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There’s something particularly jarring about coming into the shower and being faced with bad odors. It’s where we go to get freshened up after all, and the stink of mildew or sulfur will put anyone off. There are a number of reasons you’re experiencing that smell, and luckily most of them are easy to fix. If you’re in the Temple Terrace, FL area, then a plumber like Drain Flo Plumbing can clear this bad smell up pretty quickly.
So what’s the root of the stench? It could be something as simple as mold or mildew on your soap or beneath your drain cover, or hair and grime stuck in your drain strainer. In other cases, the smell could be the result of bad bacteria that are feeding on debris in the pipe. Anaerobic bacteria can be festering in the water in the p-trap, producing odorous gases that smell a little like sewage. Or a pipe vent could be blocked. There are some simple solutions to these stinky problems but others will certainly require the use of a plumber.
Check Your Strainer
Most households have a strainer over their drain to catch any hair, soap scum, or grime and debris before it can get into your drain and cause a blockage.
This gunk may start to accumulate unless regularly cleaned and then start to smell over time.
You can probably pull a certain amount of this gunk off yourself, from a removable strainer. Some others are screwed down.
To get rid of the smell the strainer needs to be removed and be thoroughly cleaned before being replaced. You could experiment with a mix of soapy water, disinfectant, and get your rubber gloves out, although a professional could use their own industrial drain cleaner to give your drain strainer, and drain, a deep clean.
If it’s been a while since you’ve cleaned out the strainer, then the debris may not have just stuck to the strainer but have seeped through into the drain. That’s why it’s a good idea to disinfect the drainpipe as well. Depending on how long this residual grime has been lingering it may have reached quite deep. A solution plus a burst of hot water could flush that all out, or a plumber can use a special enzyme-based cleaner and use their tools to reach down further into the drainpipe to push it out of your plumbing.
To prevent repeat visits, pour down some boiling water and bleach down the plughole once a week to prevent it from becoming a continual problem.
The Threat Of Mold And Mildew
Places where mold and mildew can fester are dark and wet, giving them plenty of opportunity in your shower to grow. Gaps between your drain cover and your drain, for instance, will give them prime space to develop. Also around the rubber seal on the edges of your shower, there are a lot of opportunities for mold and mildew to grow. It can look black or dark green. It’s unsightly and can produce a stench. Keeping these areas clean with a good cleaning solution or bleach will keep them at bay.
A Malfunctioning P-trap
You may have heard of a p-trap from your plumber before, or the term might be completely alien to you. To be clear, the “p-trap” is the area of the pipe that curves as a p or u shape, which holds some of the water that drains through it. This water can then act as a sort of barrier, preventing sewer gases rising through your pipes to your shower area that might otherwise float up through your pipes where you could smell them.
These gases have a distinct sulphuric smell, or as some people describe it, a smell like rotten eggs. When that starts to happen, it’s safe to say your p-trap is malfunctioning.
If you look down your drain you should see some water. No water and something could be wrong. To be sure, pour some water down the drain, and check if some water is still there after an hour. If not, then call your plumber. Drain Flo Plumbing can send a plumber out quite quickly in the Temple Terrace, FL, area. As a quick stop gap, pouring some oil down with the water might keep the water afloat for a little while, but ensure you call a professional to fix the problem for the long-term.
You Could Have A Blocked Vent
Another reason why water keeps disappearing may be blocked vents.
If your p-trap is there to hold water and block gases rising up into your shower, then those gases need somewhere to go and they are usually let out through pipe venting. If that venting becomes blocked, then the suction could start draining the water.
Pipe vents connect to an outlet or vent stack, and this is where most blockages occur, perhaps just from debris, or a bird may have decided to build its nest by the vent; in winter it could be the formation of ice. There could be several reasons why your vent stack is blocked.
Rather than locating and clearing a vent stack yourself, your local plumber will have knowledge of the area’s plumbing and can seek to remove any blockages themself.
The blockage may not be easily visible as well and maybe further inside the outlet. It may even be a deeper sewage problem.
A plumber from Drain Flo Plumbing will certainly be able to get to the bottom of your issue for you.
Drain Flo Plumbing is a professional plumbing service that can help you through any type of home plumbing problem, whether you’re renovating your home or just want to schedule in some routine maintenance. Serving the local community we can get a plumber out to you in no time. Call us today.
