Be careful. I did this and yes it stopped it from smelling outside. However the next day the smell started coming back through the upstairs sink drain. Definitely worth trying, but pay attention to over constricting. I drilled a 3/8 hole.

Tim, we built a new home on our country cabin lot in 2016 and have been having the sewage odor issue since then. I though it was a leaching field issue but could not fine the source but narrowed it down to the vent stack. I installed the cap as you directed and have not had the issue since. I just wanted to thank you for such great advice.

I'm here to say this tip is 💯💯🔥!! I was very skeptical about covering my vent pipes as I always assumed they were open for a reason and flowed in one direction..outwards! I placed the exact rubber caps with clamps and drilled a 1/4 inch hole in each and 5 days out NOT A SINGLE ODOR and all fixtures appear to be operating at maximum efficiency! Thank you so very much Sir for your expertise and time put in this video as you literally saved me 1000's

Thank you so much. I purchased a new house and I was dealing with this problem for a decade. Recently, I thought of removing the pipe far from the house entrance, but it was required lots of work and cost. Just realized to see if there is any KZfaq video about it and found yours. I did what you said and it was a miracle. It's been a week. it cut 100% of the smell. None of the family members experience the smell anymore. Thank you so much. It was a great fix.

We purchased a small cottage last summer and were having this exact problem. I knew it was coming from the stink pipe. Your solution worked perfectly! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. My wife told me “You better go tell him it worked!l 👍 🙏

Great Idea Tim I have a smell on my deck all summer long and this will solve that problem, i am also the inventor of No Frost Venting. so I do live in a cold climate so i know the problems with venting and this solved another one!! JD

It works great, I been doing this for a couple of years now after seeing this video. Sorta sucks when the winter months show up I have to take them off like you said but summer time on the deck is very nice not having to smell the sewer gases while setting on the deck. Thanks for the great advice it works perfectly.

Thank you! This worked for us. We've tried numerous things to get rid of the smell. This is the only thing that worked! Thank you again!

I'm a happy man because of you, I bought a house 4 years ago and it's been hard to find a solution to the sewer smell in my house and I had planned to sell the house due to the smell until I watched your video and did what you showed in the video and I can proudly say all my problems with the smell is goin. It just cost me $6 and I want to say thank you so so much and stay blessed, you are the best.

This worked for us! We had this problem for 9 yrs and had tried everything. Thank you so much for this simple tip.

Tim Carter, I drilled PVC caps with 1/4" hole on top for both 1.5" and 2" vent pipes. I got 4 total vents for 3 full baths, WORKS GREAT!! Grandpa told me the hole was too small, but after running some pipe volumes, orifice calcs and flush volumes, etc. It worked out fine.

Worked like a charm! Thanks for the KZfaq tip.

Thank you, I am from a cold climate and we have been having severe problems with the septic smell especially after someone showers and in the winter you will smell it far worse than summer. So we used your tip but instead of putting holes in the top we put two small holes in the sides and we haven't had a problem since. Thank you:) your awesome.

Thanks this did the trick! We had an odor hog on our old vent pipe but our roofer replaced the vent pipe and upsized larger than odor hog had. We dealt with the stink for a solid year until I found this video. Immediate results

Thanks! My swimming pool deck is right behind my house. We have a septic system. We could always smell sewer gas while swimming when there was a slight breeze. I never believed I could do anything about it and what a simple solution!

Just bought a little place and getting that smell. Was on septic then went to city sewer. Was as is when I bought it and in pretty rough shape. Roof vent pipes had been filled in. Cleaned them out best I could for now. Smell not completely gone but still there at times. Better but not gone.

Thank you so much sir I was having this problem at my house and this method worked thx a bunch !!

I tried this and it definitely solved the problem. Thank you.

Tim, that's genius! I had always assumed the vent pipe size was fully necessary, but it'll pull air in as much as it needs through that hole.

All 6 breathers have been modified from 2” and no smell. Thanks for the solution in a tropical climate ( Thailand) that makes perfect sense.

I will be trying this in the summer! Thanks.

Awesome advice and thank you for sharing this with us. i just had my septic pumped and now our vent pipes are gassing the neighborhood. Our neighbors actually called the gas company cuz they thought there was a gas leak. I had a plumbing company come out and they put a studor vent on ine of the vent pipes now the smell is coming out of one of the other pipe vents. The guy that pumped the tank said dump a gallon of bleach down the sink and that didnt work so i started googling and this video came up so i will try this and if it works i will post another comment. One question i have though is what if we have multiple vents? Do we cap all of them and put a hole in all of them with this method?

