Causes of a Sewage Smell When You Run Water

Repulsive is the word that comes to mind when a sewage smell hits you while you run water. After a mad dash to the store for a bunch of bottled water, your next step is finding out why your water smells this way. Luckily for you, it’s probably not your water! Here are three reasons why you may be encountering that horrible smell when you run water in your Evansville, IN home.

The drain from your sink has a U-shaped dip where the drainpipe meets the sink. This is called the p-trap. The design of the p-trap enables water to stay in the dip each time you turn the water off. The water in this dip acts as a barrier, blocking out the awful smell that can float back up from your sewage tank.

When the p-trap is empty, there is no barrier. The scent is free to float through the drain as it pleases. An empty p-trap is the top reason you’re experiencing the smell. Reasons for an empty p-trap can include:

If the first and last reasons apply to you, our plumbers at Sims Electrical, Plumbing, & Mechanical can easily install a new p-trap .

When you think about it, a clog is likely full of organic matter such as hair and food. By the time these items have created a clog, they’ve probably started rotting.

Rotting organic matter smells bad, so if you smell a rotten odor when you run water, it could be a clog. If the issue is a clog, you will probably have other signs such as slow drainage or a bubbling toilet.

All home plumbing systems have a vent pipe that regulates air in the plumbing system. This air helps to move the water through the pipe system. It also helps to vent sewer gases into the air outside rather than into your home.

If the vent is clogged, it can’t effectively vent the gases. This can cause bad smells to back up into your home, along with other plumbing problems.

You can easily solve some of these issues on your own. Running water to fill your p-trap is easy and sometimes, so is removing a clog. However, if you’ve tried the do-it-yourself solutions and are still having issues with a bad sewage smell, it’s time to call for help. If you’re in Evansville or surrounding areas in Southern Indiana, call us at Sims Electrical, Plumbing, & Mechanical for a free estimate.

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