Showers are typically a soothing part of a person’s day. After a long, stressful day at work, nothing beats getting into the shower and letting the water wash away your worries. Showers, on the other hand, can be rather embarrassing. A stinky shower can be caused by a variety of factors.
Identifying the Source of the Odor
When you notice unusual new shower drain scents that make you wrinkle your nose in the restroom, the first thing you should do is document the type of unpleasant stench so you can figure out where it’s coming from.
1. A dirty or dry P-trap
If your shower drain smells like sewage, it’s a sign that your P-trap isn’t efficiently keeping sewer gases from escaping into your bathroom. If you’re experiencing a musty or general odor and your P-trap is still clogged, it’s likely that it needs to be cleaned.
What Is a Shower P-Trap, and How Can It Cause Odors?
Many bathrooms include an additional drain fitting known as a P-trap. Common reasons for smelly shower drains are frequently due to this particular piece of plumbing, which is designed to prevent sewage gases from backing up into your property through your drain system. The trap itself includes water, which forms a seal, preventing unpleasant odors from entering the residence.
If there is no water in the P-trap or it has dried out, odors will easily drift up into the bathroom through the shower drain and around your feet while you use your facility. This makes examining it simply because all you have to do is shine a flashlight at it and observe if it seems dry or free of water.
How to Clean Shower P-Traps
Check for debris in the pipe’s trap to clean it out. If something appears to be caught within, use an old rag or paper towel to scoop out whatever is obstructing its progress.
Fill your bathroom sink tub with cold water before pouring it through the P-trap until no air pockets remain. This can assist drain out any other type of blockage that could be creating the foul odor.
2. Leaky Pipes
If your shower smells like rotting eggs or sulfur, it’s usually a sign that there’s a leak somewhere in the drain lines beneath your house. Faulty valves, rusty pipes, and leaky faucet joints are all common causes of smelly shower drains.
What Can Cause Leaky Pipes?
These leaks can generate the most obnoxious shower odors because they send sulfurous fumes, which can smell like rotten eggs, floating up through your drain system. Corroded pieces of pipe and lose couplings, such as those on your sink taps or beneath your toilet seat, are common reasons for smelly shower drains.
How to Repair Leaking Pipes
To get rid of shower odors caused by leaking pipes in your drain system, tighten every corroded joint and replace any portions of pipe that are rusting away. This can be a difficult task, but it is vitally required for keeping a safe living environment within the bathroom.
3. Biofilm Development
If you can’t clear a drain blockage using a plunger, biofilm has most likely formed inside the bowl and is blocking water from draining through. This is a common cause of stinky shower drains because when water does not flow through the pipe system in the bathroom, everything begins to rot and decay at a faster rate, emitting terrible odors.
What exactly is Biofilm?
Biofilm is a film that accumulates on the insides of drain pipes as hair and other materials degrade and disintegrate. Dirt, dust, and other foreign particles gathered in one sticky film inside your home’s drain system are common causes of smelly shower drains like this.
How to Get Rid of Biofilm
Once you’ve determined where the odor is originating from in your home, you’ll need to clear out all sections of pipe in the region under your bathroom sink and between these spots. Because this area of the drain system is difficult to access, most individuals have difficulty removing stubborn obstructions or odors.
To break down the biofilm, you’ll need a particular enzyme-based solution that targets bacteria and germs in general, as well as a few more tricks under your sleeve. Unclean upkeep on these locations, which leads to accumulation, is one of the most common reasons for smelly shower drains.
4. Drain Clogs
If there is a clog in your drain line caused by hair or other debris, you must fix it immediately before the smell worsens. Drain jams and leaks are common reasons for stinky shower drains because when water remains for too long under the house, it begins to rot and decay at a much faster rate.
What Causes Shower Clogs?
The most common causes of obstructions in your shower drain are heavy use and overflow from the bathtub, but these issues can also be caused by the collection of debris and other foreign things that jam up your home’s plumbing system. Drain obstructions are common from a variety of factors, including:
- Hair
- Dast
- Sand
- Small items
- Soap scum
- Mineral Deposits
- Dirt
To clear a drain clog, remove the plunger’s face shield so you can have a stronger hold before plunging it into the blockage. Common causes of smelly shower drain like this can be difficult to identify since they demand you to put one hand inside the dirty p-trap while using the other for the plunge – which is uncomfortable at best.
CBJ Passaic Plumbers Is Your Local Plumbing Expert
We’ve got you covered if you’re suffering from a stinky shower. Call us at (973) 601-5593. Our team of specialists will gladly assist you in making your shower a relaxing environment once more.
