Slight Sewer smell coming from bathroom vent

[neptune1]

Hi, my wife and I own a 1985 Manufactured home. Its 2 bed, 2 bath. We've had it for 4 years now, no issues.
Just recently, last few days, we have noticed in small spare bathroom, a slight sewer odor. From what we can best tell, its coming from the air vent. I am planning on replacing the toilet seal this weekend. We checked the sink and it seems ok. There are no other odors anywhere else in the house just in that small bathroom and it is slight but definitely there. Any thoughts on this and what else I can check or do? unfortunately its a tight squeeze under the house and so I won't be doing that plus I hate critters.

Any help, much appreciated.

 

[Jeff Handy]

If you don’t use the sink or shower in there, the traps can go dry and release sewer gas.

That could be your problem.

 

[neptune1]

Hi, yes we actually use the bathtub all the time. We haven't used the sink but just turned it on the other day to fill the trap. Still smelling it a little.

 

[Jeff Handy]

FYI if the sink trap actually had gone dry, then you might have been noticing very tiny little flies that look like miniature house flies.

They are sewer flies, that can get into the house through a dry trap or through a flaw in the venting system.

 

[Jeff Handy]

Check on the roof to make sure all the vent stacks are open, no birds nests or other blockages.

 

[neptune1]

Hi, no we haven't seen any flies in the house, and the smell only is in that one bathroom, nowhere else. Strange it seems to come from the floor sir vent, but none of the other vents in the house smell. I will look at roof vents but I was up there not too long ago and everything seemed ok.

 

[Jeff Handy]

Could be a dead raccoon or other critter under your bathroom.

Or a dead mouse in that air vent, but they only stink for a few days.

 

[Diehard]

LOL
Yeah could be a number of things. Only limited my ones imagination.
Sorry...just struck me funny.

An air vent was mentioned as the probable source.
I would take steps to track down the actual source. Like for instance, seal that vent and observe(smell) any change.

 

[Jeff Handy]

I have had customers call me because they think they smell a natural gas leak, usually in the basement, sometimes garage, or kitchen by the stove.

More than once, my prominent sniffer has led me to a dead mouse that was the source.

Lots of people lose a great deal of their sense of smell, either from older age, lifelong allergies, sinus infections, etc.

I had one good customer who teased me a little, that with my big schnoz I probably had a great sense of smell.

My answer was, “Yes, it’s so good that I can smell your bill going up, right now!”