Hello Terry, do you have experience with septic field systems (6 tanks), we put the septic air outflow (bull horn style pipe from the tank with carbon filters) but there is still a very strong septic smell. Thank you.

Very nice information. Just built a house and have same gas smell in the yard. Ive tried charcoal filter and it worked good in the summer but when it freezes out with alittle water in the air it freezes causing our drains to burp. Im going to try your method as I think being here in Mo we dont get alot of big snows and the heat from the baths would thaw out the vent hole and it would be efficient during those cold months

Hey Tim, Great stuff, we have been smelling the horrible gas/sewage smell for a few years now but only outside when on our back deck and especially in the fall/winter seasons. Never had the smell inside our house though, so would we still smell this odor outside? The vent is on the backside of the house which is where our deck is located and occasionally we get the smell and it’s unbearable, every day really. Thanks for any insight. I’m definitely going to try this but wanted to get your advice on the smell outside the home. Thanks a lot Josh

@Ask the Builder *The place I'm living in (overseas) was NOT ONLY built before any codes were put in, managed to put the drain pipe from the apartment above mine, through my kitchen, and it's connected to my sink. The result is, that, when the pipe burps, it smells like an open sewer (it may be hooked up to their toilet upstairs. Since I don't and CAN'T communicate with the above stairs neighbors, I was wondering if I could put a "choke plate" like you find on the air intake on a carburetor so let the water flow in one direction but works as a baffle for gas coming back the other way (almost like a gate valve but more of a swing gate/baffle. Does something like that already exist? What's it called? Is there a brand you can recommend?*

I ve been having a stinky bathroom for the winter. We‘re at the top of a hill so we get all the sewer gas. Sometimes I can smell it outside. Definitely when I’m on the roof. We have a washer in the bathroom. I figured that was it. But it didn’t smell behind the washer. I installed a one way flap and it still happened. Figured, maybe wax ring. Changed it twice and caulked around the base. Still get random sewer gas smell. I went on the roof and filled in the gap between the flashing and the sewer pipe. While up there I noticed my bathroom vent fan is only a few inches from the sewer vent. I think I’m pulling the gas in on days the wind blows that way.

Hi, hope you will see this comment. We have a 4 -Storey Building and the plumbing is vented out the roof. However at times there is a sewer smell in the groundfloor rooms. We have temporarily installed a fan at the top of the vent to force more air out and this has solved the issue for now. But it seems to be only treating the symptom. What would you suggest we do? Thanks!

Would this fix the smell in a home that is on the sewer system as well? Or is it only for septic system houses? Thanks!

Hey, great channel and great video! I have a quick question for you, but I have to rant a bit about my situation... and maybe this will help someone else experiencing similar. I'm on city sewer and have been dealing with this problem, off-and-on, for the last 10 years. It seems to be seasonal, and even related to the weather. I am about a block away from the sewer lift station, but my home is the lowest point on the street, even the lift station is higher. My home is also shorter than my neighbors, and consequently, my vent is a bit lower... I seem bear the brunt of sewer gas wafting out the vent nearest the road. None of my neighbors have the same complaints. The only thing that really helps is when the city runs the lift station fan to help purge gases, but it's not always helpful. It's worse at night when everyone in the neighborhood is showering and doing dishes, plus the atmospheric conditions at night appear to allow it to settle right near my front door and yard. The city recently started injecting a chemical into the sewer system to help prevent gases, but that hasn't really helped. They won't install a check-valve because they say it's not really a "problem", and conversely, would cause me to experience main-line clogs. My question for you is... my vent pipe seems to be covered by a lead fascia/shroud... it comes up and over the pipe, and is bent down inside the pvc pipe. How exactly would I go about adding a cap in this scenario? Would it benefit me to try and raise the pipe higher, as weird as that would look? Thanks!

Good fix.. Thanks for the tip. I did 1/2 hole and still have a small amount of odor. I will try a smaller hole per your recommendation. Will definitely be calling you next time I have a head scratcher problem.

Our sons bedroom has always had a sewer odor. We recently had a new septic tank put in & with the change in weather the whole house has started to smell. Could this be the vent as well? Thank you for any response

I don’t have a spectic system but in my main floor bathroom we have a shower that is never used but smells of sewer gas. I let the shower run for a couple of minutes every month or so but I was wondering what your thoughts were. In

Hi Tim, I do not have a main exhaust pipe in my home. I am on a septic system and have a crawl space where inside the craw space I have two air admittance valves on two different drain pipes. I want to encapsulate my crawlspace to dehumidify it and remove mold so the crawl space vents will be closed but of course there will be an access door. The crawl space is 1800 square feet. The septic also does not have an exhaust pipe on it but it does have an inspection pipe 4' away from the septic yet it has a screw cap on it. Will I need to add an exhaust pipe to my system and if so, where do they go? Can I drill a hole in the inspection cap? Can I leave it as is? Thank You.

