A: Betty, before you sentence your husband to a smelly cell for not using a real plumber, let me just tell you that you're not alone! I get many letters just like yours when it comes to sewer ejector pumps and installations that do not meet local codes.

A sewer ejector pit is a closed drum or storage tank that sits below grade. Inside the tank is a heavy duty grinding pump that discharges the sewer water from the plumbing fixtures up to the house sewer lines. The tank itself is sealed tight to contain odors, and the tank usually requires a separate vent pipe called a local vent. A local vent should vent uninterrupted up through the roof of a home to the outside air. Local codes vary, and a sewer ejector needs to be vented according to your local codes. Permits may be required in your area.

Your odor problem could be caused by many things, but a likely scenario could be a venting issue with the ejector and/or fixtures. If they're not vented properly, the pump can create a suction in your drain lines when the water is discharged from the tank. If the suction is strong enough to pull the water out from your bar sink trap — well, you now have an open drain line directly to the sewer ejector. Hence the smell!

You need to have a licensed plumber check out the entire system, pull permits if needed, and then install the proper vent lines, check valves and controls needed to bring the job up to code.

Remember, a piece of equipment will work only as well as the technician installed it. In your case,equipment "stinks." That should tell you something about your husband's choice of installers!