You’re working in your kitchen cooking dinner for the family when suddenly you catch a whiff of a very unpleasant smell emanating from your kitchen drain. Or maybe you can barely stand to shower as foul odours bubble up from your shower drain whenever you turn the hot water on.
If you’re experiencing bad smells coming from your drain, you may be wondering why and how you can get rid of it. The remedy often depends on the cause, so in this blog, we’ll go over the various causes of bad smells from your drains and what you can do about it.
Dried Out P-trap
The p-trap is the u-shaped pipe under your sink. It holds a small amount of water which acts as a barrier to prevent sewer gas and odours from coming up into your home. If a sink or shower isn’t used very often, it can lead to the p-trap drying out as the water evaporates over time. Without that barrier of water, the sewer smells have a direct route into your home.
Fortunately, this is easy to fix – just run water down the drain for 60 seconds to refill the p-trap’s water.
Organic Matter Buildup
If the trap is not the cause, it may be due to a buildup of organic sludge. Over time, residues such as food scraps, dish soap, grease, and other things put down the drain can accumulate in the pipes and cause clogs. That attracts bacteria, which feed and grow which can cause bad smells to develop.
You may be able to clear the debris yourself, but the best solution is to call a plumber for professional drain clearing services.
Cracked or Broken Pipes
The previous two causes are easy to remedy, but this next one is a lot more difficult. Broken or cracked pipes can lead to bad odours in a stinky situation that’s much more difficult to remedy. Cracked or damaged drain pipes can allow sewer gases into your home. Pretty much any breach in a pipe is an open invitation for rotten, sulphurous fumes to escape into your living space.
Broken pipes are a job for a professional. Call a trusted plumber to replace your pipes.
Sewage Backup
Sewage backups are one of the most cringe-inducing causes of bad drain odours. Wastewater from toilets and sewer lines has nowhere to go, so it’s forced up through your kitchen or bathroom drain.
That means not just a foul stench but serious health hazards thanks to the bacteria present in raw sewage. If you have a problem with sewage backup, call a professional plumber immediately to take care of the problem and restore normal flow.
Call Black Forest for Drain Clearing Services
Black Forest Plumbing provides drain clearing and plumbing services for homes throughout the Greater Toronto Area and York Region, including in Toronto, Aurora and Barrie. We can take care of any issues causing bad odours in your drains, whether it’s a clog or a broken pipe. Contact us today for emergency drain clearing or to schedule a service.
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