Well i am very intrigued as we have the odour issue and its in our bedroom as the septic is just outside our window and the vent is directly above us in the roof. We live in rural Ontario, cold climate, lots if snow. I understand the reason for removing in the winter, but as some others - our odour is much worse in the winter. We have a wood burning fireplace just outside our door so i am assuming the “draft pull” from the chimney is pulling in the odour. So not sure how to solve my winter issue with your “removal” recommendation. Robert.

Curious what a solution might be for colder weather. I spend a lot of time outdoors even in the cold and have noticed the smell even more recently. Can I drill more than one hole to allow for proper venting with a similar result?

We bought a new construction home in summer 2020. Last winter 2020 we noticed our main floor bathroom stunk on cold and windy days. This year we are noticing it again. It really stinks in just that one bathroom, not the basement or 2nd floor bathrooms below and above it (or the master on the other side of the house that has a different vent pipe above it). This builder forgot to connect a basement bar rough in to the vent pipe after doing an inspection pressure test which we found after doing a smoke test. No smoke was noticed in this particular bathroom however. Is it possible that the vent pipe in the roof is just too short and therefore cold windy air is pushing the smell back in? Or is it more likely that a wax seal is bad on this particular toilet? We have 3 bathrooms on this side of the house presumably on the same vent pipe and only this main floor bathroom stinks. We have an 18 month old conventional septic system outside which does not smell outdoors. Thanks for any advice.

Is the vent pipe for a toilet attached to the toilet drain below the foundation? I think it must be, correct?

Great video! But, what do I do during the winter?? We can even walk out of our house without gagging! I smoke so I'm outside year round. Can I leave this on year round??? Thanks!

I have that smell under my home. It was built in the early 50’s. I will try the caps if I can locate any. But I am unsure if that’s my issue. For now I have a squirrel cage fan venting the air out the back. It no longer seeps into the house since I’ve done that.

Even tho I thought it vented up I did get the t n y rite because the logic was the same. So now I gotta ask you for the trick to keep the top from freezing in the winter. Is there something that does both u can leave on ??

Ours smells inside the house at any given time throughout the year. It just started the past few weeks and has gotten worse. We don't open the windows in the summer spring or fall as it's too dusty for my wife's allergies. We have a septic system and wondered if the smell is coming from it somehow through the basement pit ad in through the A/C. It comes and goes throughout the year but for some reason, when the wind blows or we haven't had rain for awhile, it gets bad. Can I vent the clean out caps to help air flow from the septic or is that a no no? Help please! Thank you!

what about using one of those Odor Hog filters instead? Im having this same problem. Im starting to use sinks and washing machine connected to a 2nd septic tank on my property that hasn't been used in a while, so the sewage smell from the vent pipes are really churning out stink.

Hi Tim, we just bought a cabin in michigan, when we use the bathroom up and downstairs the sewer gas smell comes out of the kitchen sink drains..any suggestions?? Thank you

Hi Tim. We live in Cyprus and have a septic tank. There is no vent pipe for the tank and our daughters bathroom stinks from the methane gas. Please can you tell me where to instal the vent? Over here we have cement floors upstairs and our walls are brick. Many thanks Michelle

Hi Tim, I added a single toilet on a septic pump tank. I saw odd flush behavior and realized it was creating vacuum. Do you think a small male elbow (used in irrigation) would work if it were screwed in the pipe with a 6in extended at the top and a small screen filter for bugs/debris etc would work?

Hello Tim, question I'm installing a underground septic tank hooked up to a toilet about 10-12 ft away is the toilet vent enough venting for the septic tank or does the septic tank need its own venting. Thank you Eli

What about when the smell is coming from the inside basement bathroom? The roughed in plumbing was already done before we purchased the house. We put in the new bathroom and the smell is strong in the bathroom. When using the tub, it floods the next room over (Laundry room) from the drain in the floor.Only in the winter (Cold place). In the summer we do not get the oder.

I have sewer smell from bathroom sink, we live upstairs in a condo with neighbors below us, the pipes are connected unfortunately so not sure if the smell is from a blockage downstairs or a vent on roof, any ideas? We changed p trap still smells ty!

