I am a plumber that completed building a restaurant about a month ago and now the restaurant is getting an odor in two areas of it and we can not find the source of the smell, we've checked that there are no nails or screws in vent pipes.... the fresh air makeup on the air conditioning system may be the cause but I need to find some type of meter to zone in where the smell is coming from.
2007-02-27 10:03:52 · 5 answers · asked by Joe L 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Engineering
I am sure the kitchen has floor drains. Unlike the traps in sinks, the traps in floor drains usually do not see a normal flow of water. Therefore, it is possible for the water in the traps in the floor drains to evaporate enough to allow "sewer gas" back up through the drain and into the restaurant. A simple solution it to pour a coffee can of water into each of the floor drains every couple of days to make sure there is enough water in the trap to keep the sewer gas from leaking through.
2007-02-27 10:11:04 · answer #1 · answered by Mr. G 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I was raised in west Texas in the oil field and worked a large part of my life of 76 years . I survived SO2 before we had all the detectors. There may be a easy solution , if it has anything to do with the sewer. Fix a swivel pipe on the vent where the wind blows the pipe will swivel and suck on the vent line. If u have any drains in the floor they need to be filled with about a quart weekly.
If it is the air condensate u have bacteria growing in it. Put half cup Clorox in a good spray bottle and fill it the rest with water. Spray the cold coils as well as the exist coils ,that should kill the bacteria . Good luck
2007-02-27 19:32:40 · answer #2 · answered by JOHNNIE B 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
methane is the killer it doent have an odor and its present if you are getting the smell back from the toilets ,have the local building inspector check your work ,and the local gas co ,come out ,its the smell added to gas pipes to alert folkes about leaks,, id rather be wrong than be the cause of an explosion or deaths .. did you put an elbow on all the sewer and waste pipes even the ones under ground without one its a bad scene or did you not vent the trees or pipe stacks out side maybe the snow otr a birds nest has blocked the vent pipe on the roof
2007-02-27 18:15:36 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Most sewer gas is methane, which you can't smell. It is the sulfurous compounds that you smell.
But to answer your question, a combustible gas indicator (CGI) can pinpoint the source of any methane/sewer gas leaks. They can be rented relatively cheaply by the day. Look for environmental/safety equipment rental companies in your area.
2007-02-27 18:35:35 · answer #4 · answered by chimpus_incompetus 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No. It is methane gas. You might check the sewer pipe traps to see if all are above the vent pipe and the vent is clear of blockages and high enough. Or that the vent is correctly routed.
2007-02-27 18:13:58 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