What makes sewer gas smell

I use the shower all the time so I don't think it would be a dry P trap..? I tried to research the stack plumbing type we have which led me here but I'm not au fait with this level of plumbing. Any suggestions would be appreciated. If you were renting, you could just move out if management did not look into and solve the problem.

However, since you own your condo and pay condo fees for maintenance, it's terrible that they aren't doing anything about what may possibly be sewer gas that you smell. Something stopping up the roof vent is often the culprit, and it's not a difficult fix. I don't know how your contract with the condo management reads regarding their responsibilities, so it's difficult to make suggestions about what you can do to make them act. Rather than take chances with your health and that of the disabled person who lives with you, it may be necessary for you to pay for a plumber.

Life is too short to live it in constant stress or an unsafe environment. Get those two problems resolved--with or without the condo management--and sell your condo. If you're not a DIY-er, renting is often better than being a homeowner. I own a condo, the management did nothing would not send someone out so they could smell it when it was extremely potent.

I contacted the health dept which didn't do much either, but said the smell is probably from the roof vent and recommended to condo management look into it. When I wrote management about more smells and what are you going to do about it, he said "can't do anything" because investigator found nothing. Meanwhile it's happened several times, I've never smelled this odor before until last month.

It's coming from the back of the house where dryer vents are, maybe it's someone's dryer vent turned toward my window? It always happens when the people are home downstairs. I have no idea what I'm inhaling, have no recourse since the Health Dept. I don't know what to do, I'm stumped and stressed, have a disabled living with me. It's not like having a landlord, if you withhold condo fees they can put a lien on home or make your life difficult, which I'm sure will happen to me by bringing it up many times and copying upper management including the president.

Condo Board together with management are horrible and don't do anything except take care of their favorites, then sit on their cushy butts. Can't believe I'm helpless at this point.

Will welcome suggestions, although I'd rather not call the police as management suggested I do in my first request. I did go on the roof. Nothing clogged. The vent has a wire cap over it, I guess to keep bugs and things out. There are no trees near the roof thank god.

I replaced the vent check under the sink. And no more bad smell. A clogged vent is a big possibility, as it may be stopped up with leaves, pine straw, other storm debris, dead birds and rodents, etc.

I am not, however, suggesting that you climb up on your roof with and attempt to determine if the vent is clogged and clean it out yourself. It seems simple, but may not be a DIY job. It should only be done by someone who is experienced at working up high on a ladder and knows all the safety measures to follow. A broken back would be much worse than a clogged sewer drain! Hello, I moved in a home with all brand new pipes.

I noticed 2 months later a rotten egg smell under my kitchen sink. All of my pipes drain perfect and nothing backs up. I do not have any other smells anywhere. Do you think my vent on the roof could be clogged?

Hi, Ben - Sorry this response is belated, but your comment didn't show up timely in my notifications, so I just read it. Therefore,you may have already addressed the smelly problem, but with only one vent stack for upstairs and basement bath plumbing, there could be either some blockage between the two, or loose vent pipes.

To be on the safe side, I'd suggest you have a licensed plumber check the plumbing vent system thoroughly, especially if your new basement bath was a DIY project. We just did a new drain and bathroom at the back half our basement. All fixtures are in and all traps have water in them.

There is an intermittent methane smell from the stack area - usually when someone is showering or fixtures being used upstairs. It's not all the time and it's not strong.

Quite mild. Any ideas? It seems like something isn't sealed properly but there are no leaks or anything. Could it be a clogged drain stack? Should I pour something into the drain from upstairs?

I apologize for the late reply, Kjanke. I've been ill for the past couple of weeks and am just now checking comments, emails, etc. I hope you and your family suffered no ill effects from the sewer gas and were able to get the problem corrected by a plumber.

The potential level of danger caused by sewer gases escaping inside a structure depend on the source and reason, which can be determined by testing. If there are any gas lines in the building that may be involved, it is always better to err on the side of caution. Regards, Jaye. We are smelling sewer gas in our guest bathroom, and the smell has spread into adjacent closets that share a wall with the bathroom. Its not super strong, but noticeable when you walk into the bathroom or adjacent closets.

Its the weekend, and a holiday on Monday - we would prefer to wait until Tuesday to call a plumber but how dangerous are the sewer gases? Just wondering if we need to pay extra to have someone look at it sooner. Sorry for the slow reply--waves of holiday guests! If you checked the drain, tried the DIY tips and the sewer gas smell was or is still present, it's probably time to call the plumber.

