sportpix

Sorry about the topic folks, but every now and again an odour is emitted from my ensuite bathroom and I can't find the source. My hydrologist wife (6,000 miles away) told me to investigate the U trap in the shower, but when I did this yesterday I saw that there isn't one - there is some sort of water-filled cup, which contains clear water. There is a circular investigation cover between the loo and the bidet so I took that off and found a bigger version of the shower drain, again with clean water. I've read online that such odours are usually gas which can be dangerous and in extreme cases can be lethal, so I'm keen to get this fixed. There seems to be quite a few DIY (my most hated three letters) enthusiasts on the forum so if anyone has any advice it would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance, Richard

dingg

Its most likely to be one of the traps in a drain being pulled down when another drain is in use, only thing to do is run water down each drain regularly to keep it sealed.

Why Portuguese plumbers dont use a soil vent pipe only God knows.

Its a common problem though.

fergus

We had a similar problem with one of our bathrooms. This did have a vent pipe and we seemed to mostly get the problem when we had strong winds from a certain direction. After putting up with it for too long we got a plumber to look at it and he discovered the toilet had not been properly connected to the soil pipe and that it allowed air to leak out. He said that the previous plumber had bodged the installation and that the toilet would have come with a special fitment (they are proprietary to make and model) that the plumber should have used. He said that he would try and fashion up his own solution as he didn't have the fitment and thought it would be difficult to get. He said it was the best he could do and wouldn't guarantee it. That was ten years ago and until I saw your post I had forgotten we ever had a problem. Good luck.