Why Does My Bathroom Smell Like Sewage?

Sometimes you find a rotten-egg-like sewage smell in the bathroom. You try to detect the source of the bad smell, scrubbing the toilet, pouring cleaning solutions in the drains, and spraying the air freshener, but nothing works.

Are you wondering why does my bathroom smell like sewage? The sewage smell can be due to several reasons, and identifying the source of odor can be difficult.

Whatever the reason, the presence of methane in these sewer gases is dangerous. After finding the source of the smell, the sewage smell can be corrected inexpensively.

 

Causes of Sewer Smell in House

When you have detected the sewer gas smell, you must find the reason to fix this issue. You must hire a professional to find its source. If you cannot detect it, it can cause serious health problems.

Examine the Bathtub Material

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There will be a curved pipe under your sink. This pipe is known as the P-Trap. Many homeowners say its purpose is to catch messes that must not go down the drain. It has many other jobs to do also.

The reason for the curviness of the P-Trap pipe is to maintain water. It helps in keeping the gases out of your home. If the water becomes too little and the P-Trap dries out, the gases start to flow to the drain.

The dryness of the P-Trap may be due to different reasons.

• Using irregularly
• The pipe gets a hole
• Air moving a lot in pipes
• An absorbent thing caught in the pipe

To fix the issue of the P-Trap dryness, turn on the tap and let the water flow for ten minutes. You will detect the hole if there is any. You will be able to seal it. If you still cannot find the reason, you should call a plumber.

Shower Drains

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The sewer gas smell in the bathroom may be due to the shower drain, even if you shower daily. Showering may cause sewer gases if the shower drain is not cleaned frequently.

Many residues like dead skin and hair create a buildup in the drain. As time passes, the residues start rotting, which is why these harmful gases occur. Regularly cleaning the drain is the most effective way to eliminate these gases.

This is time-consuming and disgusting for many people, but anyone can do it easily. Another easy way is using a plastic tool, a stick that removes clogs from the drain. This method is effective for removing hair but does not work to remove other buildups.

You can make a solution for opening a clogged drain:

1. Take two cups of boiled water in a bowl.
2. Mix two cups of vinegar in it.
3. Remove the cover of the drain.
4. Gradually, pour this solution into it.
5. Now, gradually pour 2 cups of baking soda into the drain.
6. Close its cover and leave it for 2 hours.
7. The bubbling reaction of baking soda will dissolve the deposit.
8. Pour boiling water into it.
9. Run more hot water into the drain for 3 – 4 minutes.

Problem with Ventilation Pipe

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A ventilation pipe in every bathroom prevents bad odor from your bathroom. A damaged and clogged vent pipe results in leaking gases into your bathroom; therefore, the bathroom smell like sewage.

It is not easy to differentiate between the smells of a clogged ventilation pipe or a clogged drain. Getting on the roof to examine the ventilation pipe can also be unsafe.

If you think the sewage smell in the house is due to the vent pipe, you can call a plumber to detect the main reason and fix it.

Damaged Wax Ring

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Most homeowners do not think that their toilet can have a problem. But, sometimes, the toilet smells like sewer due to any fault. There is a sewage drain pipe under the toilet.

A wax ring is installed between the toilet’s base and the pipe, which works as a sealer. Sometimes this ring is ruined, smelly gases start coming out from the pipe, and your bathroom becomes full of mess.

The damaged areas also discharge some liquid into the bathroom, thus creating a messy environment and ruining your subfloor.

This problem can be fixed easily by buying a new wax ring. This task’s difficult step is removing the toilet from its base and dealing with the mess. You can hire a plumber to fix this issue.

Overflow Growth

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There is an overflow hole in most of the wash basins. When the basin gets full of water, this hole allows the water to drain; hence the sink does not overflow.

When the basin is not filled often, this extra hole develops a buildup of dirt and fungus and makes an unpleasant odor.

You can solve this problem by cleaning the basin regularly and scrubbing the additional drain properly. If you detect gas smell like sewage from this area, you can remove it by:

1. Take a small container.
2. Mix 1/2 cup warm water in it.
3. Pour 1/2 cup vinegar and mix it well.
4. Take a container with a spout. Pour this solution into the drain using this container.

The strong smell of vinegar will remove the sewage smell from the hole. This solution also destroys the bacteria and germs residing in the hole.

Clogged Drain

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A complete bathroom normally has three drains: drain of the tub or shower, washbasin drain, and toilet drain. If any of these drains get clogged, an unpleasant sewage smell starts coming out from it.

The smell of the toilet is easily detectable because of the smell of methane gas. Shower and sink drains have similar dirt buildups like mucous of your mouth, soap scum, and hair. This buildup leads to decay and the house smell like sewage.