Escaping sewer gas can be dangerous if not remedied. We are having the same issue from the laundry area. We have a sump pump in the basement and a floor drain. Outside the laundry room is the HVAC unit and the pool filter. I do not know where to check or what to do first.

The home is 2 story. Hokie - It's terrible you're having this problem after just moving into your newly built home. After all, sewer gas can be dangerous and cause illness or even an explosion. A licensed home inspector can use a gas detection instrument, while a plumber can carry out a pressure test of the drain vent system or even send a remote camera through the drains to determine if there is blockage.

Sorry for the long post but I am out of ideas and really need some guidance. We recently moved in to our newly built home. I am a project manager for a national builder so was the GC for our own home. Thus, I managed the build process from the ground up.

We are on a septic system. We initially thought it was a propane leak but have since determined that it is a sewer gas smell. During construction we were in the house on a daily basis and the house was mostly closed up in the last couple of weeks while the painters were working. We never noticed the smell during any point of construction. We went from no smell to very strong concerning smell literally overnight.

I have checked all of the more obvious possibilities. All of the traps have water in them. Studor vent under the wetbar sink is working. We even switched it out just in case we have 2 sewer ejector crocks one for wetbar, one for basement bath smell is not noticeably stronger near either one. All pipes seem to be sealed tightly including check valves. I have run my nose along every inch of sewer pipe down there and cannot trace the smell to any particular area.

Debgeo - I am not a plumber, and this site only describes "home remedy" tips for eliminating sewer gas emanating from a shower drain based on my own experience. I am not qualified to offer advice about the problem you suspect is caused by your AC condensation floor drain in your home's basement.

However, I did some research and found a site which may answer your question or point you to a solution. I wish you good luck in correcting this issue and eliminating your basement's sewer smell. We noticed a sewer smell coming from what we suspect is the AC condensation floor drain in our basement storage room. What can we do to fix this? JPlunk - What a bummer it is to encounter such a problem in your brand new home! I wish that I could offer a "miracle" suggestion, but I'm not a plumbing expert.

Since the builder's moved both the tub and toilet and has even gone so far as to break up the floor looking for a plumbing error, but hasn't found it, you may need to submit a claim under your new home warranty.

Many home warranties are backed by the builder, while others are purchased from an independent company and are part of your new home package. Usually, defects in the plumbing during construction are covered for at least two years. If I were you, I wouldn't want the builder to keep going with his "trial-and-error" method, which has not been effective.

Your new home is probably your greatest investment, and you deserve to have everything properly operable and safe--now. With a reputable builder, this should not present a problem. If it does, especially since you've only been in this newly built home for three months, you may need an attorney's assistance as much as you need that of an expert plumbing contractor. I hope your builder ensures this issue is diagnosed and corrected right away.

KaraOkay - Great news on two levels--first, because you weren't overcome by toxic gas when you started to mix the bowl cleaner with bleach, and then that your "stinky" problem was resolved. It always makes me feel good when I read that these tips helped someone. Thanks for sharing! I have had this smell for months and at first I thought there was a small leak in the pipes exiting the house to the sewer system.

I figured it was the after effects of someone going 2. It persisted when something toilet, shower, laundry machine was used and I thought there was some stinky gunk build-up in a pipe. Initially I tried the vinegar and baking soda in the laundry deep sink, like I do every blue moon for the garbage disposal. It helped, but wasn't a cure. I did the thorough vinegar-baking soda-water-bleach-water-mineral oil drops with hours of wait time in between, following your steps exactly, in the deep sink.

I went to the guest bath and ran water in sink and shower and flushed toilet and now do this at least weekly. One time I put 2 drops of mineral oil after a water run because I wouldn't be around for a week. I poured some water in the drain near the furnace because there hadn't been any condensation run off in months.

Added a few drops of mineral oil there also. Finally today, I had a 'duh' moment. The powder room next to the laundry room had a busted line at the toilet last year the line from the water to the tank and it pseudo flooded the bathroom. I had the water off in that room since then. After cleaning out some construction debris, I poured a half gallon of water in the toilet bowl. Then a small glug of bleach seriously, just tipped the bottle quick.

Then another half gallon of water. I started to hear some water moving and the bowl water went down a little, so I knew it had to flow some to the pipes. I grabbed the bowl cleaner and brush and cleaned. Then realized my potential stupidity and read the bowl cleaner label. Do not mix with bleach So I run and grab an empty bottled water from the recycle bin, cut it just so, grab a bucket, cover my mouth and nose, and scoop out as much liquid as possible. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile.

Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Tip The drain line will be much longer than the wire.

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These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. Question: What makes it smell so bad? Question: How does it get into the house?

