Its shape functions to hold water at all times, that ensures that any gasses emitted from your sewer line. If the water evaporates from your P-trap, gas then has no barrier to prevent it from traveling up your drain and contributing a sewage odor.
Simply running your drain from a short while should be sufficient to refill your P-trap and stop the smells. It is also common for soil, sediment or debris to settle in the curve of a P-trap. Cover your drain and give the mixture time to dissolve the sediment.
From helping you determine the cause of your shower drain smell to taking all the proper steps to extinguish it, Lutz has years of experience and skills in tackling bathroom odor nuisances.
Call Lutz Plumbing, Inc. Free Safety Inspection. Free Extended Warranties. Free Priority Service. Member Only Specials. Lutz Loyalty Club. All Rights Reserved Lutz Plumbing. Schedule Service. Sign Up Today. Smelly Shower Drain? Odors rising from your shower drain is never enjoyable and it can even feel downright embarrassing, but the truth is that drains commonly emit smells.
Most often, a good-smelling bathroom is just a few quick actions away. This post will explain how to identify the causes of shower odors, quickly address this issue and prevent it from happening in the future. How To Tackle Shower Smells. Leaky Pipes. On your shower tiles or insert, you can use any brush and disinfectant cleaning product you have in the house.
Be sure to repeat this process weekly to keep the biofilm from coming back. In many cases, if you are smelling biofilm in your bathroom, it may be coming from the drain, so just keeping the walls and floor of your shower clean is not enough.
To remove biofilm from your drain, first, remove the drain cover and clean it. Next, dip a fuzzy paint roller cover in a cleaning product solution of your choice and push the roller cover vertically down the drain. For most drains, this paint roller cover is the perfect size and shape to clean the inside walls of your drain. Turn the roller cover around to help break the biofilm loose and keep pulling it out, rinsing it off and pushing it back down the drain until you can no longer see any biofilm.
The first three sources of shower odors we discussed are issues most homeowners can deal with themselves. Unfortunately, in some cases, bathroom odors may be due to more serious issues that require professional help. One of these issues is leaky pipes. Leaky pipes in your bathroom walls or under the shower will allow sewer gases — also known as hydrogen sulfide — to escape, so you may notice the shower drain smells like rotten eggs or sewage.
Drainage pipes are designed to keep sewer gases contained, so if you're smelling these gases in your bathroom, then you likely have a leak somewhere in your drain line. You should never ignore sewage smells in your home. Leaks are caused either by perforations in pipes or by loose fittings between runs of piping.
For certain types of metal pipes , leaks from perforations could develop over time due to corrosion. In the case of fittings that have come loose, a problem that could affect PVC pipes, poor installation could be to blame.
This is a likely culprit if you are noticing bathroom smells in a newly built or renovated house. Another contributor to leaks in your drain is clogs.
A clog that includes a harsh cleaning product or other corrosive substances can allow these substances to sit and essentially eat through your pipe. Perforations from clogs will typically happen when the strength of your pipe's walls is already compromised from long-term corrosion.
The solution to fixing a leaking pipe is not as simple as the solutions we've discussed so far. The answer depends on what material your plumbing pipes are made of, how you can access them and other factors. In some cases, the discovery of a leak could be the first sign of more extensive issues with your plumbing.
For instance, if you have old cast iron pipes in your home, they may need to be replaced entirely with new pipes. Fixing a leaking drain line is a job you should leave to the professionals. When you think you may be smelling sewer gases leaking from your pipes and you know the P-trap should be containing these smells, call a licensed plumber to come out and diagnose the problem. They should be able to fix the issue so you can breathe easy in your bathroom.
When cleaning out your shower drain isn't enough to fix your smelly shower problem, contact Mr. Rooter , your local shower plumbing expert in Syracuse, New York. Whether you are dealing with a stubborn clog, a leaky pipe or any other plumbing issue, our licensed plumbers will expertly diagnose the issue and discuss the options for fixing it. You can also call us at for emergency plumbing help. The service professionals at Mr.
Rooter of Greater Syracuse are here to help you with all your plumbing needs, so all it takes is one phone call to deal with even the most serious plumbing issues. There is never a need to panic when you can pick up the phone and trust Mr. Rooter to swiftly take care of the problem. Emergencies are not the only time to reach out to a plumber. If you want us to conduct a check-up of your plumbing system , request one today.
Follow that with a cup of white or cleaning vinegar. You may hear a fizzing sound from the baking soda and vinegar reacting. Wait a few minutes, then pour the rest of the boiling or hot water down the drain.
Finish by running the hot water for a few minutes. This should take care of both the odor and the source. Related: 10 All-Natural Cleaning Products. If the smell coming from the drain isn't musty, the problem could be soap scum. An easy solution is to simply clean your drain with boiling water.
If this issue reoccurs, treat with boiling water weekly. If you have a sulfur odor coming from your drain, you likely have a dry P-trap. A P-trap is a P-shaped pipe designed to prevent sewer gas from entering your home by trapping a little bit of water. To check, shine a flashlight down the drain. If you see water, your P-trap isn't dry and it may be a good idea to call a plumber. If the P-trap is dry, pour two cups of water down the drain and wait an hour.
Then check to see if the water is still there. If the shower isn't frequently used or perhaps it's in a guest bathroom, pour four ounces of oil down the drain—any cooking oil you already have on hand should do.
Oil evaporates at a slower rate than water does. This should prevent the odor from coming back. Trapped hair is a major cause of shower drain clogs and odors, but it is preventable. Try brushing your hair out before washing it in the shower. This will remove any loose, tangled, or excess hair that would otherwise clog the drain.
Assess your shower drain situation. Even if you don't have an uncovered drain hole, you may want to replace your current drain cover with this device because it easily prevents hair clog problems in the long term.
Sometimes an obstruction, like hair, needs to be physically moved down the pipe in order to get it clean and get your drain flowing again. Fill the tub with enough water to make sure the rubber tip on the plunger is covered. Then plunge away.
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