My shower drain stinks
Thread Starter
Big Block go VROOOM!
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 8,578
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From: Chicago Burbs
My shower drain stinks
[I'll pause while you snicker............]
Seriously though, there's a sewer-like smell coming out of my shower drain. It is only my shower drain. I've stuck my nose/face by every other drain in the house and nothing. Shower = blech! To clarify, this isn't a sulfer/rotten egg smell that's most typically associated with "sewer gas." The best I can describe it is that it's more like a stagnant storm sewer smell like you might get by a manhole cover.
Relevant details:
* Everything in the house (including the shower) drains fine so I doubt there's a blockage anywhere.
* I poured some very hot water down the shower drain, waited five minutes, poured a bunch of 50/50 bleach water down the drain, plugged the drain & overflow, and let it sit overnight. No difference.
* House (townhouse actually) is single level, ground floor, on a slab.
* I don't piss in the shower.
The only thing I can possibly think of is that there's something wrong with the trap. Since I'm on a slab though, I assume my trap is encased in concrete. I can't just "go downstairs and look at it." Any thoughts on what could be causing the smell or how I could further diagnose this? It's to the point where I can smell it when I walk in the door after coming home from work.
Seriously though, there's a sewer-like smell coming out of my shower drain. It is only my shower drain. I've stuck my nose/face by every other drain in the house and nothing. Shower = blech! To clarify, this isn't a sulfer/rotten egg smell that's most typically associated with "sewer gas." The best I can describe it is that it's more like a stagnant storm sewer smell like you might get by a manhole cover.
Relevant details:
* Everything in the house (including the shower) drains fine so I doubt there's a blockage anywhere.
* I poured some very hot water down the shower drain, waited five minutes, poured a bunch of 50/50 bleach water down the drain, plugged the drain & overflow, and let it sit overnight. No difference.
* House (townhouse actually) is single level, ground floor, on a slab.
* I don't piss in the shower.
The only thing I can possibly think of is that there's something wrong with the trap. Since I'm on a slab though, I assume my trap is encased in concrete. I can't just "go downstairs and look at it." Any thoughts on what could be causing the smell or how I could further diagnose this? It's to the point where I can smell it when I walk in the door after coming home from work.
Last edited by Billiam; Jun 15, 2006 at 04:03 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2001
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From: Jersey
is your friend... drain odor http://www.doityourself.com/stry/showerodor
Q: Can you tell me why my shower drain has an odor after running water in it? -Kay D.
A: There are two things I'm aware of that can cause this, depending on how often the shower is used.
If the shower is used only infrequently, the water in the trap below the drain can evaporate. When this happens, there is no longer a seal in the trap and sewer gasses can come up through the drain, either on their own or as soon as water first enters the drain. To prevent this from happening, you need to make sure the trap never dries out, which can be done by either periodically running water in the shower, or by having a plumber install a trap primer, which is a small water line that will trickle a small amount of water into the trap as needed.
If the shower is used frequently and you don't feel that the trap ever dries out, then the problem is probably coming from debris - dirt, hair, soap, etc. - that is lodged in the trap and either rotting or mildewing. If the trap is removable from under the house, simply place a bucket under the trap, undo the nuts holding the trap in place, and slip the trap off the drain line. You can then clean out the trap with a garden hose, bottle brush, or other means. Soaking it overnight in a solution of 1 or two parts household bleach to 10 parts water will also help.
If the trap is not removable, you can try any of the gel-type drain cleaners on the market - carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions, and repeat as needed until the drain is completely clear - or you can have the drain and trap professionally snaked out. Check the Yellow Pages under "plumbing drains and sewer cleaning." I am assuming that this is only coming from one shower. If it is coming from more than one shower, then the main drain line may need to be snaked out as well.
Copyright 2002-2006 Inman News Features. Distributed by Inman News Features
A: There are two things I'm aware of that can cause this, depending on how often the shower is used.
If the shower is used only infrequently, the water in the trap below the drain can evaporate. When this happens, there is no longer a seal in the trap and sewer gasses can come up through the drain, either on their own or as soon as water first enters the drain. To prevent this from happening, you need to make sure the trap never dries out, which can be done by either periodically running water in the shower, or by having a plumber install a trap primer, which is a small water line that will trickle a small amount of water into the trap as needed.
If the shower is used frequently and you don't feel that the trap ever dries out, then the problem is probably coming from debris - dirt, hair, soap, etc. - that is lodged in the trap and either rotting or mildewing. If the trap is removable from under the house, simply place a bucket under the trap, undo the nuts holding the trap in place, and slip the trap off the drain line. You can then clean out the trap with a garden hose, bottle brush, or other means. Soaking it overnight in a solution of 1 or two parts household bleach to 10 parts water will also help.
If the trap is not removable, you can try any of the gel-type drain cleaners on the market - carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions, and repeat as needed until the drain is completely clear - or you can have the drain and trap professionally snaked out. Check the Yellow Pages under "plumbing drains and sewer cleaning." I am assuming that this is only coming from one shower. If it is coming from more than one shower, then the main drain line may need to be snaked out as well.
Copyright 2002-2006 Inman News Features. Distributed by Inman News Features
Thread Starter
Big Block go VROOOM!
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 8,578
Likes: 1
From: Chicago Burbs
Well, don't know how the hell I missed that one on Google. 
I got just about everything else on sewer gas and plugged sewer lines but that one somehow managed to escape me.
I got just about everything else on sewer gas and plugged sewer lines but that one somehow managed to escape me.
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 27,921
Likes: 1,080
From: where the weather suits my clothes
Originally Posted by soopa
Maybe there's no trap?
Since it's a TH, I'll assume there are others the same as yours. Have you asked your neighbors about theirs?
Once thing you might try is take a coat hanger and straighten it out. Push it down the drain and see how far it goes. See if you hit a bend in the pipe. That would tell you where the trap is.
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Thread Starter
Big Block go VROOOM!
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 8,578
Likes: 1
From: Chicago Burbs
As embarrasing as it is to admit, I think it may just have been some nasty stuff growing/fermenting out of sight in the drain pipe. I could see exposed PVC all around when I looked down the drain with a flashlight but something further down seems to have been nasty.
I went with FDL's idea and did the DIY "scrubbing bubbles"with the baking soda & vinegar. I used a wadded up large wet rag as "plug" that I stuck over the drain immediately after pouring in the vinegar. I definitely have a trap and it definitely had water in it as I could hear the CO2 bubbling up through the water during each treatment. The smell seemed better aftwards and this morning but the tale of the tape will be when I walk in the door tonight.
I went with FDL's idea and did the DIY "scrubbing bubbles"with the baking soda & vinegar. I used a wadded up large wet rag as "plug" that I stuck over the drain immediately after pouring in the vinegar. I definitely have a trap and it definitely had water in it as I could hear the CO2 bubbling up through the water during each treatment. The smell seemed better aftwards and this morning but the tale of the tape will be when I walk in the door tonight.
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