Overpowering and unpleasant sewer smell inside the house can be the result of numerous failures. The sewage disposal system depends on other systems like plumbing, vent and trap systems in order to function correctly.
Smelly Odor in Home
Sewage waste, when degraded by bacteria (which has a vile odor of its own, as well), releases various pungent gases like methane and hydrogen sulfide. In addition to the strong offensive odor, these gases can be combustible and hazardous.
The possible causes include:
Incorrect or a lack of vents in the traps - Vents on a drain let the sewer gases exit the drain system without coming into the house through plumbing fixtures while the traps form an airlock seal against sewer gases that prevent them from entering the home.
A clogged drain – doesn't allow the odors to get to the vents, which will force them into your home.
Improperly assembled toilet - broken seals around the toilet that allow water to leak or dry out the traps which will cause the odor. An airtight seal between the toilet and floor is absolutely vital in preventing sewer smell from coming indoors. Old, rotting or damp wood can also be blamed.
Leaky, faulty pipes, especially if they are old cast iron – Gasses can collect inside the pipes and escape into the house.
Low water level in the toilet – is another possible cause especially in toilets that don’t get used often.
These are just a few reasons why you may be smelling sewer inside the house. Please contact us at Drain King, where our professionals can determine the exact cause of the sewer smell and eliminate it. It is important to note that sewer smells are dangerous. You and your family should not be exposed to them for long periods of time.
A back-up of your sewer system can be a costly and damaging event. Knowing the signs of a clogged drain line or sewer system can help you avoid having to go through such a mess. A clogged sewer line will usually offer clues before it backs up completely. The most common signs of a clogged line are sounds that come from drains and toilets, water backing up or pooling around the drains or toilets, and the smell of raw sewage coming from your drains. If you have an older home or several trees on your property, routine maintenance of your drain system may be the best way to keep your pipes running smoothly.
Most clogs can be cleared quickly. A Drain King professional will typically run a cable, also known as a drain auger or snake, through the line to clear the clog. Clogs can occur in the main sewer line or in one of the smaller secondary lines. If the clog is in the main line, it will impact all the plumbing inside your home, and any water you run will create a backup. If it is a secondary line, problems would most likely be isolated to that area.
Clearing your lines with a snake or drain auger will unclog your system, but if the lines are still draining slowly it may be time to have them cleaned. A high-pressure water jet is used to remove all the residue that builds up in your lines, including grease, mineral deposits, hair, food, and other blockages.
When it comes to sewer line inspection, we keep up on all of the latest technologies. Drain King Inc can help you find your sewer problem quickly! In the past, if you had a problem with your sewer, the cause was identified and corrected through a lot of expensive, messy, guesswork and large-scale yard excavation. There was no way to tell, with any certainty, where the sewer line failure occurred. So they would have to start cutting away sections of sewer pipe to pinpoint the trouble areas. Sometimes they made good guesses and the problem was easily fixed, and other times the yard became a nightmare of trenches, tracks and mounds of dirt unearthed leaving YOU to re-sod almost everything! This approach was both inefficient and costly.
Fortunately for today's home or business owner, sewer disruptions are now much faster, easier, and less expensive to diagnose and correct. Our Drain King professionals utilize state-of-the-art equipment that allows us to locate and inspect sewer and drain lines without having to dig up your entire yard. We use high definition cameras to give us detailed information about the condition of sewer pipes and where the obstacle (or obstacles) are located. We can map the location and depth of your sewer line to prevent accidental damage when digging for landscape or construction purposes.
Here's how sewer line inspection works: Our high-tech miniature cameras are mounted to the end of a fiber-optic cable, which is then pushed into a sewer line. The camera is controlled by a
We Recovered a Wedding Ring!
certified Drain King technician, who can change its speed, direction, and angle of inspection. A digital recording is made of the camera's progression through the sewer pipes, which shows our expert what sort of impediment is interfering with the sewer line. (SIDE NOTE: We actually retrieved a diamond wedding ring for one of our clients!) We can detect whether roots have grown into the sewer line, identify a buildup of food or kitchen grease in the pipe, identify foreign objects that have been flushed down the toilet, and check for natural deterioration of sewer and water lines. The obstacle can be removed or the sewer line can be repaired at the exact spot it is impaired, without having to dig up large areas of your yard.
Our sewer line inspection services employ similar techniques with a transmitter and a hand-held receiver. We can push a transmitter through a sewer line as narrow as 1 1/2 inches, and locate it with an above-ground receiver. This gives us the exact depth and location of your sewer pipes, as well as the direction they run. Having this information is critical in the early planning stages of landscaping or remodeling. Without knowing exactly where your sewer pipes are located, you run the risk of unintentionally damaging them or unnecessarily tunneling through your yard to find them.
Whether you're dealing with a sewer line emergency or planning a home renovation, let the experts at Drain King locate your sewer lines efficiently and accurately with our leading-edge Sewer Line Inspection services.
