Upstairs Sewer Gas and Basement Lift Station

[Merc Man]

I am so glad I found this site. I hope someone can help me.
I live out in the country and have a septic system. We have a lift station or sewage/water pump in the basement that pushes all of the water and sewage from the one basement bathroom/shower and the laundry room out to the septic system. The water and sewer on the main level of the house is gravitied out to the septic system.
When we wash clothes or take showers in the basement we get a strong sewer gas smell in the upstairs bathroom. If I run water into the upstairs tub and sink to put more water in the traps. The smell will go away. I think what is happening is that when the lift pump runs in the basement during high water usage is that it somehow also moves the water out of the upstairs bathroom traps. What's weird is that it doesn't seem to bother the kitchen trap that is also upstairs. Has anyone ever experienced any thing like this? If so do you have a fix? We've been dealing with it for about 20 years. Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions. MERC

[Sean Fogarty]

It sounds like you have a venting problem, or lack of a vent for that section of the plumbing. Why don't you give a plumber a call. NO one can give your a good answer by your description here. Who ever comes and looks at it will give you a better answer

[Roy D. Cooke, Sr]

Originally Posted by sfogarty

It sounds like you have a venting problem, or lack of a vent for that section of the plumbing. Why don't you give a plumber a call. NO one can give your a good answer by your description here. Who ever comes and looks at it will give you a better answer

Exactly...... Great answer....

[Greg Keene, CPI]

A venting problem would also be my guess. My neighbor had a similar problem and found one vent had been filled with pine straw as it sat directly under a pine tree. Over the years the vent stack filled up and stopped venting. A goose neck vent top solved his problem (after they cleaned out the vent). This may be why the kitchen is not affected but the bathrooms are. Different vent stacks.

[Robert Ernst]

I think these guys are right on. I would agree with the venting issue. If the vents are working it would suck in air and not water. You or a plumber can go on the roof and check the vents for obstruction like was mentioned. Look inside with a flash light. There could be an animal or nest inside. If there is something inside there you don't want it to fall down inside. But since you said it's been like this for 20 years I would make sure that the pump itself is vented properly.