Have you ever walked into a public restroom or a restroom in an office building and been hit with a strong, unpleasant odor? This may be the result of a dirty or clogged floor drain. Floor drains are found in many places like commercial restrooms and industrial spaces, near and around water heaters, in basements, kitchens, or laundry rooms.
The floor drain captures overflow water from sinks, toilets, tubs, rain, and any other pipe in your home, and then directs it safely to a sewer or municipal storm drain, so floors stay dry and rooms do not flood.
If you have floor drains in your home or business and you smell something bad coming from them, it’s typically because the traps have dried out. Floor drains have a U-shaped or P-trap pipe, just like your bathroom sink drain. The U-shaped pipe is designed to hold water that stands in the pipe and prevents sewer gases from coming up through the drain. If you smell sewer gas, fill the drain with a five-gallon bucket of water. This will seal off sewer gases and also let you see if the drain is working properly.
Floor drains become clogged just like any other drain, even more often because they’re on the floor where dirt collects. If your floor drain is clogged or slow, take steps to remove the clog. Use a drain auger or snake to see if you can reach the clog. Floor drains are often connected to longer pipes, so if you are still having problems, please call our professionals at Drain King. We can unclog and, if needed, clean out the pipe.
