Sewage Gas Smell in my House? | Problems You Didn’t Think You Could Have

We know that every homeowner wants to come home after an 8-hour workday to a home that is pristine, ready to go, and smells clean. However, sometimes smells can infiltrate your home that instantly shatters that illusion. Sewer gas smell is one of the worst common culprits, which can be caused through a variety of reasons! Reliable has dealt with the problem enough to confidently say we know a few solutions or two:

What is Sewer Gas Smell?

Sewer gas smell is a combination of chemicals created from the decomposition of human waste. The stench is heavily sulphuric, possessing a fetid, rotten egg smell, and can be almost always immediately identified by most people, as the smell is quite powerful. The smell can be most easily found in cities and towns that have experienced a burst sewage pipe or are near a sewage treatment plant, and while it can be considered a normal part of life in a town, it’s still gross to smell.

How did Sewage Smell get into my House and Why is it Bad?

Sewage smell can infiltrate the walls of our homes through a few ways, and there are consequences if that occurs. For there to be sewage smells indoors, beyond a main hygiene concern, means that there could be an indicator of a severe underlying issue with your home, and could possibly lead to hazardous and dangerous situations like fires, explosions, asphyxiation, etc. Sewer gas isn’t just bad air, it’s bad air that isn’t mostly actual air; sewer gas contains high levels of hydrogen sulfide, methane, ammonia, and carbon dioxide. Breathing it, besides smelling bad, will not only make you retch, but it will leave you susceptible to dizzying and falling unconscious. If you smell sewer gas and any symptoms, exit the house and seek medical attention.

What Causes Sewer Gas Smell to Enter my House?

Typically sewer gas smell enters in a house through a plumbing issue, and most easily found in a kitchen, bathroom, or basement, though there can be other causes that are hazardous or enter through a different way.

Broken Sewer Vents:

Sewer vents run from a property’s plumbing system to the roof, allowing gases to escape into the atmosphere. Even homes with a septic system still require a sewer vent, arguably more so, because a septic system is self contained whereas regular sewer systems allow for more airflow. If a vent pipe is busted or blocked, the gas can build up and escape to inside the property. Blockage can include trash, corrosion of the pipes, and commonly products that are labeled as, “flushable”, can create blockage in pipes. We recommend throwing anything “flushable” into a trash can instead.

Damaged Sewer Lines:

Similar to broken sewer vents, a sewer line backup or obstruction can lead to the gas in pipes building up and escaping into an indoors area. Since this is a more municipal problem, causes can range anywhere from tree root growth damaging and blocking pipes to city pipework simply falling into disrepair, but the repair is often on the city’s timetable.

Badly Installed Plumbing Fixtures and Blockage:

Toilets, sinks, and drains can allow sewer gases to escape inside a home if they are not properly installed. This occurs often in cheap or hastily made remodeling projects where the wax ring under a toilet is not installed in the right way, or if the drain tap under a sink or drain is not properly in place and sealed tight. Gases can escape into a home as well if there are pipes in sinks and drains that are blocked with debris, food, fat/grease, and hair, letting gas into the home but not allowing water to go down. If you are smelling minor whiffs of something bad, it’s not a bad idea to do a once-over of your kitchen, bathroom, and basement to check for corrosion or broken seals on your toilets and sinks.

There’s also sewage smell that has nothing to do with a problem with your home. Sometimes your home just happens to be next to a treatment center, or a septic disposal truck went through your neighborhood recently, or maybe a neighbor needs to get their septic system cleaned out! In these instances, it’s best to just shut your windows tight if the problem is clearly coming from outside and not inside.

How do I Remove Sewage Smell from my Home!

It’s important to identify where the smell is coming from, because if you don’t then the rest of the advice here is meaningless; without finding the origin of the smell, you won’t be able to diagnose the problem. Again start with the most likely areas of contamination, which means your kitchen, bathrooms, and basement, anywhere that has a plumbing connection. Check your roof to see if any pipes have been dented or broken as well. If you find a spot that clearly looks decayed, or if the smell has increased in potency, then you’ve probably found the spot that needs repair. Regardless of the source however, you’re in all likelihood going to have to contact a plumber to fix the issue in the long term.

For the meantime however, you can try using common degreasing or drain clog removes to try and free up any potential blockage in your sewer system. Baking soda placed near the source of the smell in sufficient quantities can be used to take the smell away, while odor absorption products and fragrances can be used to improved the smell in other areas of the home that are less affected. Opening windows will also most definitely aid in removing any bad odors by letting fresh air in!

Reliable Design-Build-Remodel is a full service general construction firm and remodeling contractor operating in the Birmingham metro and Jefferson and Shelby County areas and surrounding communities, including Birmingham, Helena, Chelsea, Mountain Brook, Hoover, Homewood, Montevallo, Alabaster, Vestavia Hills, and Pelham, with over 30 years of servicing our valued clients. Offering full service suite of general remodeling, design and build services. Our specialties include bathroom remodeling, kitchen remodeling, exterior renovations, interior renovations, painting, and more!

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