Fixing a smelly drain

Stinky drains

You enter a kitchen or bathroom, and suddenly there is this smell that you cannot tell where it is coming from. You check if it is garbage, but no, it is not. You check if your pets might have had an accident, but all things are clear.

You follow the smell to find its origin, and you find that it is the sink. You turn on the tap and let the water run to drain anything that might be causing the bad smell, but it does not help. You can only draw one conclusion – you have a smelly drain.

The good news is that with a little examination, washing, and early intervention, you can clear the smell and freshen the drain permanently.

Causes of smelly drains

The reason why sinks develop a foul smell is that many things can go wrong in the drain. Most often, you will find the ones mentioned on the list below to be the culprit:

Slime and bacteria

Many things pass through the sink pipes like food, hair, oil, soap particles, etc. While these things may not block your drain, they will draw bacteria that emit a terrible smell.

Blocked outlet pipes

When waste blocks drain outlets, it will cause a puddle in the sink. Since the water movement is very slow, it will lead to a stale smell.

Sewer gases

When a P-trap is unfilled, sewer gases can come up from the drainage. This only occurs if the sink is not used frequently.

Plumbing mistakes

A smelly bathroom or kitchen sink can be due to missing traps or outlets, seepage, and decaying drainage pipes.

What causes my bathroom sink to stink?

There are a few potential explanations why your bathroom sink is stinky. Fortunately, with the right set of tools, you can clean your bathroom sink drains and get rid of bathroom drain smells.

You need to have the right P-trap too. You might be wondering what a P-trap is. If you look under the sink, you will see a curved section of the pipe. That is the P-trap. It averts sewer fumes from penetrating the bathroom. One reason why your bathroom sink might be smelly is that the P-trap is not working well. Another reason why your sink is smelly is due to a blocked air pipe.

Your bathroom sink should have a pipe that provides an outlet for back-flowing gases. Get a professional to assess this should you suspect it is the cause of your stinky drains. If you notice that the odour is coming from the water streaming from your bathroom sink and not the pipes, there is a likelihood of a problem with the valve.

Remove the aerator cap and check if there is any build-up of grease that needs cleaning. If you clean your pipes regularly, then it will eliminate the smell. Make sure you use pipe cleaners to remove such odours.

What causes bathtub drains to stink?

There are several reasons why your bathtub or shower drain is smelling. To clean your bathtub drain and remove the stink, you need to know the cause of the smell first. It might be smell-causing bacteria eating the remains of food or food particles in your drains.

This action will emit a foul-stinking hydrogen sulphide gas. The emitted smell will be that of sewage or rotten eggs. Furthermore, mould breeds in places where it’s warm and damp. If the mould grows on the fragments, it will cause a blocked drain, producing a foul odour.

It is recommended that you clean your pipes to prevent bad smells and further pipe problems such as mould.

What causes the kitchen sink to stink?

If you notice a sewer-like smell coming from your kitchen sink, it could probably mean you have a dry P-trap (curved section of pipe underneath your sink). The work of a P-trap is to hold water. It then builds a seal that stops sewer fumes from coming into your kitchen. The P-trap should have water all the time. Another cause of a smelly kitchen sink is a drainage duct or flue issue. It could be that the pipe is damaged or there is a block in your outlet.

Tree roots and sewer lines

You might be wondering how tree roots affect your sewer lines. As dangerous as an iceberg is to a ship is the same way tree roots are to your sewer lines. You might not see the problem because it is attacking underneath. Tree roots tend to flourish around places that are damp and contain high nutrients.

The tree roots will certainly grow down in the direction of a concealed sewer line. Roots are determined and will develop at a slow pace. However, they have the sufficient strength to break a pipe completely.  If you notice tree roots in the drain line around your house, there is a high chance it got in via one of the connections on the drain.

You might not note any signs at this stage. In the next phase, the roots begin to develop and become thicker and branch out because they have plenty of proteins and other supplements that they are getting from the sewer as they act as fertiliser. As the tree roots continue to grow, they will pick up on bigger pieces of debris, for instance, tissue paper that will form blocks.

At this point, you will observe things like slow drains or smelly drains. At the final stage, the root will have grown big and will cause a build-up of force which In turn will cause the drainage system to break.

Solving tree root problems

The best way to solve a tree root problem is to prevent them from happening in the first place. When you design your land and want to plant trees, plant them very far from the sewer drainage. If you found the trees already there, call professional plumbers to take care of the root intrusion.

It is recommended that you call professionals as soon as you notice any signs of tree root penetration. This will save you a lot of money, and it will be easier to deal with. If the tree root intrusion is minor, the recommended methods are hydro-jetting and trenchless repair techniques. If the intrusion is extensive, the recommendation will be to do a complete trenchless sewer drain replacement.

Fixing smelly sinks and drains

There is no need to call a plumber to fix smelly sinks and drains unless the problem is big. If you want to get rid of the foul odour, you do not need any unique tools most of the time. You can try methods that combine non-hazardous household components that you might already have in the house.

You can start with one way you find suitable and if it does not work, you can try another one. Below are some methods you can use at home.

Using hot water

A combination of water and soap is used to remove oil from kitchen utensils. This method can also be applied when you want to clean smelly sinks and drains. You can follow this checklist on how to use hot water below.

• In a pot, put water and bring it to boil.
• Mix in a couple of spurts of liquid dish cleaner.
• Slowly empty the mixture down your pipes. Leave it for 5 minutes for it to soften the fatty build-up.
• Turn on the cold water faucet on a full flare and allow it to flow for 60 seconds to harden any residual fat.
• Lastly, pour the rest of the hot water mixture down the pipes to eliminate solid deposits.

Using vinegar

Vinegar is an awesome air freshener. When cleaning smelly drains, vinegar cuts through oil to assist in cleaning by softening biofilm or any built up material. When you use hot vinegar, it will penetrate through small blockages, which are the main cause of smelly drains. You can follow this checklist on how to use vinegar below.

• Boil four cups of vinegar.
• Pour half of it down the pipes.
• Turn on cold water and let it run for 60 seconds.
• Pour the remaining hot vinegar down the pipe.

Using baking soda

If you remember your school days, you will know that a combination of vinegar and baking soda gives a fizzing effect. This same combination can be used to eradicate the drain’s smell. You can follow this checklist on how to use baking soda below.

• Pour hot water down the sink to soften the build-up in the drainage.
• Put one cup of baking soda or bicarbonate down the pipe and pour in two cups of vinegar.
• As soon as the fizzing stops, flush the drain with water. Start with a hot water wash, then a cold one, each lasting one minute.

Using a plastic drain snake

Now, this is not something you have lying around the house, and it will require you to purchase it. If you have tried the above methods and they have not worked, you can buy the plastic drain snake to remove the smell. You can follow this checklist on how to use a drain snake below.

• Take out the drain plug.
• Carefully put the plastic drain snake down the pipes.
• Turn it slowly as you are holding the plastic handle.
• The snake is wrapped in tiny, hard bristles that gather hair and other fragments in your drain.

If all else fails seek expert help

It is recommended that smelly drains are treated immediately. Always remember that prevention is better than cure. If you handle your sinks and drainage properly by routinely washing them, they will prevent costly works which have to be done by a professional. However if the above methods still haven’t produced results then it may be time to call in an experienced and licenced professional.