 4 hrs, drained and refilled, and that seems to have taken care of that issue at least for the moment, but we still have the smell that comes and goes in the basement.

Question #1- can hydrogen sulfide vent into the basement from the electric water heater to the point of stench?? But the water itself no longer stinks.

Question #2- about the same time we had a new septic tank installed. Could the odor be coming from that somehow?

Question #3- I have scoured the internet looking for a hydrogen sulfide detector that won't break the bank. Not to be found. I would love to zero in on the source; it seems to be coming from the bathroom down there where the floor drain is and the hot water heater is just outside the bathroom door. They say hydrogen sulfide is heavier than air and will sink, so finding the source has been frustrating at best. And it comes and goes.

I have called a couple dozen businesses looking for some direction and have gotten nowhere. I am assuming it is a plumbing related issue, but I am at a loss. Help!!

 

[frodo]

why did you hav the septic tank replaced?

 

[jmwe29]

The old metal one had rusted away; we put in a new plastic one, and the pipe from the house to the tank had been replaced fairly recently too.

 

[speedbump]

Sounds to me like the floor drain you mentioned.

As for the water heater, there is a sacrificial rod inside that can give off a hydrogen sulfide odor. You can either remove it, raise the temp to 140° or replace the rod with a different kind. Bacteria can survive in water below 140° and that is what causes the odor.

 

[frodo]

Sounds to me like the floor drain you mentioned.

As for the water heater, there is a sacrificial rod inside that can give off a hydrogen sulfide odor. You can either remove it, raise the temp to 140° or replace the rod with a different kind. Bacteria can survive in water below 140° and that is what causes the odor.

I think Speedbump, just stepped up to the plate, took a check swing

then knocked it over the fence!!!!!!

 

[jmwe29]

We have the furnace drain hose, the dehumidifier and the discharge hoses for the water softener dumping into that drain full time, so the trap isn't empty. I am assuming there is a trap under the concrete there somewhere?? That is definitely where I sniff out the odor when it's present, but how could that be? I've dumped an enormous amount of bleach water, vinegar, God knows what all into that drain trying to get this smell under control.

This basement was built with a gutter around the outside edge of the floor that turns 90 degrees to get to the floor drain. I dumped bleach water, vinegar, etc down about 6 feet of that gutter to flush it out innumerable times. Trouble is, at the bottom end of the gutter right at the drain, it drops below the top edge of the vertical drain pipe and is actually below the concrete. There's exposed gravel right next to the pipe, so water doesn't actually drain into the pipe unless it's corroded below the concrete. Which is why I have all those drain hoses dumping directly into the drain and have dumped the bleach straight into the drain as well as into that gutter. Could the gas be filtering into the house through that gravel? I cringe at the thought of having to pull that drain and redo it. It would have to be hired.

If you all think the drain is definitely the source, what is the fix?

Oh, I ordered a zinc anode rod right away and changed that out first.

 

[frodo]

you have a open drain somewhere. smoke bomb it.

look at the vents on your roof. get a cap for each vent, buy a smoke bomb...plumbing supply, tell them to order you one
that you need to test with it. drop it down the vent on roof. cap the vents

go find the smoke. every thing is supposed to be protected by a trap. only place smoke will come out is a non trapped opening

do not run around putting water in traps. water should already be their. if not, you want to know

 

[jmwe29]

Thank you for your help. Will look into smoke bomb procedure.

 

[isopurewater]

agreed. you have an open drain somewhere. smoke bomb would be best to see if there is one open.