Why Does My Shower Drain Smell Like Sewer?

June 12, 2022
 | By 
Michael McCullers

Imagine how Stinky it will feel to get the smell of sewer gases from your shower drain? No one prefers their washroom to have a smelly shower drain. One of the most comfortable spaces in a home for privacy is the bathroom. Every homeowner devotes a significant amount of time and attention to maintaining their bathroom's cleanliness and a pleasant aroma.

Many of us wonder, " Why does the shower drain smell bad and provide a sewer smell?" If your shower drain smells like sewer gases, you should try to find solutions to it or call a professional drain cleaning service. But before that, you need to know more about the reasons for this smell coming out of the plumbing system or drain cover.

The Reasons Of A Smelly Shower Drain

Below are the most common reasons why your shower drains smell terrible:

The Problem Within Dry P-Trap

If you've ever looked under the bathroom sink, you've seen the U-shaped pipe from the sink drain to a more extensive line in the wall of the bathroom drains. This particular kind of pipe is called a "P-trap." When you put in a P-trap, one end goes into your sewer or septic system, and the other goes up through your roof.

Working Of A P-Trap

This lets fresh air in and sends sewer gasses up into the air and prevents the shower drain odors. Even though you might not notice it, your tub and shower use the same bathtub drain system.

So that the sink doesn't smell like sewage, the P-U-shaped clogged drain can catch some water after each use. When everything is working right, the water stays in the P-trap even after turning off the sink, emptying the tub, or flushing the toilet. With just a little bit of water, sewer gases can't get into your home. These gases go right through your bathroom and out the roof's exhaust vent most of the time.

P-job Trap keeps sewer gases from getting into the house. Some people think the traps are meant to catch anything that might fall down the drain, but that's not the case. There are traps in the house that keep sewer gases from escaping. A dry P-trap is one of the most common reasons behind foul shower odors like rotten eggs.

The P-trap is a U-shaped pipe that sits under the sink or drains beneath the shower drain cover. Catching water under the drain keeps sewage smells from getting into the bathroom. If you don't use your bathroom sinks often, the water in the P-trap can dry up. This lets sewage gas into your toilet.

This problem is easy to fix. Fixing the situation in the sink only takes a few minutes of running water. You can also keep drains from getting clogged with baking soda and hot water.

The Shower Drain Clogs

Some of the reasons that can cause your shower drains to get clogged are shower gel, dead skin, hair, and other hard debris. If your bathroom smells like sewage and small amounts of water flood the floor when you take a shower, you might have a clogged shower drain.

Opening Up Of A Clogged Shower Drain

The solution to this spread of unpleasant smell is not too hard to figure out, so you should be able to do it independently. Still, it usually ends up in a mess. If you don't want to get your hands dirty, you can always hire a professional to do it for you.

If you want to do the job yourself, here are the steps you need to take. Start by taking off the shower drain cap. After pouring a mixture of vinegar and hot water down the drain slowly and carefully, add one cup of baking soda and let the mixture sit for at least two hours.

We think this treatment will be enough to break up the deposits. Then, you can use a drain brush to remove any tangible things that might be stuck in the drain. Finally, run clean water through the drain for a few minutes. You're done once you've used the screws to hold the drain cover in place.

Worn Out Of Toilet

If your toilet has been worn down over time, sewer gas could be leaking into your bathroom. When the wax seal at the bottom of your toilet comes undone, tiny holes can form that let smelly sewage gas into your bathroom. This is one of the best examples.

Small cracks in your toilet bowl can lower the water level in the P-trap, leading to water leaks. If the water level in the P-trap is too low, sewer gases could get into your bathroom through it. If you're having trouble with this, you should ask a professional for help.

Broken Vent Pipes

The vent pipe in your home lets your sewage system breathe. If the drain gets clogged, sewer gases could back up into the sinks and toilet, which would make your bathroom smell like sewage. A sewer gas gets into the bathroom; you can hear bubbling from the toilet or the drain. This could mean sewer gas is getting into the room.

If the vent pipe is blocked, it could be because it was not installed correctly or because solid objects got into the vents and got in the way. You can check the flue for any blockages and clear them out or call a professional to fix the problem.

Bacteria Buildup

A sewage system is an excellent place for bacteria that can make you sick to grow, and some of them may end up in your bathroom. Once there, these bacteria may start to grow under the toilet bowl, leading to foul smells in the room. When bacteria multiply quickly during the warmer months, this happens more often.

