sewer smell coming out of my sink when iturn the water on

#Sewer smell coming out of my sink when iturn the water on free#

Sometimes it's also necessary to caulk the bolt holes because smell can leak through there, too, he says. This is an issue that Patrick encounters frequently, noting that that it's easy enough to solve by adding a bead of caulk around the bottom. This bacterium can often cause a foul odor if left unchecked. When there is no caulk around the base of the toilet, water and urine can seep underneath and water that gets stuck in crevices and doesn't dry will grow bacteria. But if the bowl doesn't fill up as it should, the problem could be a broken seal. This is because the toilet water acts as a smell barrier - just like the water in a sink's P-trap. It seems natural to assume that the toilet would be the obvious source of any sewage smells, but if there's water in the bowl, chances are the commode is not the problem.

#Sewer smell coming out of my sink when iturn the water on free#

So, there's water in all the P-traps, you have no visible leaks and the pipes are free of clogs. Sometimes you can fix the problem yourself but other times you need to call a plumber. 'If anything leaks, it would be noticeable,' Patrick explains. If even a small amount of water has leaked out of the bottom of the 'U,' sewage gases may be able to sneak in. If there's still a sewage odor after you've run plenty of water or pink antifreeze down all the drains, or if you notice a sewage smell in a bathroom that gets regular use, you might want to check for leaks in or around the P-trap. If plain running water isn't cutting it, Patrick recommends using pink RV water-safe antifreeze.

If that's the case, the solution is as simple as running some water to allow the P-trap to fill up again. The issue in situations like these is that the water in the P-trap has simply evaporated due to lack of use, effectively removing the barrier between your bathroom and the gases in the sewer system. The first possible cause of a sewage smell in your bathroom is by far the easiest to fix, and more likely to occur in bathrooms where fixtures haven't been used recently, such as the sink in a guest bathroom or the tub in a bathroom with a separate shower. If you're lucky, it will be one of the easy fixes on the next page. Signs of exposure can include dizziness, headaches, nausea and drowsiness.Ĭlearly, it's important to figure out exactly what's causing the sewage smell and make sure it's corrected quickly and effectively. Methane is the largest cause of sewer smell but there is also danger of hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, ammonia, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide,' explains Patrick in an email interview, adding that the main culprit of such added toxins are people disposing of gasoline and other chemicals down their drains. 'It could be dangerous because of other gases that can be present in sewer systems. Traps are there to prevent sewer gases from escaping into the home.'įailure to properly vent those stinky gases has the potential to be more than just annoying. 'There are misconceptions that the traps are also there to catch objects that might be dropped in the drain, which is not the case. 'The role of the P-Trap is to keep the sewer gases out of the home,' says Ray Patrick, a master plumber with Roto-Rooter.

Under normal conditions, those gases flow right past your bathroom and out through the vent pipe in your roof. That little bit of water is enough to prevent gases from drifting out of the sewage system and into your house. When everything's working as it should, the water stays in the P-trap after you turn off the sink, empty the tub or flush the toilet. The U-shape of the P-trap allows it to collect a small amount of water after each sink use, which acts as a barrier against sewage odors.