My roommate and myself moved into a basement apartment on Dec. 1st '16. The unit relies on an ejector pump for two bathrooms, a washer, and a full kitchen. The pump has failed 3 times since moving in, resulting in flooding of fecal matter in various locations throughout the apartment (around the pump in my closet, at the base of the toilets, and coming up through the shower drain) and an extremely foul odor.

Our landlord has has the pump "fixed" per her diagnosis every time by simply unplugging and replugging the pump into the wall. This clearly is not a long term answer to the problem and I'm hoping to figure out if there is an issue with the pump itself not being powerful enough to handle the daily water usage or if the issue has more to do with the overall plumbing system.

Every time it has flooded it emits an extremely foul odor of stale sewage that lingers and never fully goes away.
This brings up concerns about the venting of the pump as well, as even when it is "functional" for a few weeks at a time there is still an odor and every bathroom and sink has an extremely strong smell of toilet water, much more than I've ever experienced living in any other space unless my face was literally in the toilet. We have had issues of the toilets gurgling as well when using the washing machine.

Is there a way to test the ventilation of the pump? How can I know if the issue is the pump itself or a larger issue of the entire plumbing system? We have already had our local water services come and test the main sewage line for blockage, which it had none. They recommended snaking the internal pipes as well.

We have been continually blamed by our landlord that the cause is us putting objects down the drain that should not be there, such as feminine products, paper towels, and condoms. This is false, and we have never had anything put down the drains that should not be put down them, and have only even been here for a little over a month. During one of the flooding instances we had to relocate for several days to the unit upstairs and noticed the water from the sinks + showers in the upstairs unit also smelled very foul and strong of toilet water. Unsure of the connection though.

Any thoughts, advice, etc. would be greatly appreciated as I am only familiar with the basic issues and uses of an ejector/sump pump and since this issue is affecting our ability to inhabit the space, is also turning into a legal one with our landlord, who is very unhelpful and insists everything is working. It clearly isn't if it stops working and floods fecal matter three times in one month.

Emily

First of all, now you know why the unit was so available. From your description, it appears to be a mechanical issue, causing major health issues. Have you considered calling the health dept for a habitat inspection and evaluation? The worst that can happen is the basement be Red Tag and you have to leave until the repairs have been made and passed code inspections.

Could some of the waste come from those occupying upper floors too?

Best Wishes