Sewer Smell in House Causes
What are the causes of sewage smell in your house?
A sewage smell in your home or odour from your drains can be caused by a number of factors. For example, it is possible that the sewer itself shows cracks or subsidence. In that case, it means the gases are leaking and may cause a bad sewer smell at home or in the office. It is also possible that so-called sewer flies are present. These flies normally live off of the fat and sludge deposits in the sewer – but will then come out through the cracks. A ventilation duct can also cause problems if it is not correctly installed.
However, the problem frequently is caused by bacteria inside the pipework. The water that flows past this bacteria almost always contains nutrients for these bacteria. They break down these nutrients which causes the release of smelly gases. Some of these gases, such as H2S, are very soluble in water. Consequently, they can still be smelt despite being trapped in the water thats in the siphon.
Often the sewer air in the house can mainly be smelt during rain, as the sewer system then fills up and the air it contains is pushed out. As a result, the smell can become more pronounced. These bad odours may come from the drain of the washing machine or the drain of the central heating boiler. Drainpure works very well to counteract these dirty odours.
Which gases create a sewer smell in the house?
One of the gases that already causes odour problems in very low concentrations is H2S (hydrogen sulphide). From as little as 0.1 ppm (part per million), this gas produces a stench that smells like rotten eggs. H2S is produced when anaerobic bacteria break down organic material. These anaerobic bacteria are often found in the pipes after the drains, or in places where sludge and fat accumulate.
Besides H2S, in some cases methane gas (CH4) can also emit a sewer smell in the house. Methane is also called marsh gas, because it is produced in swamps by bacteria in the absence of oxygen. In the sewers, this gas can sometimes be produced where grease and sludge accumulate, or where a biofilm is present on the inside of the pipework.
Which solutions are there?
Fortunately, a sewer smell in the house is easy to deal with!
A quick-working product for this purpose is Drainpure.
- In 99% of the cases, it gets rid of the stench within 3 hours!
- One bottle is enough to treat a drain for a year.
Drainpure is a preventive product. It immediately lays a film layer over the anaerobic bacteria so they can no longer leak sewer air into the house. Over time, Drainpure will even clean your pipework.
The graph below shows what happens when dosing Drainpure in the pipework. H2S is the most common odour component.
