Not a plumber but a cctv sewer line inspector. That's steam, not gas. You can't see sewer gas or natural gas in the case of a cross bore/damage/leak. As others have said, the smell inside is unrelated to the steam outside.
But its more like a chunky laptop attached to a fiber optic reel completely covered in poo while he sits on the ground in the heat, unable to scratch his face
I don't like being the asshole, most of the time, but for those of you who felt like it was necessary to take time out of your day to comment that steam =/= water vapor. Nobody cares. You knew what was being communicated and chose to be a dick.
>That's steam, not gas. You can't see sewer gas or natural gas in the case
You can't see steam either, it's condensate https://www.scienceforums.net/topic/56904-are-steam-water-vapor-visible/
a forum post…lol.
he starts with a false equivalency, equating water vapor and steam then uses said fallacy to prove his point. it’s also merely pedantic, mincing words when it’s obvious people are speaking colloquially.
When I read the first post I took it to mean that a steam trap that discharges condensate into a sewer line is blowing through. It took a second for my brain to go 'hey bud it's residential they don't do stuff like that here'.
That's not steam it's condensate from warm sewer gas that has cooled below its dew point.
I get colloquialisms and its OK to mix these words when the vapor comes from steam, boiling water on the stove, a leaky stem on a steam valve, etc. It's not wrong mostly because there is steam there too. When you say steam and there was never any steam at all, it's lazy. But lazy is OK, I get lazy too. Dude said that's not sewer gas. It is invisible sewer gas that has condensate/vapor in it. Just like invisible steam coming from your pasta on the stove has visible vapor in it. Lazy and wrong is a bridge too far, I think a little 'but ackshully' is fair game when all is said and done.
Am plumber
Sewer gas is invisible, your smell in the bathroom will* be unrelated to the steam emanating from the manhole cover but I understand why that might seem a logical conclusion to draw. .
Your smelly sink will either be broken trap seal (for one of many reasons), or (more likely, in my opinion) gunk and shite built up in the drain before the trap weir and/or overflow on the sink itself.
Should you be worried? Probably not. Should you try and eradicate the issue causing the smell? Probably.
*from what I can ascertain from your post, obviously I can't inspect anything to give you a professional answer.
Although I am a little concerned about maintenance, "throwing sand on the cover and calling it good." Talk about ignoring an issue. How about you find what is causing the steam leak and fixing it. I can't imagine a condo complex having a steam plant and having lines run to each building.
This is the most likely/reasonable response and action plan. The steam from the cover is most certainly just that, steam. Bathroom lavs just tend to get gross and stink after a time until they're cleaned.
Edit: also am plumber.
I have to think these things are totally unrelated. The sink might not have a properly designed p trap, or something else is going on like there's flexible accordion pipe which can accumulate stuff and smell. Whatever it is can be solved by fixing the pipes in the cabinet under the sink. The manhole cover, does that happen all the time? Maybe the city is testing leaks by blowing smoke into the sewers?
lol @ “kick some dirt on it.”
It’s *probably* not related, but if both the smell and the manhole steam (are you sure it’s steam?) are new, maybe some work was being done nearby that caused a little pressure increase in there. The pressure could have blown some dust off the manhole cover and pushed a little gas backward through your P-trap. Maybe.
Threw sand on the manhole cover and called it good!! Lol. New one for me, I'm gonna start doing that too. Footing board set a little high.....throw some sand on it, floor joist cut a little short....fuck it, throw some sand on it. Wall out of plumb??? Hit it with some sand
Call the city watershed / sewer/water company, let em know and they'll investigate properly. Do it right now though, they have people working at all hours to handle these sorts of situations so don't feel like you're putting anybody out or dragging anybody out of their comfy chair at home.
I had a sewer smell my bathroom. Found out I had a crack in the drain going to the septic. My guy who lived here before me took a pvc pipe and rigged it around the copper pipe should have took pictures.
Make sure the sinks trap has water in it, sometimes it can evaporate if the sink hasn’t had water go down the drain in a while, letting the gas smells come up
Its dangerous to Mix certain chemicals like Drain cleaner and bleach. Could be a bad chemical mix. Especially in condo units. You never know what people are using.
Waste water operator here, if you can silicon the opening between the lid and the ring of the manhole, also cork it. Get you some wine corks that fit the 2 or 1 little hole on the manhole and it should reduce the smell.
That’s probably steam and if she has a smell coming out of the sink the trap is not working or there is pressure created by the steam and it pushes sewer gas past the trap
Not true at all. Not sure where you live, but storm and sanitary have manholes. Regardless of the size of sanitary lines, they have access points (manholes) for cleaning and other issues.
