3 Common Culprits Behind Pungent Sewer Odours in Homes
Are you detecting a stinky sewer odour inside your house? As the sewage in your residential sewer pipes breaks down, it produces a mixture of gases, including hydrogen sulphide, ammonia and methane. These gases not only smell unpleasant but can also be harmful to your health if inhaled in substantial quantities.
There are many potential factors that can lead to sewer gases backing up into your home, but some tend to be more common than others. Keep reading to find out the most common causes of sewer odours in homes.
Problems with the drains
The various drains connected throughout your house perform the important job of delivering the wastewater and sewage from your sinks, toilet, bathtub, shower and plumbing fixtures to the main sewer line buried outside.
If these residential drains are cracked, broken or leaky, they can cause sewer gas to back up into your home. Blocked drains can also make your home smell like sewage because they can interfere with the proper release of sewer gases to the outside environment.
To address the issue effectively, you will have to identify its root cause. Damaged drains will need to be repaired or replaced while clogged drains will need to be unblocked.
Stopped-up vent pipe
Can you see a plumbing pipe vertically go through your residential roof? That's the plumbing vent pipe. The pipe's job is to direct smelly sewer fumes to the outside environment. If it becomes blocked, sewer gases will have no outlet point and can eventually back up into your house.
The best way to avoid this problem is to keep your vent pipe clear of obstructions that may impede proper airflow. If the pipe is clogged with debris, you will have to get it cleaned.
Loose toilets
Problems with your toilet's wax ring can also make your house smell like sewage. The wax ring is a rubber seal located between the toilet flange and the bottom of the toilet. Its job is to keep the toilet watertight and airtight. Over time, your toilet can come loose because of a bad or worn-out wax ring. When this happens, smelly sewer fumes will start to come out from under the toilet.
A loose toilet can be fixed by removing and replacing the wax ring. Make sure you use a wax ring that matches the width of the bottom of your toilet.
Sewer odour can make your home uncomfortable and unhealthy to live in, so it's best to get the problem checked right away. For a quick diagnosis and repair of the problem, contact an emergency plumber near you.
For more information on plumbing, contact a professional near you.