Why There is a Sewer Smell in Your Home
Even if you work hard to keep your L.A. home in great condition, you may find yourself starting to notice a sewer smell as you stroll around various rooms and areas. Needless to say, this is a bad smell that needs to disappear as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, a sewer odor in your home indicates you’ve got a problem with your sewer system, and simply wishing it to go away won’t work. Instead, you’ll need to rely on our team of licensed and experienced professionals here at Boss Plumbing to find out if the problem is leaking pipes, a malfunctioning septic tank, or something else that has your house smelling like rotten eggs.
What Does Sewage Smell Like?
Of all things that have a bad smell, sewage is arguably the worst of all. If you’ve never had the thrill of smelling sewage, imagine dozens of eggs that have become as rotten as possible. When this happens, you will notice a very strong smell of sulfur, since sewage gas contains a combination of hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide, and methane. If the sewage in your home has high concentrations of these gases, the smell will be stronger and there will also be a risk to your health. Since the problem could be with your home’s main sewer line that could be cracked and leaking, it’s best to contact us here at Boss Plumbing and let us get to the bottom of things.
Where is the Sewer Smell Coming From?
When you’ve got a sewage smell inside your house, it can sometimes be difficult to track down its exact source, since there are many possibilities and reasons for the smell.
Toilet
One of the most common areas where sewer smells emerge, your toilet may be the culprit due to having a broken seal. If you have a septic tank, it’s possible your tank is full or malfunctioning and has started to back up, meaning you’ll need sewage pump services from our experts here at Boss Plumbing.
Shower Drain
Yes, those nasty sewer smells could be coming from the drain in your shower. If you have a clogged drain that is full of hair, soap scum, oil, or other nasty debris, this combination can produce lots of bacteria that will continue to smell terrible until your drain is cleaned.
It’s also possible the smell could be coming from a buildup of biofilm, meaning numerous types of bacteria have gotten together and will smell worse and worse over time. If you notice a moldy smell in or around the drain, mold is likely in the equation as well. As this situation becomes more complex, be prepared to enlist the services of the best sewer pipe repair plumbers in Los Angeles from Boss Plumbing.
Basement
If your sewer smell problem seems to be coming primarily from your basement, chances are it’s not going to be an easy fix. Should sewage be backing up into your basement, you may have a damaged sewer line that can be fixed in various ways. If the sewer line is older, snaking it may be the best option. Yet in many cases, our Boss Plumbing technicians can perform sewer cleaning by hydro-jettingthe sewer line and hopefully getting things back to normal within a few hours. Depending on the circumstances and the damage to the sewer line, it’s possible the city may be responsible for paying for any repairs your sewer line may need. A clogged floor drain may also be the problem, which could be due to a faulty septic tank, debris clog, or biofilm buildup.
Sink
When you get an awful sewer smell coming from your sink or the water emerging from your tap, this is a clear indication you have hydrogen sulfide in your water or a bacteria buildup in your home’s pipes. If your pipes are newer, the good news is that our hydro-jetting service can usually solve this problem quickly, easily, and affordably.
How to Rid Your House of Sewer Smells
Now that you know how sewer smells can originate in your home, we’ve got some advice as to how you can rid your home of those terrible sewer smells, many of which are DIY solutions.
Use Baking Soda, Vinegar, and Water
Pour some baking soda and vinegar down your drain, then let it set there for about one hour. Afterwards, run hot water down the drain, which will help kill any remaining bacteria and get rid of any remaining baking soda. Safe and easy to do, it’s very effective.
Wash Out the P-Trap
If your P-trap does not have a water seal that’s working as it should, the result can be sewer gases that start to creep up through your pipes, into the trap, and eventually make their way through the drain and into your home. An easy way to solve this problem is to flush the trap with hot water for two minutes, which will help rid the trap of debris and seal off any gases that may be trying to enter.
Check Drain Vents
Cleaning out your sewer vent pipe is very easy to do. Located on your roof over your bathroom, simply climb up on your roof and see if any bird nests, leaves, or other debris could be clogging the vent. By cleaning it out, you may have your sewer smell problems solved in no time at all.
Hire a Plumber
Finally, if none of your DIY tricks have worked, it’s time to call in a professional plumber from Boss Plumbing to assess the situation. You could be dealing with a broken sewer line that needs to be replaced, a septic tank that needs to be pumped out or replaced, or other issues that require the services of a professional plumber.
Is My Home Unsafe with Sewer Smells?
When sewer smells are in your home, you usually have nothing to worry about from a health standpoint. However, if you let the problem persist and allow you and your family to be exposed to carbon monoxide, methane, and hydrogen sulfide for a long period of time, you could experience nausea, headaches, memory problems, and respiratory problems.
Contact Us Here at Boss Plumbing
Along with being very unpleasant, sewer smells indicate a problem exists within your plumbing system. To find out more about sewer cleaning and how we can help rid your home of those disgusting sewer smells, contact us today here at Boss Plumbing to schedule a service call.