Other ways sewer gas can get into your home include: A dry trap. If there is a trap in a drain line that is not often used, the water in the trap may evaporate, breaking the trap seal. A damaged trap. Obviously, if the trap is cracked and allows the water to run out, the trap seal is again lost.

A damaged drain line. If the drain line is cracked or broken between the main sewer and the trap, there is nothing to impede the flow of gases through the crack or break in the line. Also, a damaged drain line may allow sewage to drain into the basement or crawlspace under your house, and you may get a sewer odor from that accumulation of sewer.

A damaged or plugged vent. The vent system in your plumbing is designed to equalize the atmospheric pressure differences caused by wastewater flowing through the plumbing, and also to allow sewer gases to escape the plumbing system by venting them into the atmosphere above the house.

If this system has an untrapped opening inside your house, gases may escape through that opening. Question: How is it produced in the sewer? There are, however, some environments where hydrogen sulfide is produced in the sewers: The slime layer that coats the sewer pipe below the water line. Although this layer can be only. If any sludge has been deposited at the bottom of the pipe, H2S will also be formed in that sludge.

If there is a problem in the sewer with flow if it is plugged or partially plugged so that the sewage cannot keep moving, the oxygen content gets to low that H2S can be produced in the sewage itself.

Sometimes, a vent pipe will develop cracks that allow odors to spill out into your home. To find any cracks, a plumber will use a smoke machine to fill the pipe. Once the smoke begins to emerge, they will trace it to the source of the leak and repair the pipe. The toilet attaches to the drain through two different seals. If these seals are loose, broken or improperly installed, they could allow sewer gases to enter your bathroom. One indication of a broken seal is if the toilet bowl does not fill up normally.

If a seal leaks water and sewage, a bad smell might not stem from sewage gases. Sometimes, water will pool in crevices in and around your toilet, attracting bacteria. As the bacteria grow, they produce a foul odor. Sometimes a toilet leaks from the wax ring , which seals the toilet drain and prevents water leakage. If the toilet bowl is loose, it can damage the wax ring, leading to sewage seeping out and producing bad smells. Your toilet could also be broken, cracked or otherwise damaged.

For example, it may have cracked around the bolts that fasten it to the floor or from using a drain snake too aggressively. Even small cracks can let sewer gas seep into your bathroom. How to fix the problem: If the problem is a broken or loose seal, often a fresh application of caulk is enough to fix the issue.

Apply caulk to your toilet's seals, as well as the bolt holes securing the toilet to the ground. Check to see if your toilet bowl is wobbly or loose — if it is, it may have broken the wax ring. To repair it, reset the toilet with a new toilet ring. If the toilet itself appears to have broken, contact a professional plumbing service for repairs. A stinky sink can have many causes — just like a shower drain, it could have a dry P-trap, for example.

However, another common source of odors is buildup in the overflow. If you notice a sewage smell coming up from your sink, check to see if it has an overflow mechanism. Many sinks come with a hole near the top designed to provide an outlet for water, preventing overflows from spilling into the bathroom.

Like anything near water, your sink can build up grime and mildew quickly, especially in the overflow area.

How to fix the problem: Fortunately, cleaning the overflow is an easy project. All you need is water, bleach and a small bottle brush. If the odors do not go away after a thorough cleaning, contact a professional plumbing service to examine your sink. When you notice your house smells like sewage, the first place you look is probably the bathroom. However, if you cannot locate the source of the smell, examine your washing machine — the cause of the problem might be hiding in your laundry room.

The most common causes of a washing machine that smells like sewage are improperly installed P-traps, drain clogs or vent pipe clogs. P-traps are not just for your bathroom — they are essential for washing machines, too. However, unlike many bathroom pipes, modern washing machines come with a flexible drain hose. The wastewater from a washing machine flows through this flexible hose into the drain box pipe, which connects to the P-trap.

Because the hose is flexible, it can easily be improperly installed. The hose may have been inserted too far into the drainage box, which prevents the P-trap from functioning.

As a result, odors can seep into your home. How to fix the problem: To solve this problem, try pulling the washing machine drain hose out of the drain box. Stop when the hose is roughly eight inches deep in the piping — this will let the P-trap work properly, keeping sewer gases from leaking into the room. A clog in the drain line will create a buildup of organic matter like hair and soap.

Bacteria will form on the clog, creating a nasty odor that resembles the smell of sewage. If left untreated, a clog will build on itself, growing larger and larger and producing more noticeable odors. How to fix the problem: Fortunately, a clogged drain has an easy fix. Using a drain snake, clear out any clogs in the drain line.