Smelly house toilets/bathrooms

[Golden Triangle]

7 minutes ago, Joedoebarinio said:

When the septic tank has been completely emptied it will need to restart the bio process. To start it off quickly add a product called seed to the tank. Thaiwatsadu sell. And as the other posts have written stop putting chemicals down the drain it kills off the Bio. 

My Mrs regularly uses toilet cleaners as the water where we are stains the bowls more than I do, are these cleaners bad for septic tanks ? This is my first experience of septic tanks as in the UK I was connected to mains sewers. If so what would you recommend ?

[James2020]

We moved into a condo in Bangkok, built about 8 years ago, that had strong sewer odors coming from the bathrooms, especially early in the morning.  I complained to management and was given the business card for 'We Stop Smells Thailand'.  I called the guy (Khun Ann) who spoke very good English, and he came over the next day.  He was Thai, and he told me that he was trained as an engineer and lived in Nebraska for 8 years.  He explained to me that the problem is usually the toilets or the drains.  The toilets are often installed without a proper wax seal (one of ours had no seal, and the other had a makeshift one made out of putty).  The drains are open to the sewer and usually have a very wimpy system to keep out smells.  He re-installed the toilets with a proper wax seal, and put a high grade plastic barrier in the drains, that let waste water flow through, but kept out smells.  We have never had a whiff of smell since he left, and it's been over 4 months.

[Pdavies99]

Simple....no u-bend fittings! (p-trap)

Edited January 26, 2018 by Pdavies99

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, Oxx said:

 

I guess you missed the chemistry lesson in school that taught that methane is a colourless, odourless gas.

True enough, the smell comes from short-chain fatty acids and hydrogen sulphide. Depends on what is eaten, such as garlic and onions.

Methane is dangerous because it can form an explosive mixture with air. Hydrogen sulphide is dangerous because it is as toxic as hydrogen cyanide.

[Khun Jean]

Biggest problem is that when you flush the toilet or drain the sink air is pulled into the pipes.

This also causes the 'U-bend' to be empty of water and when that happens there is an open connection with the sewer/tank allowing the gases to rise up through your pipes.

You will need a vent that is able to supply the air. It is mounted after the U-bend and is normally a pip that goes all the way to the roof.

There are small ones that have a valve that can be fitted behind the 'U', but i have not seen them in homepro or thaiwatsadu.

 

This site has a nice picture to make it clear. http://second-floor.info/kitchen-sink-vent-pipe/

 

[Peterw42]

Lots of Thai floor drains have bell traps, no s or p traps, the water can evaporate very quickly and Thai cleaners love removing the bell and then gases come in.

 

[Khun Jean]

Those work only when there is a vent. Otherwise the next time you flush the toilet the water is sucked out thus breaking the water lock.

 

[hansnl]

2 hours ago, elgenon said:

My farang-owned golf hotel in Pattaya very often has a stink in the bathroom. They hang deodorizers. Still stinks. From the drain in the bath floor?

Is the farang owned really relevant?

The building might be Thai built?

[transam]

The toilet and shower should have different routes and their own air pressure vents....I fixed our house venting stuff, was real easy to figure out what they had done wrong....

[masuk]

7 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

U-bend

exactly.  I've been in an apartment which had no u bends and paid to have them installed.  All the gases, pongs, stinks in the main line were coming up through the sink.

The shower has a small cover with a water trap in it, and this also keeps out the smells and cockroaches.

Cheap and nasty plumbing.

 

[Lee4Life]

5 hours ago, transam said:

Pressurised air can find it's way through a U-bend if it is the easiest route...

Correctly done septic systems have vents to prevent the tanks from becoming pressurized

Edited January 26, 2018 by Lee4Life

[Lacessit]

While I have no desire to be the spelling police, I must admit I had a giggle out of the OP's "sceptic tank".

[Khun Jean]

It is not so much the pressure from the tank as all of the septic systems i have seen in Thailand have a vent or a unintentional vent (crack, cover not closed etc).You need to vent the pipe in which the water travels to the tank. After the water air will be sucked in. If there is no vent, your toilet or sink will act as a vent sucking the water out of the u-bend.

[Tofer]

5 hours ago, osandpo said:

A Thai architect friend tells me many bathrooms stink because of poor/no ventilation. If you’re in a house  there needs to be a small gap/window to the outside usually high on the wall. If the bathroom isn’t on an exterior wall then a  small opening to another room works too. 

If you have a working extractor fan, don’t turn it off immediately after you leave the bathroom. Let it run for a while

I pity the clients that use this architect! He hasn't got a clue. You ventilate the drain, not the room, to prevent the odours getting into the room. 

 

Yes, you ventilate the room via an opening window or extract fan for the smells generated from the occupant, but this has nothing to do with the smells from drains.

[Medicine Man]

The condo that I am renting has a drain in the floor like a wet room. This is the source of the smell so I have covered it with cling film. This has stopped the odours coming in and you can see the seal balloon up when other toilets are being flushed!

