Household Drains & Water Stink? Here Are 3 Reasons Why

Usually, your pipes are something that water or other waste goes down, and that’s the end of the story. When something starts to come up, that’s a definite problem, but fortunately, it doesn’t have to be an expensive one.

When it comes to smells, there’s obviously some source that will be causing unpleasant odors to come from your pipes, but these causes are different and have different solutions.

Here are three of the most common sources, and what you can do about them because a bad smell should never be left unaddressed.

Refill Your P-Trap

The distinctive bending, up and down shape of the plumbing under a sink is called a p-trap and it is a simple, but elegant solution to preventing bad smells from coming into your home.

When the p-trap is filled with water, that water acts as a soft but effective barrier against vapor, keeping all natural sewage odors out of your home.

Sometimes, this barrier can be disrupted. The water in your p-trap may simply dry out, or you may have a water pressure problem.

The movement of water in the plumbing in one part of your home may create enough pressure to drain and disrupt the water in the p-trap of another part of your home.

Ensuring that your p-traps are filled is the cheapest and often most common solution to the problem of a bad smell coming from pipes, so always check this possibility off your list first.

The Water Heater Is a Bacterial Breeding Ground

Your water heater’s function is self-explanatory, but, unfortunately, this may also leave it vulnerable to certain types of “infection.”

Bacteria prefer to breed in dark, moist, warm areas, and a water heater tank may be exactly the type of environment that certain germs are looking for.

On the one hand, if bacteria infest your tank, it may simply result in a bad smell coming from your water itself. On the other hand, some bacteria, like Legionella pneumophila are responsible for Legionnaire’s Disease.

However, raising your tank’s temperature to between 135-140°F creates an environment too hot for most bacteria to survive in, taking care of both smell and health hazards.

There Is a Problem in Your Sewer Line

The final bad smell coming from pipes may be the trickiest one of all; if it’s a problem with your sewer line, you might need expert help.

Sewage line blockage, ventilation problems with a pipe, or even unexpected problems like a bird’s nest, or a burst pipe all require specific kinds of response.

If you’ve explored the other options and there’s still a smell in your pipes, get experts to inspect your sewage and ventilation systems. Then listen to their recommendations.