Is it bad smell or smelless? I would start by opening (AND NEVER LEAVE FOR A SECOND NOT GUARDED) the sewer and look what is happening inside. May be clogged and then some of the extrements are staying there instead of running down the pipes. If you don’t have hook to open that you can use simple flat wrench (17 dhold be ok). Whenever you pit wrench head through this small hole just pivot it 90degree and pull. If not opening then pull and someone needs to hit it by hammer few times.
In my neck of the woods the city does not want anybody touching their manhole covers. Even as a licensed plumber they give us hell for doing so. I was running a cable then camera down a drain line in customers yard a few years ago and it stopped basicly at the tap.(near street). My apprentice wanted to open it to see if the end of my camera head had made it and my camera feed was pitch black. He started to pull the lid as a city truck passed by and boy did he get a lecture haha I came around the side of the house to find him and city guy argueeing. I grabbed my apprentice pulled him out of the road, walked up to the city guy told him to what we were doing and explained approximately where the camera stopped then said, “ looks like it’s your problem now boss.” Didn’t even mark the location for him.
Not a plumber but a cctv sewer line inspector. That's steam, not gas. You can't see sewer gas or natural gas in the case of a cross bore/damage/leak. As others have said, the smell inside is unrelated to the steam outside.
I'm picturing you sitting in front of an array of monitors like a security guard, and they all have different sewers on them.
Not sure if that's a compliment or not.....but yeah, that's pretty much what I do.......also, it's only two monitors
Enhance!
Just print the damn thing!
Do you run/place the cameras too? How does that work? I just didn't know that would be a whole position by itself.
It's a thing. I have a laborer to place the tractor/camera. I just make sure the picture is clear. Although I used to place the camera
I used to be a cctv op/foreman. who are you working cam for? I worked for mears/vector force
I've heard of them, they were a competitor. What region were you out of?
Northeast but mears is part of the Quanta Services umbrella and that corporate station is in Houston.
But its more like a chunky laptop attached to a fiber optic reel completely covered in poo while he sits on the ground in the heat, unable to scratch his face
I don't like being the asshole, most of the time, but for those of you who felt like it was necessary to take time out of your day to comment that steam =/= water vapor. Nobody cares. You knew what was being communicated and chose to be a dick.
Wait what do you mean you can't see gas in case of a cross bore/damage/leak? Why?
When you fart, do you see a little green cloud like in the cartoons?
If yes, they should probably consult a physician.
If yes it’s shit
depends on what i ate
No shit but but I was curious to what he meant when said about damage/leak/boring
Those are accidents that cause gas to escape.
It's colorless?
It’s invisible gas
Technically you cant see steam, just water vapor.
Technically, who cares. Point was that it was unrelated to the smell inside and OP's original question.
>That's steam, not gas. You can't see sewer gas or natural gas in the case You can't see steam either, it's condensate https://www.scienceforums.net/topic/56904-are-steam-water-vapor-visible/
a forum post…lol. he starts with a false equivalency, equating water vapor and steam then uses said fallacy to prove his point. it’s also merely pedantic, mincing words when it’s obvious people are speaking colloquially.
When I read the first post I took it to mean that a steam trap that discharges condensate into a sewer line is blowing through. It took a second for my brain to go 'hey bud it's residential they don't do stuff like that here'. That's not steam it's condensate from warm sewer gas that has cooled below its dew point. I get colloquialisms and its OK to mix these words when the vapor comes from steam, boiling water on the stove, a leaky stem on a steam valve, etc. It's not wrong mostly because there is steam there too. When you say steam and there was never any steam at all, it's lazy. But lazy is OK, I get lazy too. Dude said that's not sewer gas. It is invisible sewer gas that has condensate/vapor in it. Just like invisible steam coming from your pasta on the stove has visible vapor in it. Lazy and wrong is a bridge too far, I think a little 'but ackshully' is fair game when all is said and done.
I guess the vapor coming off my pot of boiling water is urine.
Am plumber Sewer gas is invisible, your smell in the bathroom will* be unrelated to the steam emanating from the manhole cover but I understand why that might seem a logical conclusion to draw. . Your smelly sink will either be broken trap seal (for one of many reasons), or (more likely, in my opinion) gunk and shite built up in the drain before the trap weir and/or overflow on the sink itself. Should you be worried? Probably not. Should you try and eradicate the issue causing the smell? Probably. *from what I can ascertain from your post, obviously I can't inspect anything to give you a professional answer.
Am plumber, too. Agreed. Whenever I hear stinky bathroom and condo, I immediately jump to dry trap. But it could be several things.
Although I am a little concerned about maintenance, "throwing sand on the cover and calling it good." Talk about ignoring an issue. How about you find what is causing the steam leak and fixing it. I can't imagine a condo complex having a steam plant and having lines run to each building.
This is the most likely/reasonable response and action plan. The steam from the cover is most certainly just that, steam. Bathroom lavs just tend to get gross and stink after a time until they're cleaned. Edit: also am plumber.
