Septic Odor Issue in Honduras Rainy Season
Hello again,
I hoping that someone can help me with another dilemma. There is an existing building here in La Esperanza, Honduras that has living quarters on both side of a shared bathroom space. Keep in mind this building was built on bedrock and the porch overhangs a bit on the back of the house.
You'll have to bear with me on this one as I had nothing to do with construction on this one.
The problem is when we are relaxing on the back porch, particularly when it rains, we get a constant supply of noxious fumes.
Interesting fact #1: Turns out the septic tank is actually in the foundation of the building, in the far left corner of the building. There is an access passageway where I can see the piping and cleanouts.
Interesting fact #2: Both bathrooms stink!! They are currently replacing the toilets because they had originally gotten fancy European designed toilets which accepted the drain pipe at an angle. The seals had been replaced twice in both bathrooms.
Interesting fact #3: What I thought was a septic vent at the top of a column on the porch (same area) is actually a 3" pipe to accept the drain pipe from the gutters, the vent itself (I believe) is a 1" pipe located high up near the roofline of the building.
Interesting fact #4: I believe the tank has 2 drain lines which run to a nearby hillside, but the elevation change they cover is a very steep slope. Almost 90 degrees... I have heard that waste cannot flow and backs up easily at such a steep slope.
Interesting fact #5: When someone is taking a shower in the bathroom closest to the tank and you are sitting on the porch you can actually hear the water emptying into the tank.
So, the question remains... is the smell coming from the vent pipe and we just need to have it come out and up past the roofline?
or
is the septic field so backed up that we need to break the concrete and continue a line at a 2% grade til we reach land to make a drain field
FYI: There is a spot where you can actually see the drain pipe in the field and the water surrounding it doesn't stink, and the perforatations in the pipe are clear of waste.
Any comments are welcome.
Including why the hell they put the tank under the building in the first place.
Chau,
Brook
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