Common Causes and Remedies for Sewer Odor

6/24/2021 (Permalink)

Roof damage from storm in Sugar House, UT home.

Having a sewer smell in your commercial building is unpleasant. While the fumes may not be harmful, they can certainly be an unwelcome distraction. There are several reasons you may be smelling sewer gas in your building in Sugar House, UT, and most of them have pretty simple remedies.

Causes of the Odor.

Smelling sewer odor does not usually mean that you have raw sewage wreaking havoc somewhere in your building. The more likely cause is the failure of one of several apparatuses that function to direct the gas outside. There are three main causes of indoor sewer smell:

• Dry traps with no wastewater to prevent gases from coming back through the plumbing.
• Blocked vents with a clog or backup that is preventing the gas from escaping through the normal channels.
• Damaged drain lines that release sewage under the property instead of carrying it away.

To get rid of the smell, you must first locate the problem. It may have an easy fix that you can do yourself, but it's important to call a plumber or sewer remediation services if you need to do so.

Solutions for the Odor

The first thing you should try to do is pour clean water down the drain from whence the smell comes. Dry traps from underutilized drains are the most common cause of sewer odors in buildings and making sure that you use the drain frequently can help prevent the problem or help resolve it once it occurs. If that doesn't work, your drain may need to be cleaned. Disinfecting the drain takes care of any bacteria that may be causing the smell. If none of your efforts get rid of the smell, however, it is time to call in the professionals to assess a potentially larger problem.

Sewer smell can happen any time there is a backup or some other type of plumbing problem. If you can't get rid of the problem on your own, calling a plumber can help you get your building smelling fresh and clean again.