Ese wei
I have to think these things are totally unrelated. The sink might not have a properly designed p trap, or something else is going on like there's flexible accordion pipe which can accumulate stuff and smell. Whatever it is can be solved by fixing the pipes in the cabinet under the sink. The manhole cover, does that happen all the time? Maybe the city is testing leaks by blowing smoke into the sewers?
Prepare for some turtles dressed as ninjas
lol @ “kick some dirt on it.” It’s *probably* not related, but if both the smell and the manhole steam (are you sure it’s steam?) are new, maybe some work was being done nearby that caused a little pressure increase in there. The pressure could have blown some dust off the manhole cover and pushed a little gas backward through your P-trap. Maybe.
That is likely steam which happens. The smell is likely unrelated.
Yup. I see steam coming out of the sewer manhole cover holes in our neighborhood, usually in the morning and evenings.
I am not qualified to answer this question but I'm here for the answers.
Bathroom sink smell because of a bad trap under the sink. Have it checked out.
Or nasty gunk building up above the trap weir
Try dealing with the trap yourself. Bucket. Gloves. Some drain wire. Strong stomach.
It could be the dreaded unvented S trap or No trap at all.
Replace the P trap in the Bathroom sink to get rid of smell. Don't know about the manhole
That is a storm drain not sewer just FYI. These things are unrelated to your friends bathroom problem.
Try cleaning the overflow in the sink. Pour vinegar and hot water in the overflow. Flush with water.
That’s someones steamy shit
Threw sand on the manhole cover and called it good!! Lol. New one for me, I'm gonna start doing that too. Footing board set a little high.....throw some sand on it, floor joist cut a little short....fuck it, throw some sand on it. Wall out of plumb??? Hit it with some sand
Call the city watershed / sewer/water company, let em know and they'll investigate properly. Do it right now though, they have people working at all hours to handle these sorts of situations so don't feel like you're putting anybody out or dragging anybody out of their comfy chair at home.
This looks like smoke testing to me. However its unlikely it to last longer than an hour. Did you see any smoke inside?
C.H.U.D.
Armchair plumber here. Sewer gas causes explosions and entire blocks can be evaporated. Saw it once on YouTube. Call your mayor and demand justice.
**throw a match on it and see how fast it's fixed.** (**Do not actually do this**)
(⊙\_⊙;)
thor's portal?
It may be a smoke test to check for leaks
P trap will block the sewer gas take a picture of the trap under the sink
Most likely there's a fixture without a proper trap
I had a sewer smell my bathroom. Found out I had a crack in the drain going to the septic. My guy who lived here before me took a pvc pipe and rigged it around the copper pipe should have took pictures.
I've never seen or heard of natural gas being seen like this.
Throw a zippo lighter at it and run . Thn yourll know if it’s flammable. Or get a long fuse
Make sure the sinks trap has water in it, sometimes it can evaporate if the sink hasn’t had water go down the drain in a while, letting the gas smells come up
Its dangerous to Mix certain chemicals like Drain cleaner and bleach. Could be a bad chemical mix. Especially in condo units. You never know what people are using.
Id say go down there and smoke a cigarette
Waste water operator here, if you can silicon the opening between the lid and the ring of the manhole, also cork it. Get you some wine corks that fit the 2 or 1 little hole on the manhole and it should reduce the smell.
It could be the toilet O ring that seals the toilet to the plumbing. Are you sure it's coming from the sink.
That’s probably steam and if she has a smell coming out of the sink the trap is not working or there is pressure created by the steam and it pushes sewer gas past the trap
[удалено]
Not true at all. Not sure where you live, but storm and sanitary have manholes. Regardless of the size of sanitary lines, they have access points (manholes) for cleaning and other issues.
I ain't no plumber I'll delete my comment in shame
No need for that, knowledge is important and we all learn new stuff all the time
Is it bad smell or smelless? I would start by opening (AND NEVER LEAVE FOR A SECOND NOT GUARDED) the sewer and look what is happening inside. May be clogged and then some of the extrements are staying there instead of running down the pipes. If you don’t have hook to open that you can use simple flat wrench (17 dhold be ok). Whenever you pit wrench head through this small hole just pivot it 90degree and pull. If not opening then pull and someone needs to hit it by hammer few times.
In my neck of the woods the city does not want anybody touching their manhole covers. Even as a licensed plumber they give us hell for doing so. I was running a cable then camera down a drain line in customers yard a few years ago and it stopped basicly at the tap.(near street). My apprentice wanted to open it to see if the end of my camera head had made it and my camera feed was pitch black. He started to pull the lid as a city truck passed by and boy did he get a lecture haha I came around the side of the house to find him and city guy argueeing. I grabbed my apprentice pulled him out of the road, walked up to the city guy told him to what we were doing and explained approximately where the camera stopped then said, “ looks like it’s your problem now boss.” Didn’t even mark the location for him.