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We just had a new septic system installed. I expected there to be gas coming up in one bathroom, given the shower and sink don't have drain traps installed. The smell is unfortunately more intense than before, especially in the morning, but I guess that will have to wait until we fix the bathroom. Maybe I will put a plug on the shower drain too.

I was, however, surprised that there is sometimes a more intense smell that comes out of the old access cover right outside the house that wasn't replaced. You can see it's just a metal cover. Farther down the lawn are two more plastic sturdy access covers that don't really smell. The blower does smell sometimes, which is annoying, but I guess that's part of the way it works.

It logically makes sense that there would be smells from the first access port if there are inside the house. I guess my question is how much of this is normal? I'd like to gauge how much smell I should be expecting before trying to replace the access cover with something more permanent, or exploring other ideas. It's typically not that bad but on one day the whole front of the house smelled and you could smell it inside the car when driving up. That seems quite a lot for a new plant, even if the access cover isn't plastic.

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    Have you discussed this problem with the system installers/engineers? That seems like the best approach since they can evaluate the problem on site and not on the internet.
    – JACK
    Commented Aug 12 at 13:07
  • Depending how the plumbing is done, adding water traps/P-traps might not be that hard. Do another question with pictures of the plumbing/access so we might help.
    – crip659
    Commented Aug 12 at 13:19
  • Thanks, I did post another question here: diy.stackexchange.com/questions/304561/…
    – SingularityFuture
    Commented Aug 12 at 13:22
  • I do plan to speak to the engineers that did it; I wanted to have some context first; I'm not really sure what they can do besides check the system and/or replace the first manhole, unless there is some context I am missing.
    – SingularityFuture
    Commented Aug 12 at 13:22

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That image appears to show a sewer sump basin without a sealing lid. These are common with french drains and other rainwater systems, but with sewer lines you want a basin or sump that has a sealed lid. Typically the plastic basin has a lid with a rubber seal, and it is screwed onto the basin to make the seal airtight. I don't see a lip to hold a lid on that one, so it might be necessary to replace the entire basin with one that has a lid.

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  • Thank you, that gives me the terms to use.
    – SingularityFuture
    Commented Aug 13 at 8:09

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