19th March 2024
plumbing

5 Common Reasons Why Your Drain Smells

You might find your kitchen or bathroom smelling like the sewers.  And no matter how much deodorizer you spray around the area, the smell just won’t go away.  The culprit might just be one of your drains, and you are not alone.  This problem is very common in every household and there are plenty of reasons for having them.

  1. Grease

Grease and fat can easily get stuck in your kitchen sink drain, and they can smell like rotten eggs or mould. It is important to never drain your used oil or fat into your sink, and if you do, make sure you have a grease trap installed to catch all of the nasty oily stuff and keep your pipes clog free.

  1. Garbage

Garbage disposals are prone to having bad smells, as food scraps that are left in it will rot and stink.  When this happens, it is a sign that you should clean the garbage out of your disposal.  If you clean regularly, you won’t need to deal with this kind of problem in the future.

  1. Bacteria

Bacteria thrive when there is gunk build-up in the walls of your drain pipes.  Everything that goes down your drain will leave residues that get stuck and pile up in your pipes, causing bacteria to thrive and give off that unpleasant smell.  It is not advisable to use commercial drain pipe cleaning agents since they contain harmful chemicals that may damage your pipes.  If you live in Sydney, call for blocked drain repair Sydney plumbers to assist you.

  1. Dry P-Trap

P-traps are goose-necked portions of the drain pipes that block the sewer gas entering through the drain.  If the sink has not been used for quite some time, the P-trap will dry up and allow the sewer gas to come inside your home.  You may simply run some water to refill the P-trap and the stink will be gone.

  1. Clogged Vent Pipes

Drain pipes are actually connected to a network of vent pipes that allows wastewater gas and odour to escape and bring in some fresh air.  These vents usually exit all the way to the roof.  However, if a clog develops somewhere, especially in the main stack, the rest of the pipes can be affected.  These clogs can create that awful smell.  So if you suspect that your vent pipes are clogged, immediately call for a professional plumber.

If all of these have been checked and there seems to be no problem yet the nasty smell won’t go away, then perhaps the issue is coming from the main sewer line.  Your sewer line is responsible for transporting all of your waste directly to the city sewer system or septic tank.

These sewer lines can get blocked or broken due to corrosion, tree roots, and ground movement. If this is not attended to immediately, it might cause some serious problems to your foundation.  This requires professional plumbers with sophisticated tools to solve.

The Bottom Line

Smelly drains are actually an indication of your need for immediate attention. Some people choose to ignore, thinking that these are simply unnecessary costs, or the more frugal ones try to D.I.Y the problem.

Remember that if you fail to diagnose and treat the problem correctly, instead of saving money, you might end up paying more because the damage may snowball into a more serious state.