My Drains Smell Bad
Every so often, someone calls us complaining that their drains smell bad and they can’t seem to figure out what is causing the odor. And it’s a good thing they call! If you smell something and it seems to be coming from your drains, there’s a chance that something serious and unhygienic is going on, and you should take care of it as soon as you can.
The most common cause of foul smelling drains is a problem with the p-trap. Every sink should have this bent pipe under it. The best-known function of a p-trap is to trap debris that gets flushed down your drain, so it doesn’t flow any farther into your pipes and cause a major clog. However, this pipe also traps water in the bend. This water keeps any noxious or bad-smelling gasses from flowing up and into your home. If this pipe runs dry, you will smell a foul odor.
Sometimes, a bad drain smell is caused by a malfunctioning or poorly designed drain vent system. There are always sewer gasses in your plumbing system; it’s just the way these things work. Your drain lines need to be able to vent these gasses so they don’t cause problems and odors. When the gasses can’t vent well, they can raise the pressure in your system, which can cause water flow problems as well as foul odors. When this gets bad enough, the gasses can push past or through any blockage, releasing themselves into your home.
Finally, a bad odor can be a sign of problems with the sewer line itself. It’s important to get these fixed as soon as possible, or you could be facing more costly repairs down the road.
If you have bad smells coming from your drains, we’d be happy to examine your plumbing system and give you a estimate for fixing the problem. Contact Wimpy’s plumbing at (941) 322-1911 or make an appointment online.