Hi Ask the builder, I added a bathroom and this is a new roof vent that was added to vent the toilet, shower and sink, its coming in off a fork from the main line leading out to the street, about 50 feet of new 4 pipe leading back the new bathroom, this new vent on the roof is for that new bathroom. The work was done by an experienced plumber and passed inspection, but this vent has a MUCH stronger smell than the three existing ones on my house, Why would this be? I'm trying your cap idea on this one pipe.

Hi Tim, I really appreciate all of your content, thank you very much! I'm having this issue with the front vent pipe of my house, it's constant and so bad I can't even be in the front of my house if the wind isn't blowing the gas in the opposite direction (issues is a 10 of 10 level)! I'm definitely going to try your idea! I've tried the Odor Hog and it does absolutely nothing, the odor is that strong and it's sad because we love our home. Two neighbors directly to the east of our home (very large attached condos) are having the same issue so our corner of the cul-de-sac is really bad. My question is, could this be a city sewer issue if so what could potentially be the issue? This is my 3rd home and I've never experienced this issue. Thank You Sir!

Tim, thanks for video. We have sewer smell inside one bathroom in 2 bathroom home. Bathrooms are right next to each other . We replaced the wax seal, checked under the house for leaks, no leaks. We have a septic tank system. These smells coma and go. We ran water in in shower and sinks to fill those P traps to no avail. What could solve the problem?

Hi, does this work when septic odors occasionally enters a specific washroom. I’ve tried the seal but now think it’s the stink stack.

I have a gravity fed system and I have tried your method, time will tell if it works. Can you elaborate on why caps need to be removed in the winter? Thanks

Can you still have this vent smell issue if you have a whole house trap on your septic system? Have a bad gas smell down my driveway can't park my car there it gets all stinky.

It's only been 1 night - but, yup. It worked. Thanks for the tip.

I tried one of the charcoal vent toppers to solve this issue and found the odor backed into our home. I’m hesitant to try this fix because it may cause the same issue, will it?

I tried the filters, they did nothing. This cut the smell down by about 90%. Not perfection, but a huge improvement; thanks for this!

I have a different question. We are planning to have a metal roof installed and the roofer suggested we remove and reroute our 4” vent stack a bathroom exhaust to the gable end of our home, which is 25’ away. It may be helpful to know we have a conditioned attic and live in a northern climate. What are your thoughts about this?

Would this fix an intermittent problem of sewer gas smell during high winds? I'm getting gas smell in an old bathroom, that was supposedly capped off. but only when there is a high wind outside. Any ideas?

I’m going to try this for sure! Question for you…why do I need to remove it in the winter? The septic smell from the pipe is year round. My winter temps get to -15F to -22F and usually 2-3 ft of snow on the roof. Thanks!

Hi, Colonial home with one vent on 1 and 1/2 bathrooms. The 1/2 bath on first floor has sewer smell coming from sink. Pulled and cleaned P trap. No change. Going to check vent tomorrow. If I cover vent and I have someone flush toilet. Would that vacuum help clear blockage? Can I clear with garden hose? We have had some stormy weather in Central Massachusetts over past month. Many trees around home.

It works 100% . Thanks Sir

Hi the sewer pipe outside of my house shouldn't there be some type of cover to prevent rain water from going in and leaking the inside walls ?

We have bin finding these pipes frozen on a lot of our homes its bin blowing snow and -38 for a couple of weeks now we chip out the ice then in a day or less there frozen or covered with snow again please looking for a great tip/fix

I’m having the smell come inside my home from one of my bathrooms but only when the temps are dropping lower than the 60s. All new plumbing underneath, but the vent stack is not new. Any suggestions on what to do, it smells awful!

you are 100% right it works 2 months in no smell or no problems

Any chance I'd have an issue with this during winter months? I'd be concerned the small hole could freeze shut with some precipitation

You say to remove the cap during the winter, but, that’s when it’s the worst for us due to temperature inversion. Do you recommend removal so that the hole doesn’t get plugged with snow and ice? If so, what if there were a shield over the cap that allowed full vent but protected it from snow?

my vent pipe already has a few holes on the top and im getting smells. do you recommend just putting the cap on with 1 hole only?

If you live in a cold climate and can’t take them off every season is there an alternative so you can leave them on year round? Thanks

Enjoyed the video, a new subscriber! I do not have a septic system but I still have a strong smell of sewer gas on the main floor bathroom that has a shower that is very really ever used. I let the shower run for a few minutes every once in a while and that seems to help but lately it’s pretty nasty ! Wondering what your thoughts are ? Thanks

I just purchased a mobile home with a metal roof and I see no roof vents coming out of it. Not sure where they are venting at but my kitchen sink wasn't draining very fast and I noticed they put a pvc cap on where the vent should have been under the sink. I drilled a hole in it but now my house smells like sewer. Should I punch a hole and stub it out the wall?

