So yesterday around 3 PM me and my SO smelled a foul smell in our apartment. When we investigated the basement we found…

@leahdeere, it sounds like you are on a sewer pump system. If there is a problem with the switch or float then that could be the reason for the tank overflowing. I would have your landlord contact a plumber that specializes in pump systems. Troubleshooting pumps can be really tricky and a huge pain in the butt. Rest assured the sewage smells are non toxic, although they are absolutely disgusting to have to live with. Hope your landlord has that taken care of ASAP. Good luck!

@leahdeere, sometimes older homes aren’t exactly what they should be or anywhere close to code (such as our old home) So really anything is possible and clearly if your seeing things you know went down your toilet. It’s a biohazard...You can always call your insurance and have them come out to check it out. You can also call a home inspector. Of course a home inspector would be out of pocket to push your landlord in the direction of providing adequate living conditions. It’s very likely that your landlord is avoiding the issue as if it’s not to code it’s not covered under insurance which would be a direct cost to your landlord. Good luck!

@vintagepony, I definitely want to say it’s poop, so maybe it’s not the sump pump? I’ll have to have my husband take a closer look next time. He’s pulled baby wipes out of it before because of the kids flushing them down the toilet. 🤦🏼‍♀️ I’m going to save your comment to show to my husband. He did mention something about the float looking messed up the other day. Thanks for taking the time to address this for me! Greatly appreciated.

@leahdeere, the sump pump shouldn’t be pumping Pooh ever.. It’s for ground water over flow....UNLESS you have a pump pumping into a septic. This wouldn’t be a sump pump but a pumping system. However this pump is never an open hole or shouldn’t be to obviously avoid sewage gases. What you could be seeing is earth coming from the sump pump? It’s tough to say without seeing it. A constantly broken sump pump that is getting clogged with debri can give off a horrid smell of stagnant water. At our old home our washing machine would empty into our sump pump. We often had to pull socks out of the pump otherwise we faces over flow as well and burnt out pump motors. If this may be your case have your husband create a cover. Next time someone is at your home to fix this ask how deep and wide the bottom of your sump pump hole is. It should exceed the size of the pump itself. Your pump float should always sit on top of the water. The water can be up to one inch below ground level without issue.

@brianamestichelli, do you know the category of the claim? Your likely going to deal with a desk adjuster. The adjuster coming to your home is a field adjuster. This adjuster will have to determine whether the damage done to the pipe is due to a direct property issue or an issue stemming from the road. If it’s stemming from the road this requires the city involvement. If it’s stemming from the property this will require your landlord to provide the deductible and depending on coverage could prolong the fix, if there was any ignored previous damage through inspection this may impair coverage. There are so many factors that make for a long road ahead. Save all your recites from the time of the claim till the time the claim ends. Depending on your coverage you are entitled to compensation for any outside costs ex. Hotel, food (fast or not) any other cost that you wouldn’t have endured outside of the claim. You may also ask for your insurance to wave any deductibles given the classification of the claim. Good luck! I’m sorry your family is going through this!

@vintagepony, I think it is the sump pump, which my husband has had to reach into many times to fix. 🤢 It overflows and there’s usually poop all over the floor from it. That’s not grey water though is it? If it’s got all of the feces in it?

@leahdeere, this sounds like your sump pump. Typically sewage will come up through a drain hole when there is a back up or in the case posted through the dirt foundation. Your sump pump is considered grey water (still not a good situation as stagnant water leads to mold) but if it is your sump pump it isn’t a biohazard. Mold. Likely. Which is still a health concern if it’s a constant present issue.

@brianamestichelli, WTF. Okay. Gonna talk to my husband about this tonight. 🤦🏼‍♀️

I hope your situation gets better, btw! :(

@leahdeere, no it’s a serious matter ! That’s a biohazard! That’s a reason to end your lease and not pay rent because they are not providing substantial living . Fecal aroma is very toxic . It’s so toxic some nutty ass people even inhale the aroma to “get high” it’s VERY potent ! Especially pregnant

Wait what. Our pump in the basement that’s hooked to the plumbing is always overflowing and filling our whole house with sewage smell. My husband always has to deal with it on his own because the landlord ignores it. They finally got us a new pump last year and that one broke also. Had someone come look at it and they didn’t fix the issue. All the poo still comes up whenever we do laundry or give the kids a bath. 😦 Sorry this isn’t any help, I’m just kind of pissed now that our landlord is taking it so lightly.

@vintagepony, we haven’t even gotten an estimate on how long it will be! I do have renters insurance and I am still waiting on hearing from an adjuster for housing and food coverage. We just paid rent 2 days ago ! My landlords insurance does NOT cover housing ya either. It’s such a mess

Having worked for insurance in claims. Yes. This could take months. If you had content/renters insurance you may be able to have them pay for accommodations while waiting. They are going to need to clean it, dig it up, fix it. When digging sewage pipes and rerunning lines often other issues present themselves with the pipes. Ex. Old pipes running to the road. It could become a massive job. Our sewage claims typically put people out for 2-6 months min. Job depending.

Ugh right ! We will have to find a spot to put it all 🙄

Rewash everything!!

I would because it will smell nasty if you dont so I would take all your baby stuff and the important stuff