I need help. I live in a two story home that is 11 years old. My master bathroom only has this absolutely awful smell that seems to be coming from the drains. Not exactly sure which drain, either the shower or the sep. bath tub but both are next to the toilet so it is hard to pin point. The smell is very gassy. It is getting worse and has been this way for a few months.
What do you think it is and how do I get rid of it? I am so hoping it is not some major plumbing problem, but then wouldn't the other bathrooms smell too???
Thanks!
I'm wondering if your toilet needs a new seal. You can buy a kit at a home improvement store inexpensively. Unscrew the toilet, rock to remove, put down new seal, re-screw and caulk around base to my recollection. I'm sure you could google it for more specifics. My very unhandy husband was able to make this a DIY project.
when we start to get that smell it usually means our shower drain needs to be cleaned out. my husband does it with a metal coat hanger. blech! it's so gross!
Is there one of the drains that you haven't used in a while?? In a drain there is always a U in the pipes to hold water. The water in this U keeps the sewer gases from coming into the room. In my basement we had floor drains that I never used and the water would evaporate from the U and I just had to put water down the drain to fill it up. Poof smell gone. I hope this is all that you need. Good luck!!!
Ours do that too, it is totally a nasty smell. It is time to clean it! Use something to get the hair out (like a wire hanger), and then put a mixture of baking soda and vinegar down the drain and it will solve the problem. Also, if there is any mold on the drain going down, use a toothbrush to scrub it off, that can smell too.
I do this about every 2 weeks to prevent that smell.. you can also run really hot water down the drain for a minute or two each week to prevent clogs..
Hi Mom Call your cities health or enviriomental departments and they can come out and do an inspections. Or you can call the cities utilties service(who you paid your gas & light bill) and they can come out and inspect the gas smell. In fact call them first since it's a gas smell.
If you have glass shower doors with a rubber protector on the bottom, it could be mildew there, I thought it was my drains until the smell lingered, I dismantled the doors, and there was the culprit!
You're probably smelling sewer gas. The most likely cause is a cracked wax ring under the toilet. Plumber can easily fix this by lifting the toilet, replacing the wax ring and re-setting the toilet. Another cause could be a dry trap in the tub or sink, but if they are being used, they should not be dry. My best guess is the wax ring.
Janice
We had the same problem. I bet it is the ring that goes around the bottom of the toliet towards the back of the toliet, the part that seals the toliet to the floor. Not the whole toliet just the ring that's about the size of a 16" softball. The seal keeps the sewer gases from leaking into the bathroom. I bet yours just needs to be replaced. Just go to the hardware store and find/ask for a wax gasket. It costs about $5.00. You can do it yourself.
Do you live in town with public sewers or out in the country with a septic tank. If it is in town try pouring bleach down the drain. Do not use something that is anti-bacterial because you kill the good bacteria with the bad.
Another thing you can do is tell your landlord to have the pipes checked for air bubbles because you could be getting backed up sewer gas. There may also be a problem with the way the sewage is draining out of the house. If it is not draining 100% it sits in the pipes and the gas backs up in you house.
If you live where there is a septic tank the septic tank may need to be drained or some RidX added to the septic tank to add good bacteria.
Is the smell in the kitchen sink as well?
Do not let this go on sewer gases can make you very sick if you continue to breath them in.
If your landlord will not do anything you have the right to send a certified letter stating you will be calling a plumber and taking it off your rent.
Check the laws in your area before doing this.
Did you ever figure it out, because our hall bathroom smells like that too and sometimes we can smell it out in the family room. My bathroom doesn't have this smell, so I can't figure it out. The exhaust vents that lead out to the house seem to be fine, as when we turned the bathroom fan on and looked outside, the vent louvers were moving.