Why Are Bad Smells Coming Out of My Drains?

05/16/2016

Does your bathroom smell like an open sewer? Is the horrible smell coming from your drains? If so, there could be a couple of different reasons for it. Some of them are pretty severe problems, some are not, but all of them are most definitely problems. Let’s take a look at the reasons why bad smells are coming out of your drains, and what you need to do to address them.

Individual Drains

Are the bad smells just coming out of one of the drains in your home? If so, you probably have either a dry p-trap or waste buildup on the inside of the drain pipe. The p-trap is the bend in the pipe under your sink. It’s designed to hold water at all times, in order to prevent sewer gases and other things from escaping up through the drains. If you don’t use that drain for a while, however, the water inside the p-trap can evaporate. That will allow bad smells from your sewer line to drift up through your drain.

Waste buildup is common in drain pipes that haven’t been cleaned in a while, especially kitchen drains that handle a lot of solid waste on a regular basis. Depending on the kind of waste in the pipes, the buildup can eventually start giving off a stench. You should get your drains cleaned if you notice bad smells coming out of one of the drains.

Sewer Issues

If you have bad smells coming out of multiple drains in your home, it’s possible that you have a problem in your sewer line. A blockage can force sewer gases up through the plumbing system and out of the drains in your home. It’s also possible that the vent pipe on your roof is blocked, which will have the same result.

Rooter Man offers comprehensive drain and sewer services throughout Saratoga Springs, NY.