Peppermint Test Results

Well, depending on how you look at it, the Peppermint Test did or did not work. We never did get the peppermint odor in the house. However, with my supreme confidence in the test (my dad wouldn’t have led me astray) I now know that the odor is not coming from the drain & venting system. So, we were successful, but disappointed. Ben really wanted to smell the peppermint and locate a leak. Maybe a reach back in time to his grandfather’s era of doing the trade. Three of us did the test: Ben, my son and heir apparent to our business, Dan, our rooftop minion, and me, the master plumber himself. We purchased two 1 oz vials of peppermint oil. Expensive stuff-almost $25.00 per vial. I could only find it at the Manchester, MD Pharmacy and they had to order it. We took along two 2 gallon insulated jugs. We boiled about 1½ gal. of water, poured it into a jug and sent Dan on his ascent with the oil and hot water. I must say, it was a cold and breezy day and Dan was a trooper…until he wasn’t. Ben and I sealed ourselves in the nice warm house (rank does have its privileges) and waited. We could hear Dan pour the oil, place his funnel and then pour the hot water. Oh yes, we gave Dan a funnel for pouring the hot water in the vent pipe. We selected what we thought to be the vent most remote from the main sewer exit from the house. While we waited for odor, we boiled another pot of water. After 15 minutes we had no peppermint smell so we decided to try again. Dan had a good idea for the second round: he capped each vent opening on the roof with a Fernco cap to help build a little pressure in the system. Not sure if it worked, but it was a good idea. So, after the next dose and 15 more minutes of smelling around pipes, toilet bases, in vanities and under the laundry tub we concluded that the drain/vent system was indeed airtight and is not the source of the odor. Dan started calling from his cell begging to be released from his appointed task. Seems he was not only getting very cold, the intense peppermint odor was making him sick. We packed up our ladder and insulated jugs, said our goodbyes to the lady of the house, and headed off to a local plumbing supply house for their Christmas Lunch. Ben took the empty peppermint oil vials for air fresheners in his car. I imagine Dan doesn’t even want to see a peppermint candy cane this Christmas!

- Pat