Sump Ejector Pit (or Sump Pump look-alike without a pump): Bad Odor, Need help (Washington: townhouse)

[vauser]

We live in a 3-level 14 year old townhouse in NoVA and have recently (last couple of days) had an issue with a bad odor emanating from our basement (that has a small room adjacent to the half-finished restroom that we use as storage).

We have so far had 2 plumbers walk in, do pretty much nothing and still charge us for their "visits". Been doing some reading online and one of the options (the one we seem likely to go with after futile attempts by experience plumbers) is to spend 100s of $s to diagnose the problem using snake cameras, smoke bombs and what not.

We initially thought it was a gas leak and called Washington Gas. Even though their methane detector went off quite strongly when they took it near the 2-foot deep sump pit (without a sump pump), they said it wasn't gas.

We are lost. What is this thing? Why does the house have it without a sump pump? We have a walk-out basement.

Thoughts? Contacts?

[Borge]

It's called a sewage ejector, since your basement toilet sits below the sewer line it pumps waste up to the main sewer line. You really need to talk to a good plummer, I suggest using checkbook.org to find a reputable one.

[ACWhite]

I have had pretty good luck with Chandler's Plumbing.

If you want to call a sump pump/basement specialist, I've had pretty good luck with MER/Morrison.

Both have high Checkbook.org ratings (that's how I chose them).

[vauser]

Thanks, will look them up.