Cleaning these drains is the best solution to this problem. Instead of buying commercial cleaning solutions, calling a plumber is a good idea because these cleaning solutions are highly acidic and dangerous. They can also increase your problem.

Washing Machine Smells Like Sewage

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First, you will check your bathroom if there are bad smells in the house that comes and goes. You didn’t notice any bad smell over there; it might be coming from your washing machine.

Hence, this means the source of the smell is in your laundry room. The reasons behind the sewage smell of the washing machine are clogged drains, clogged vent pips, and improper P-Trap Installation.

Improper P-Trap Installation

There is an elastic drain hose in modern washing machines. The wastewater runs through this drain hose to the drain box pipe. Due to the flexibility of the hose, sometimes it is installed wrongly.

If you insert the hose too far into the drain box, it will not work properly. Therefore, you feel a sewer gas smell in the house.

To fix this problem, pull the drain hose from the drain box. The P-Trap will work accurately if the hose is around 8 inches inserted in the box. This way, you will be able to remove the weird smell in the house.

Clogged Drains

A clogged drain pipe of the washing machine also creates a bad smell in your bathroom. It gets clogged due to the buildup of hair and soap. It causes the growth of bacteria, which creates a sewage-like unpleasant smell.

This would be best if you cleaned it as soon as it occurred. Otherwise, the larger the buildup is, the more severe the odor will be.

This issue can be fixed by using a drain snake to clean the clogged drain line. If you have tried, but the problem didn’t fix, contact a plumber to examine your washing machine and the drain line.

Clogged Vent Pipes

The vent pipes of your washing machine are connected to your bathroom plumbing. Ventilation is very important for all of the drain systems of your house to protect your home from sewer gases.

A clogged vent pipe does not allow the sewer air to pass through the pipes. Therefore, the vent pipes around the walls create a sewer smell.

You can fix this issue by checking the clogged vent pipes and if you can access your roof. Look for any obstacles in the vent pipes. Use a snake tool to remove them or contact a plumber to fix this issue.

How to Get Rid of Sewer Odor?

Consider a few options if you want to remove the unpleasant sewer odor. These are the popular sewer odor solutions that you can easily DIY.

P-Trap Sewer Odor Solution

The sewer smell might come from the bathroom, which you rarely use. It shows that the reason behind this is the water shortage in the drain. This problem can be solved easily.

Pour enough water into the drains so that the P-Trap gets full of water. In this way, the smell will be removed.

Damaged Seal Sewer Odor Solution

When the wax ring or caulk around your toilet gets damaged, all the mess emerges. This will create the growth of bacteria and mold. These germs result in creating a bad smell.

You can fix this issue easily by resealing the wax ring again, and your bathroom will eliminate the sewer smell of methane gas.

When to Call an Expert?

Most of the sewer smells can be fixed by adopting a DIY route. But, If you have tried and the problem still exists, you must hire a professional. These problems can be fixed by professional solutions only.

If the problem is with the toilet’s wax ring, many people will not want to do it because it is disgusting. So, a professional will be required to do that.

The pipes installed incorrectly can be fixed by a plumber because they have the right tools for them. Fixing it on your own will make it costly by buying the right tools. Due to the sewer smell, your pipes do not allow the air to pass freely.

This situation ruins your pipes. You must call an expert if you have plumbing problems at your home. It would be best to do it quickly before the problem gets worse.

FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions

How to Remove the Sewer Smell from the Bathroom?

You can eliminate the sewer smell from your bathroom by using effective natural ingredients. Mix baking soda and vinegar and pour this mixture into the drain. Now, pour hot water and don’t use it for a few hours.

Why Does Your Bathroom Smell Like Sewage?

There are many reasons for the sewage smell, such as clogged ventilation pipes, clogged toilet drain, buildups in the drains, damaged wax ring, etc.

Why Does the Sewage Smell Not Go?

If you have cleaned all your drains and used cleaning solutions, but still there is a sewage smell, the problem could be with the P-Trap. If the P-Trap is dried for many days and water does not pass through it, the bacteria build up, causing a sewage smell.

How to Fix the Problem of Sewer Gas Smell?

You can fix this issue by pouring baking soda into the drain and leaving it for ten minutes. Now pour vinegar and leave it for a few minutes more. Now turn on the tap and let the water flow through the drain for one or two minutes.

How Do You Know that the Sewer Vent Pipe is Clogged?

The signs of a clogged sewer vent pipe are:

• When water is taking more time to drain.
• If the toilet drain is dry and empty.
• Unpleasant odors
• Bubbling sounds come from the drains when water goes down.

Final Thoughts

In this article, all the reasons are effectively described why your bathroom smell like sewage. You can easily detect the source of the unpleasant sewer smell and find its solution.

Clean all your drains most often so that these smells do not occur. Most frequently, check your home’s plumbing system, and if you find any problem, fix it quickly by a DIY approach or by hiring a plumber.