Using bleach to kill bacteria is an excellent way to stop them from growing. Just swishing bleach around the inside of the toilet bowl won't get the job done. Putting bleach in the toilet's flush tank and then flushing the bathroom a few times should solve the problem.

The Sewage Tank Is Packed To The Brim

If your septic tank is connected to your drainage system, the smell of sewage in your bathroom could mean that your septic tank is full. When your septic tank is complete, you'll notice more than just the smell of sewage. There might be bubbling sounds, and the toilet might move slowly.

When septic tanks are complete, all you have to do is drain them. Always keep an eye on the level of your septic tank so you don't get surprised by an overflowing tank.

Blockage Of Septic Systems

If you smell sewage after significant rain, it could be because of a sewer backup. When it rains a lot, the sewer system is put under a lot of stress. This can cause sewer water to flow back into individual pipes.

Because of the backflow, the sewage could come back up into homes. But when the pressure is low, the sewage gases stuck in your lines may be pushed back into the house. This is why your house smells like sewage.

In this situation, you don't have much say over what will happen. You might not be able to do anything but wait it out. By integrating a backflow tube in your sewer lines, you can stop sewer backups from happening in the future.

How To Remove Bad Smell Of Sewer Gases From Shower Drain?

Not to smell disgusting things going down the drain, but to get clean and smell good. Drain odors can be caused by bacteria that make smells when they eat something that gets stuck in pipes. Anaerobic bacteria in the P-trap produce hydrogen sulfide gas, which smells like sewage.

The trash can also make other smells, like hair or soap scum buildup. Mold can also grow on soap, causing the drain smells musty. If your shower smells terrible, try cleaning out the P-trap vent or giving the gutter a good scrub.

Strainers For Drains Can Be Taken Out Of The Gutter

You have to take the drain strainer out of the gutter to clean the drain well. Most shower filters are held in place with a single Phillips screw. After taking out the screw with a screwdriver, you may need to pry the filter up with a flat-head screwdriver. If you can't find a screw, pry the filter out of the way.

Clean The Drain And The Filter

You'll see a thick layer of hair and scum when you take out the filter. Wear rubber gloves and use a sponge with warm soapy water or disinfectant and water to eliminate the hair and gunk that has built up. If you look down the drain, you can see the same slime on the pipe.

Use your fingers, an old toothbrush, or a plastic tool with teeth that zip together to pull out as much hair as possible from the follicle. Without the roller, foam paint rollers can also be used to clean pipes. Turn it like a sponge while it soaks up soapy water in the sink drain. Rinse and clean the roller again and again until it no longer picks up any dirt.

The Drains Should Be Cleaned And Made To Smell Better

Pouring a solution of half bleach and half water down the drain can help get rid of smells, but it may not kill all the organisms that cause the odor. Instead, you can use one cup of baking soda and one cup of white vinegar. After letting the mixture sit for a few minutes like a science fair project, please turn on the hot water and run it down the drain. Reapply as needed to get rid of any smells that are still there.

Cover the drain and let the liquid fizz for a few minutes in the pipe, then flush with hot water. Repeat if necessary to get rid of any smells that are still there.

The main thing that makes a shower smell musty is soap. The only way to avoid using soap in the shower is to pour boiling water down the drain once a week to eliminate any buildup. If you think soap is clogging your pipes, you can use enzyme-based drain cleaners to break it down.

Clogged Vents Cause Sewers To Smell Bad

If you smell sewage in your shower, your plumbing vents may be clogged, particularly after flushing the toilet. The water flow can empty the P-trap by sucking it out of the pipes when this happens.

Often, this problem can be fixed by cleaning out the roof vent. Roof vents can get blocked or frozen over in the winter if the blockage happens. If this is the case, go up to the attic and use a hairdryer to melt the ice on the roof vent. If the backup is taken care of, the problem might be fixed.

Call Jet Plumbers For The Best Solutions To Your Shower Drain Smelling Bad

Jet Plumbers have been providing top-quality plumbing services within Arvada, CO region since 2015. You can call us any time, even on an emergency basis, for services, including water heater replacement, faucet repair, and many more. We are just a call away from providing you with a free estimate on our services.

Our contact number: 720-538-9961

Address: 5511 W 56th Ave Ste 220 Arvada, CO 80002