Sent from my LG-H850 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Tofer]

Drains need traps to prevent smells entering your property from the drains. In hot countries, e.g. Thailand, it is advisable to locate your inline traps where the whb waste water can flow into it as this is the most frequently used appliance. So if you have a shower and/or a floor drain, make sure they are up wind / flow, so to speak, of an inline trap which is also downline of a whb. If you have a little used bathroom run water down the shower / whb / floor drain to keep the traps full.  If you know a bathroom may get little use, construct your own very deep seal 'U' / 'P' trap inline with bends (if possible) to hold the maximum amount of water, don't rely on the proprietary traps sold in the builders merchants.

 

Drains need vents to prevent negative pressure in the drainage system and the gurgling effect (mentioned earlier) and the suction of trap water, especially relevant if you are building multi storey. Vents should be located at the highest point of the drain run, NOT at the lowest (septic tank) end. I recently tried to buy a vent pipe cowl without success, so drilled a series of holes in a pipe blanking cap instead.

 

It never ceases to amaze me how ill conceived the drainage systems in Thailand are, and that they appear to have adopted an American system  is worrying.

 

I would also appreciate anybodies opinion of why the Thais separate the waste from whb's/showers/floor drains from the waste out of the wc. Complete nonsense in my opinion, as the water from those appliances help flush out the main drain carrying solids from the wc.

[Tofer]

4 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

Lots of Thai floor drains have bell traps, no s or p traps, the water can evaporate very quickly and Thai cleaners love removing the bell and then gases come in.

 

Correct, an absolutely primitive design. Always introduce an inline trap below this.

Edited January 26, 2018 by Tofer
Correction

[Destiny1990]

Its somewhat a complicated issue.

but very interesting to have read somany suggestions and advice

thanks.

 

[jacko45k]

Lack of water traps or dry water traps.

Also there are never vents to prevent the water in any traps being sucked out when water flows in the pipework. I have to pour some water in my bath once a week as I never use it (I shower) and the trap dries out. Even the cup traps on the tiled floors sometimes aren't holding water as they are dirty and need cleaning.

[catman20]

16 hours ago, Lee4Life said:

It's actually called a "P-Trap" (where I am from anyway). But it is shaped like a "U", it traps water in the lower part of the "U", making it impossible for the odors from the sewer or septic to come back up the drain pipe and into the building. Another method is to install a special trap-style drain in the floor. Those odors are potentially dangerous.

if you are talking about the drain type traps in the floor where a small amount of water sits to prevent smells coming back up they only work if you keep topping up the trap with water as the water thats sits in them evaporate very quickly. i took mine out cos it became another job for me to remember to keep topping the traps up with water. why call it a P trap when its shaped like a U could call it a A,H,M trap then 

[catman20]

2 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Lack of water traps or dry water traps.

Also there are never vents to prevent the water in any traps being sucked out when water flows in the pipework. I have to pour some water in my bath once a week as I never use it (I shower) and the trap dries out. Even the cup traps on the tiled floors sometimes aren't holding water as they are dirty and need cleaning.

i took mine out

[Langsuan Man]

Too many incorrect statements here, especially those that say that Thai contractors NEVER install U traps or vent pipes

 

Many shower traps are done away the shower it self and installed on the outside of the house, thus not visible.

 

Here is mine:

 

[jacko45k]

58 minutes ago, catman20 said:

i took mine out

Well if no smell is coming back from the drain that is fine, they usually go to a grey water seep-away in houses which should not smell bad.. but I find mine can let a musty smell back in.  Might be worse if people are peeing in the shower.

[catman20]

16 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Well if no smell is coming back from the drain that is fine, they usually go to a grey water seep-away in houses which should not smell bad.. but I find mine can let a musty smell back in.  Might be worse if people are peeing in the shower.

my waste is vented outside the house

[pest]

19 hours ago, Golden Triangle said:

My Mrs regularly uses toilet cleaners as the water where we are stains the bowls more than I do, are these cleaners bad for septic tanks ? This is my first experience of septic tanks as in the UK I was connected to mains sewers. If so what would you recommend ?

coke cleans most stains

[Destiny1990]

So basically the emptying of the (sceptic) septic tank probably has triggered or caused more of a smelling problem in the house who would have know that.

[xerostar]

In Australia I normally use Jif liquid but could not find it in Thailand. The next best cleaner for toilet bowls available in Big C is a mildly abrasive powder. (See photo)
Of course you need plenty of elbow grease as well. I don't believe there are any cleaning products that give the same results without the hands-on hard work. So you waste money just pouring liquids in the toilet bowl and expecting some magical process to clean the bowl.

Sent from my SM-N915F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Lee4Life]

6 hours ago, catman20 said:

if you are talking about the drain type traps in the floor where a small amount of water sits to prevent smells coming back up they only work if you keep topping up the trap with water as the water thats sits in them evaporate very quickly. i took mine out cos it became another job for me to remember to keep topping the traps up with water. why call it a P trap when its shaped like a U could call it a A,H,M trap then 

Letter P lying down is close...maybe? I don't know!

[unblocktheplanet]

We have U-bends under our sinks but...the septic stink comes up through the bath drain. Not an easy fix to remove the bathtub! Any ideas???

[xerostar]

Put the plug in the outlet ?

Sent from my SM-N915F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app