Smelly drain

[MasterPlumbersKeymaster]

Why does the water in the drain (in our ensuite)
smell when leftdormant either overnight or during
the day (the drain is the one in the middle of the
floor where the water from the shower and basin
go before flowing to the main drain outside).

Once water is run from either the basin or the
shower the smell seems to be “flushed” away.
It always comes back though. I have checked to
make sure that there is nothing down there – it
is just water.

Susan

[GuestParticipant]

Susan,
The fact that the drain in the middle of the floor in your ensuite is smelling when left for a period of time, not too long it would seem,
sugests to me that pehaps one of two things are accuring.
1.     There is a main pipe that your ensuite connects to that has fixtures running into that pipe from above and in so doing is pulling
the water seal out of the floor waste, just enough to to allow the odour from the main sewer pipe to leach into your ensuite.
What you did not tell me is if you are in a multi story dwelling and if you are then what may be occuring is what is known as
“induced syphonage”. the way to fix this is to fit a vent to the outlet pipe from the floor waste gulley. I am sure that a plumber
would be able to cope with this for you.

2.     A further consideration for you is if the pipe from either the basin or shower are more than 1.2 metres in length, then there is
a good chance that soap, hair and other matter may be rotting in the pipe work that runs to the floor waste gulley is rotting.
The way inwhich you can fix this is to block the floor waste and fill the pipes to it with very hot water, disenfectant and let it
soak for say 5 minutes, which you can then release and flush the dead matter away.
Please ensure that you do not let your floor waste
overflow.

[GuestParticipant]

It could be the bacteria in the waste water growing or the’P’trap under the shower isn’t working right and letting the smell of sewer gas escape

[Author]

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