I swear I keep smelling faint sewer smell, and I know the smell all too well because we had to have our line repaired and replaced last year (all seems to be well with that). We have checked all of the floor drains in the basement and there is water in every one and it is not like they are backed up (they are way down but that's another story). So where else would the odor be coming from? I assume the floor drains would have to be the ultimate source but am I missing something? My husband has a horrible sniffer so he doesn't smell it so sometimes I feel like maybe I am imagining things. I just don't know. Any ideas?
I will run water in some of my drains that are NEVER used. I always figured that as long as the floor drain had water everything else was fine. I learn something new everyday. (Yes, you must have water in the floor drains to keep the sewer gas from coming back into the house.)
Rachel - funny you should mention the plant because yes we do have a plant a few miles away and as a matter of fact these past few weeks there have been many mornings that I am hit with the sulfur smell when I walk out my front door. I've been tempted to call the health department but thought I was showing mercy since the plant is some people's livelihood. What to do what to do...
I had this problem when we first moved into our house. We had a plumber come out and check all the lines, traps, drains ect. Nothing. It turned out to be the wax seal under our guest bathroom toilet. Replaced that and no more smell. Might be worth checking.
Which room do you smell this the most?
If it's coming from a bathroom or below a bathroom, it might just be time to replace the wax seal that connects your toilet to the sewer drain. This does need to be done every few years or so.
My BFF had a problem in her bottom floor bathroom, the smell was coming from the SINK. Come to find out, the pipe broke under the house to that toilet, was seeping into the ground below the house, and coming up through the sink. GROSS. Huge pain to fix :(
Also, are you sure it's not coming from outside? I'm not sure about your area, but where my parents house is, it's like 15 minutes from the Tyson Chicken Factory... once a week they burn... something, don't care to know what, but if the wind is just right, you can smell it outside, smells like raw sewage, dirty diapers, and rotten vegetation. EWW!!
One more thing... make sure a 1/2 eaten sandwich or something isn't stuffed under a couch somewhere!
My brother is a plumber--are you flushing all toilets in the house at least several times per day? Sometimes a basement powder room gets overlooked...and run water in all drains several times per week. Sinks, floor drains, toilet drains all need to be USED to stay normal. (Daily would be ideal.) Good luck!
It could be the sink. If you haven't run water in any of the drains for a while, the water eventually evaporates. When it does the sewer gas can enter your home.
Run a quart of water down the drains and that will solve the sewer gas problem, if it is coming back from an open drain.
Good luck to you and yours.
Call your local sewer company, they should come out for free. It could be an outside problem coming into your home. Better to be safe than sorry. I've had this happen many times turns out it usually is from the main sewer line and they will clean it out for free (because it's their property). Goo luck we just had to snack our line this A.M.
YUCK
I would think that there should not be water in the basement drains. I suggest that is the source of the smell.
