What Causes Bathroom Drains to Smell

May 16, 2020

A bathroom is an occasionally smelly place. However, if you walk into your vacant bathroom and wrinkle your nose at a smell that cannot otherwise be explained, it can be a sign of a plumbing problem. However, a lot can cause a bathroom to become stinky. If you are trying to track down the cause, here is where you can check outside of just following your nose or calling a local plumber.

Dry P-Traps

Is a stench coming from the drains of your sink or bathtub? It could be that the P-trap is dry. The P-trap is a bend in drain plumbing that is ideally filled with water. What it does is prevent sewer gases from coming back up. However, if the water dries up, it does not function and can cause smells to rise from the drain. This is a common issue in areas like guest bathrooms that are not used all the time.

Broken Wax Ring

Does the smell seem to be coming around your toilet? If it is clean and appears to flush properly, you may need to replace the wax ring. This sits between your toilet and the floor in order to form a seal that prevents sewer gas from escaping. However, it can break down over time. If your toilet rocks, even just slightly, it is a sign your wax ring is broken.

Dirty Drains

Toothpaste, soap, shaving cream, dead skin – it all goes down the drain. Ideally, it gets washed away, but a little bit will always build up over time. As drains are also a haven for moisture, it is a great place for smelly bacteria to grow. In some cases, you may need professional cleaning to fix the bathroom drains smell. In mild cases, a mixture of vinegar and baking soda can often solve this smelly problem.

Do you have an inexplicably smelly bathroom that you can’t seem to solve? We can help with that. Contact The Plumber Guy to see how we can solve your smelly bathroom mystery quickly.