Thanks. But why remove in the winter? My odor problem only occurs during cold days. I’m in Tennessee.

Hi. Late to this post. As the smell exits the vent pipes is it not a gas? The gas still needs to go somewhere? This solution doesn't cause a gas backup? Maybe it slows the gas release and still allows the plumbing to work properly? Very interesting. Windier why Venta aren't smaller in diameter.

Is there a solution to the root cause of the methane sewer gas small? Is the septic not digesting properly?

I am having a smell from My restroom sink, would this help??? I don't have septic tank system.

Can having those roof vents capped also cause drains in the home to make gargling noises when they are draining?

Sir, I have been using my newly built septic tank for 18days but it emitting very bad smells from the vent pipe, out side the bathroom. I used 4inch vent pipe. Plz help

Thank you. Does this work for the vent on the wall as well.

What about when the pipes are open is this dangerous ? Cus my bathroom is being worked on the guy leaves the pipes open when he removes the toilet I get very ill .

okay i recently bought a home and notice the smell at first but seen there was a ton of water under that house and took the smell for stagnated water or how ever its spelled. well it was not it. i noticed that there is multiple sewage lines and the one that is allowing sewage gas back through my shower i installed a aav underneath the house and it help for a min but i can still feel a breezes coming from the shower drain what am i doing wrong the only thing that is ran too the line i am talking about is the toilet and shower. installing it i used a 1 1/2" y pipe and ran it inline with the shower drain i put the vent cap up toward the floor the smell is driving me crazy not to mention the nagging coming from the wife i figure that would fix it. have one more 1 1/2" aav but tbh i am stomped on what could be causing it. any input would be great

Hi Tim my bathroom smells nasty because I have septic system without breeder my tank is concrete in upstate ny can you tell me how to solve my problem

We had a new septic put in a new manufactured home and it instantly smelled so bad outside! We checked the septic it is fine. But outside smells! We have vents on top. Are they maybe too much airflow?

Hi Tim! Or anyone! I'm in a situation where I can't vent to the outside nor tie into existing venting. (Condo) I'm draining laundry water into its own Ejector Pump that requires venting. I can vent through the ceiling. If I use this method, will there eventually be a foul odor?

So reducing the size of the hole makes it vent better? Ours is worse in winter and the smell is nowhere near the roof pipe.

What do u if you have flies swarm around the top of plumbing stack pipe on roof that is gassing of sewage smell from the septic tank.. ????

I have one of those turbo type toilets (no water in tank) and when I turn the Central heater on at or around 77 degrees sewer gas smells up the one bathroom. Would a vent cover fix this? Thanks...Ron..

hi my pipe come off flat off the wall side with a small grill above my bathrooms windows, should I extend it with an elbow shape??

I have sewer gas smell only when the wind is out of the north which is where the sewer pipe is do you think this would help

I'm in an apartment building and I'm on the top floor, I can smell sewer gas coming from under the sink in the bathroom, but it isn't coming from the p-trap. It seems to be coming from behind the wall. Could it be the vent pipe?

We have a vent pipe that's right next to our septic tank. It's a PVC pipe that's currently covered with a loser metal cover. A smell definitely seeps out all summer. What do you suggest?

whats the purpose of the sewer vent pipe can mice get down in there and end up in the toilet I was told this could happen

We only have the problem of septic smell in winter cold wearher any suggestions

Past 2 nights my upstairs has had strong strong sewer odor....also past 2 days have been upper 90s outside. But overnight the gas was overpowering.....could this be from a vent blockage? Break maybe?

So why you can't leave the vent covers on in the winter time. I live in Mississippi. Please respond ASAP

hi, mister - i do understand your point that small hole is enough for the intake, but how does it prevent the stinky gas flowing out? how this solve the problem?

Will this work for an upside down opening in a "candycane" shaped pipe in the yard next to septic tank?

How about air vents on a basement sink/ washing machine sub pump ?

I'm desperate for answers. Brand new build. Sewer smell coming into the house through the air vents when air is circulating. Not every day but often and every day this past week. It's been 6 months of this problem and builder cannot solve it. Says it's a wind issue. They put an extension on the roof stink pipe as they thought maybe the air intake was sucking the sewer gases into the house. That did not solve it. We are on a septic system. Plumbers and HVAC have been here. No solutions. Smell is horrible and nauseating. We can't live like this.