Cracked Pipes and Clogged Drains As for a clogged drain, when drains backup, they're usually full of biological material, usually food scraps, hair, and cleaning materials. If your sink is clogged, pressure from the rain can force the smell of everything caught in the backup to waft through your home.
Rain water fills available spaces causing gases to move upward. This pushes hydrogen sulfide fumes out of the sewers, and with it, the rotten egg smell. In some cases, the smell after rain may be linked to a leak, blocked drain or sewer line, requiring a sewer drain specialist.
If this is the case, a dried out water barrier could be the reason your home smells like sewage when it rains. When a plumbing fixture in your home isn't used too much, the water barrier in the sewer trap could dry out. The easiest fix is to run some water from the rarely used fixture.
Rotten Egg Smell When It Rains
If you have a septic tank, the heavy rainfall may overwhelm it, releasing hydrogen sulfide gas. Another reason is that the water or soil around your home contains small amounts of sulfur-containing minerals, which get released during heavy downpours.
Bacteria Could Be The Cause
In many cases, excess humidity from rain can get into the pipes in the form of condensation increasing the amount of smells that are created. In most cases, smelling any sewage odor can be the sign of a damaged pipe, a blockage or a backup and may need to be addressed by a plumber.
One of the most common causes of sewage smells is a clogged drain. When your home's wastewater has nowhere to go, the odors will come back up the drain they should be going down.
When that smell reeks of the sewer, it may not go away on its own but instead, point to a serious problem that might require professional plumbing repair. The wastewater plumbing systems in your home are fairly simple. They rely on unblocked pipes, gravity and fresh air venting to drain.
In conclusion, water that smells like sulfur is generally safe to shower in, but it can be unappealing. If you're concerned about the smell, you may want to contact your local water utility or a plumber to have your water tested. They can help determine the cause of the smell and provide solutions to address it.
A bathroom that smells like sewage means there is an issue with one of the drainage points in your bathroom. This means that the sewage gases contained in the sewage system can freely seep into the air. These drains, including the toilet, are designed not to allow sewage gas into your home.
One of the most common issues is a problem with the P-trap. You may find that if your bathroom smells like a sewer after a shower, the P-trap is the culprit. If you can look underneath your shower drain, you'll see a U-shaped pipe that the water passes through. This is the P-trap.
If your hot water smells like rotten eggs, it is likely because of your water heater. Contact a trained boiler inspector to see how this can be fixed. Sulfates in water, as well as iron and sulfur bacteria can interact with the anode rod in water heaters.
The most dangerous cause of a rotten egg smell is a gas leak. When you smell sulfur in the home, go outside and contact a local gas professional. Once a pro rules out a gas leak, troubleshoot other causes like drain pipe issues. Other causes of the rotten egg smell include sulfuric well water and broken drain pipes.
This can happen if your hot water heater temperature is too low or if it's turned off for long periods of time, like when you go on vacation. Fortunately, the bacteria in the hot water heater should not be harmful to you, but it will need to be eliminated in order to remove the smell from your tap water.
If the Sulfur Smell in Your Drains is coming from the bathroom sinks, one way to get rid of it and to eliminate the clog causing it. Pour a half-cup of Baking soda down the drain. Follow this with a full cup of vinegar, and then continue to flush with hot water.
Professional plumbers may use industrial water jetters, snake augers, and pipe camera equipment to find and fix the cause of your drain smell.
The Dangers of Hydrogen Sulfide, AKA “Sewer Gas”
A naturally occurring gas, hydrogen sulfide, or “H2S,” is toxic at high concentrations. Prolonged or acute exposure to the gas can cause eye irritation, headache, nausea fatigue, and – in extreme cases – death.
Sewer gas can enter a home through a floor drain, from a leaking or blocked plumbing roof vent, or (if the gases are in soil next to the house) through cracks in the foundation.
If you have phantosmia, the odors can vary from smells that almost make you sick to really pleasant scents. But most people with phantosmia tend to detect bad smells. The odors have been described as “burned," "foul," "rotten," "sewage," or "chemical." You may be smelling it from one or both of your nostrils.
There's a blockage in the drain pipe.
If you are smelling foul odors when you flush, it can be caused by blockages that have built up over time within your drain pipe. You should clean and inspect your plumbing regularly to prevent said blockages from occurring.
The most common cause of bathroom smells is mould and mildew that can be caused by a leaking pipe or plumbing fitting. Investigate areas that may be damp from a small water leak or water splashing from the shower or vanity. Common spots include inside or under the vanity cabinet or the wall behind the toilet.
Some common causes of sewage smells in households are: A pipe leak: A leaky pipe or drain can cause a buildup of moisture or debris that eventually causes a rotten smell to emanate from the area.
Loose connections along the vent pipe or sewer line can let pungent gases into your home. These will most typically be inside a wall or in the ceiling, requiring the help of an experienced plumber to correct this issue.