Oh the SMELL!!!!

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BamBamm

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Short End: I have a BAD odor in the house and I think it is making us all sick!!!

Long End:
I live in a rented two story, 5 bedrooms, 1 bath, 100+-year-old house, in the countryside of Oak Ridge, Missouri. Since I moved in almost 2 years ago, we have had issues with the septic. It overflows in the house and there is an awful order coming from the bathroom, that rivals my wife's breath. The odor is so bad at times, even my daughters will go out in the yard to potty, just to avoid the smell. There is NO vent in the bathroom at all. Outside I have a 6' pipe going up along side my bedroom window as a vent. In January 2015, they installed a new septic tank and ran a new drain line into the field. This seemed to fix the overflowing problem. The guy that installed it told me it wasn't the correct size for the home, but the owners wouldn't pay for the bigger tank. The rental company I rent from sent Dutch Enterprise out here to check the system. He came out, ran a camera into my toilet and left, stating nothing was wrong. I complained that the smell was still present and they sent Dutch Enterprise back out. At this point, I had removed the vent pipe and found a squirrel nest and a bunch of acorns in the tube. The guy from Dutch came into the house, walked to the bathroom, walked out, put the vent pipe back on and left. He NEVER tested for gas. I got a $100.00 bill for this. It stated that their tech came out, found no gas and had to repair my vent pipe. That was 6 or 7 months ago.

The smell is still here, especially if it rains or someone showers. There is 7 of us here, my wife and I, and 5 children (2 yrs - 15 yrs). We can NOT afford to move and the landlord knows this and refuses to send anyone out again, stating if I want it fixed, I have to do it myself. My family have been feeling sick as of late and I thought it was maybe the flu, but it is the same symptoms repeatedly for everyone (light headed, dizzy, headaches, tummy aches) and when we leave for a couple hours, everyone feels better till we spend an hour in the house.

I don't know what to do, please help!!
If I installed air vents on the tank, would it help?
I have tried pouring liquid plumber, baking soda and vinegar down various drains, including the tub, but it doesn't seem to correct the issue.
 
Last edited:
No. 2- There is no health department in your county?
I am sure there is, however, I am in county not city so laws tend to be more lenient and I can't risk getting kicked out of here by going to the health department. I called and got a free consultation with an attorney and he told me I am boned. This area doesn't have laws to protect the tenant, all the owners have to do is say the house is unfit to live in and give me a 3 day noticed to vacate and I can't hold them responsible for anything. I have already invested over $400.00 in fixing electrical issues, such as light fixtures sparking because of old knob and tube bare wires!
 
:( ..sorry abut your predicament...

It sounds like to me that there is a vent issue.

Hopefully a professional will come on soon to help you along.
 
You should call a professional to fix the problem, it could be vent issue.
As I said, Dutch Enterprise claims there is no issue...
 

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