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Welcome,

I take exceptional care of my clients by performing a comprehensive property inspection... Same day e-report with photos.

"Inspected once, inspected right."


Glenn Stewart
CREIA Certified Master Inspector

Bay Area Home Inspection

Pacific Coast Inspections

866-570-1222

www.pacificinspect.com

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Welcome to my Homepage Blog. Here you'll find stories about inspections I have done and facts I think are interesting to share with you. Come back often to see what's new.

-Glenn, a.k.a. The House Whisperer

The Nose Knows
Written by Glenn Stewart   
Monday, 14 June 2010 04:01

During a recent home inspection in San Jose, a mystery was identified. For two years, the homeowners thought that they smelled sewer gas. Drain_Line_Cracked_San_Jose

When the wind blew, there was no smell as the air circulation under the house dissipated the strong odor.  On calm days, the odor was strongest under the hall bathroom... like from a giant litter box.

The photo shows a crack in a Wye fitting (whitish area), not the waste line pipe. The material is ABS pipe a black rigid, non-pressurized plastic pipe used to drain sinks, bathtubs, showers, and toilets.  It's a tough material that will last a long time if properly installed.

Cracks will develop in fittings when there's poor pipe support or it enters an expansive soil. When adobe/clay  soil gets wet, it swells; and when it dries out, the soil shrinks. Whatever the reason for the crack developing, the homeowner was happy to have had their mystery smell solved.