Taking a shower is typically a relaxing part of the day. You can’t think of anything better than getting into the shower and letting the water ease your stress after a long, stressful day at work. Showers may sometimes be rather embarrassing, which is the opposite side of the coin. There are a variety of common causes for a smelly shower.
How to Determine the Source of the Odor
The first thing you should do when you notice a strange new smell coming from the shower drain in the bathroom is write down what kind of foul smell it is so you can figure out where it is coming from.
1. A soiled or dry P-trap
If your shower drain smells like sewage, your P-trap may not be doing its job of keeping sewer gases out of your bathroom. Your P-trap likely needs to be cleaned if you’re experiencing a mustier or overall odor and it’s still clogged.
How Can an Odor Be Caused by a Shower P-Trap?
A P-trap is an additional drain fitting that is used in bathrooms. This particular piece of plumbing, which is intended to stop sewage gases from backing up into your property through your drain system, is frequently the cause of smelly shower drains. The water in the trap itself forms a seal that stops the foul odors from entering the house again.
When using your facility, scents can easily enter the bathroom through the shower drain and around your feet if the P-trap is empty or has dried out. This makes checking it simply because all you have to do is shine a flashlight at it to see if it seems to be dry or water-free.
Cleaning Shower P-Traps
Look around for any debris in the pipe’s trap before cleaning it out. If it appears like something is stuck within, use a paper towel or an old rag to sweep out anything obstructing its path.
After clearing out all debris, fill your bathroom sink tub with cold water and then pour it into the P-trap until it is completely full and there are no air pockets. This can aid in clearing out any further types of blockages that might be to blame for the unpleasant odor.
2. Pipe leaks
It’s typically a clue that there is a leak somewhere in the drain lines under your home if the stench of sulfur or decaying eggs permeates your shower. Among other things, malfunctioning valves, rusty pipes, and leaky faucet joints are common sources of smelly shower drains like these.
What Might Lead to Leaky Pipes?
Because they send sulfurous fumes, which have a rotten-egg odor, floating up via your drain system, these leaks can generate the most unpleasant of shower odors. Corroded pipe segments and loose couplings, such as those on your sink taps or beneath your toilet seat, are frequent sources of smelly shower drains.
Fixing Leaking Pipes
You’ll need to replace any portions of pipe that may be rusting away and tighten every corroded junction in order to stop shower odors from flowing from your drain system as a result of leaking pipes. Although it can be difficult, doing this is essential for maintaining a secure living space within the bathroom.
3. Biofilm Development
It’s likely that biofilm has accumulated inside the bowl and is preventing water from draining through if a drain clog cannot be removed using a plunger. Because everything in the bathroom starts to rot and decay more quickly without water flowing through the pipe system, it is possible that this particular condition is one of the common reasons for smelly shower drains.
Describe Biofilm
A layer called biofilm develops inside drain pipes as hair and other particles start to rot and degrade. Dirt, dust, and other foreign particles that have collected in one sticky layer inside your home’s drain system are common causes of smelly shower drains like this.
Getting Rid of Biofilm
You must clear up every pipe segment in the space under your bathroom sink and in between these spots once you’ve determined where the scent is coming from in your home. Because it’s difficult to access, this part of the drain line is typically where most people struggle to remove stubborn obstructions or odors.
You’ll need a specialized enzyme-based solution that targets bacteria and germs in general, as well as a few more tricks up your sleeve, to dissolve the biofilm. Unclean upkeep of these places that produce buildup may be a common cause of smelly shower drains.
Drain Blockages
You must take immediate action to clear any hair or other debris that may have clogged your drain line if you want to prevent the odor from getting worse. Drain jams and leaks are frequent causes of smelly shower drains because when water lingers under a house for too long, it starts to rot and degrade much more quickly.
What Leads to Shower Clogs?
The most frequent causes of obstructions in your shower drain are frequent use and bathtub overflow, but these issues can also be brought on by an accumulation of dirt and other foreign things that obstruct the plumbing in your home. Drain blockages are common because they can be caused by a variety of factors, including:
- Hair
- Dast
- Sand
- small objects
- Lather scum
- Mineral Deposits
- Dirt
How to Unclog a Drain
You must remove the face cover from your plunger in order to gain a stronger grip before you plunge it into the obstruction in order to unclog a drain. Common causes of smelly shower drain like this can be challenging to fix because you have to use one hand to plunge and the other to hold the dirty p-trap in place, which is at best uncomfortable.
Your neighborhood plumbing expert is BJC Clifton Plumbers
We have you covered if your shower is smelling bad. Call (973) 858 5005 to get in touch with our staff right away. If you need help turning your shower back into a relaxing space, our team of professionals will be more than delighted to help.
