Vented PVC Cleanout Caps?

[kcmike4]

Ok, here is the deal. Last winter I had a back up from my drain line in my yard. Had it augured and stoppage was cleared. In the mean time, when the line was full of water, it froze and put a crack in the drain in the wall on the north-side of my house that goes out to the yard where there is a clean out. So now in my kitchen every so often I can smell odors. I am guessing from they are coming from the drain line where there is a crack. At this point I cannot get to it in the wall. My question is, can I put a "vented" pvc clean-out cap on the clean out outside? Will that eliminate the odor for now until I can get into the wall and replace the main drain? And do they even sell a "vented" cap for a clean-out in the yard? My thinking is, if the drain gas has a way to escape the drain before it hits inside my wall where it is being relieved, that would stop the odor in the house. Any help on this would be appreciated...Thanks

 

[Guest]

I don't think a "vented" pvc clean-out cap is made for the exact reason that you want one. It is not normal to vent a sewer line at ground level in your yard for obvious reasons. You could drill holes in the existing cap for a temporary measure but there are negatives associated with that solution also. The cap in addition to containing the sewer gas and providing access also keeps the cold air from entering the sewer, cold air falls. If the sewer froze last winter I wouldn't want to do anything to encourage it this winter. Leave the cap as is. Also, you do not want to raise the top to a position higher than your inside fixtures. If the top of the clean-out is higher and should the line plug again, the sewer effluent will back up into the area the cracked pipe and now you have effluent under your house along with the smell.
If the sewer pipe is just cracked, a tight crack, it is hard to believe the sewer gas is coming out the crack and not your house's vent pipe. It's not what you may want to do but if you can get to the cracked pipe why not try duct taping the crack as a temporary fix until you can cut out and replace the drain through the wall. You also may want to mortar the pipe joint at the wall, especially if it is a concrete foundation wall to assist in stopping the gas. If it is a blockwall, you may drill a small hole in the block directly under the cracked pipe and filling the cell with a expanding foam insulation to reduce the size of the wall void before you mortar the inside. If you have a large crack in the pipe you may wrap the pipe with a thin sheet metal bedded in a asphaltic mastic and topped with a number of layers of duct tape.
Bet you can't wait to dig down on the outside and push a new piece of pipe inside for connection. The real fix will be a lot simpler than most all of the temporary 1/2 fast solutions.
Good Luck

 

[Mark]

KC, That may work but, I don't know how well, though. Give it a try. What the heck! Drill LOTS of big holes in the top of the cap & see how it works.