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What To Do About That Foul Shower Drain Smell: A Memphis Homeowner’s Guide To A Smelly Shower Drain
A pleasant bathroom environment involves fresh, clean towels, shiny faucets, air fresheners to create an inviting bathroom smell, and soap— a variety of soaps in lavender, rose, cucumber, vanilla, and more. Your bathroom is a place to unwind in, a place to get ready in, and a place to rejuvenate after a long day. However, that isn't exactly possible when unpleasant smells infiltrate your living space, reminding you of the time when your dog decided to take a swim in the Mississippi River... If every time you step into a hot shower, you're getting a waft of rotten egg smell, that's a plumbing issue that can be solved by cleaning, problem-solving, troubleshooting, and, if necessary, the help of our professional Memphis plumbers. The only shower drain smell you should notice is soapy water from your favorite body wash.
Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Memphis is here to guide you through some of the most common reasons why you have smelly shower drain smells and how to remove that sulfur odor from your shower drain. Though most of these bad smells can be solved with natural cleaners and hot water, some factors are related to your plumbing system that should be addressed by a professional plumber. So stay tuned, Memphis homeowners, as Mr. Rooter Plumbing guides you through what to do about that stinky shower drain smell.
Bleach Will Not Get Rid of that Nasty Shower Drain Smell
There are many plumbing myths out there. Chemical drain cleaners are safe to pour down your drainage lines, "flushable wipes" are safe to go down your toilet, boiling water will remove a stubborn clog, and bleach will effectively remove shower drain smells. However, this is seriously not the case, and no matter how tempted you may be to just “try it out,” don't.
Bleach is an extremely harsh material that should only be used for making your towels and linens whiter and frosted tips if you're trying to go for a 1990s look. Bleach will likely remove the nasty smells emanating from your shower drain, but it will wreak havoc on your drainage pipes and leave you with a costly mess. So, before you pour bleach down to remove foul shower drain smells, think about your pipes. Our professional plumbers never recommend bleach for removing unpleasant odors from your drainage lines.
Now, let's take a look at seven probable issues that cause shower drain smell and what you, as a Memphis homeowner, can do to remove them.
Problem #1: Buildup Of Biofilms
Biofilm is an odor-causing bacteria that thrives in consistently damp areas like your showers, where there is plenty of organic matter for the bacteria to feed off of. With your shower P-trap consistently filled with water, trapped hair, soap scum, skin cells, and other debris, this creates the perfect breeding ground for bacteria such as biofilm to buildup. To see if you have biofilm buildup, turn on your shower and leave it running for five minutes. Do you have a slow drain? If so, this buildup of bacteria is plaguing your shower, causing that nasty shower drain smell.
Solution: Clean Your Drain
The most effective way to get rid of biofilm and prevent it from infiltrating your entire living space is to clean out your drain. You can use a combination of baking soda and white vinegar with hot water. As the cup of vinegar and baking soda react, the baking soda particles will scour the biofilm from the pipe. Afterward, flush a few cups of water (hot water) down the drain, and it should remove any remaining biofilm from your drain and, therefore, that sewer smell from shower drains.
Problem #2: You Have A Dry P-Trap
A P-trap is also referred to as a U-trap. It is a P-shaped piece of pipe that runs from your shower or sink to your drainage system. The P-traps’ job is to retain a bit of water in the bottom of the P-shaped portion, preventing sewer gases from traveling up the drain system and out of the shower. Without a P-trap, sewer gases would run rampant, causing that awful sewer smell from shower drains. These foul smells are horrible and also pose a health risk when exposure to sewer gas is prolonged.
When you have a faulty P-trap or a dry P-trap, it is able to effectively block sewer gas from escaping from your drain pipes. This is especially common in bathrooms that aren't used regularly (guest bathrooms) since water is being poured into the trap to refill it.
Solution: Run Some Warm Or Cold Water Down The Drain
To remove that shower drain smell, all you have to do is run some water. Turn on your shower and let it run for a few moments to restore the water level in the P-trap. This water will help stop sewer gases from escaping and stinking up your room. Even if you have a Graceland-sized home with several different bathrooms, remember to run the showers periodically to prevent this problem from occurring in the future. About every two weeks should be good!
Problem #3: You Have A Clogged Plumbing Vent
While a dry or dirty P-trap can cause sewer musty smells from shower drains, clogged vents can, too, just as effectively. Drain systems have vent pipes at the end of the system, and these pipes will extend out of the roof. These pipes let fluids flush down the system to flow. When the vent pipes are clogged with debris, a vacuum will form when fluid is run through the drain through your shower. The vacuum will pull the water from a P-trap, and lower the water level, causing the sewer gas to escape through the drain, causing a gross shower drain smell.
Solution: Clear Out The Vent Lines
Like a drain clog, the only way to remedy this situation is to unclog your vent. You can use something like a drain snake to assist with this. You can unclog your vent from your home's interior if you have access to the cleanout. Otherwise, you may have to go up to the roof to unclog your plumbing vents.
Problem #4: Issues With Your Drain Pipes
Over time, your drain pipes will crack and even break down. When this happens, sewer gases may be traveling up through the pipes and escape underneath your home, causing shower drain smells and posing significant health issues in your household. This results in the rotten egg or sewage smell from your shower drain, and also leaky pipes and damage to your walls. Though that foul odor may seem like it's coming from your shower drain, it's actually coming from the floor beneath your bathtub.
Solution: Pipe Repair
The way to remove this odor is to find the leaky pipe, and effectively repair it. You will need a licensed plumber to repair your pipes. Our expert plumbers will utilize effective trenchless methods that won't require ripping up your landscape to get access to the pipes.
Problem #5: A Corroded Anode Rod On Your Water Heater
To find that you have nasty shower drain smells that may actually have to do with your water heater, may come with a surprise. However, this can come from a corroded anode rod— a vital component of your water heater that helps rust from developing in your heater. The anode rod attracts minerals like iron, limestone, or other sediments from contaminating the water. These minerals will then corrode the rod rather than the inside of the water heater. However, as the anode rod begins to degrade, it can cause the water to smell like sulfur (rotten eggs), causing that strange shower drain smell.
Solution: Replace Your Anode Rod
To remove the anode rod, unscrew it and replace it with a new one. Be sure to first turn off your water heater and then proceed with unscrewing it. It's important to note, too, that water heaters that have not been properly maintained have a habit of developing foul odors. If you require water heater maintenance, such as water heater repair or water heater replacement, our experienced plumbers can help!
Problem #6: Dirty Drain Strainer
Another reason for gross shower drain smells is a dirty or clogged drain strainer, which is also known as a drain cover. Remove the drain cover (which you will probably want to use gloves for). You will undoubtedly find an accumulation of hair, the buildup of soap scum, and other stink-causing debris underneath it, causing sewer smell from shower drains.
Solution: Clean In And Around The Drain Strainer
Clean around the drain opening using soapy water. This should remove the shower drain smells. Note: if you have severe clogged shower drains due to a large accumulation of hair or soap scum, you may need something more powerful than warm water and soap. We offer professional drain cleaning services to effectively remove stubborn, clogged drains. One of the most common symptoms indicating that you have a clogged drain is foul shower drain smells—or foul odors coming from any drain.
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