Welcome to Ready & Able, formerly known as David LeRoy Plumbing! Although our name and brand have changed, we are still here to serve you and all of your plumbing, heating, cooling, and air quality needs!
As a homeowner, when you experience a problem with your home, it’s on you to determine how to fix it or who to call to get the problem repaired. One problem you may not want to deal with is a plumbing issue. If your plumbing starts to smell like rotten eggs, you need to take swift action to remedy the issue before it worsens.
One of the very first things you want to do when you get a whiff of rotten eggs is to locate the key source of it. When it comes to your plumbing system, check all the different drains in your home to see if you have an issue with every one of them or just one. This will help you determine what to do next to solve the issue.
It’s common for homeowners to mistake the source of a sulfur-like smell in their home as coming from a drain instead of a gas line. This could be a potentially dangerous problem. It’s always important to double-check if there are any gas lines running near the drains where you smell the rotten eggs. This applies to homeowners who have natural gas or propane piped into their homes, as both will emit a sulfur-like smell when they leak into the air.
If you suspect the problem is with a gas line, shut off the gas supply valve as quickly as possible. Open your windows to allow for more ventilation so the gas can easily dissipate into the outside air. You’ll want to call a professional to repair the gas leak before you try to use the appliance again.
If the problem is contained to one particular sink or shower in your home, the issue likely lies with the P-trap. This is a U-shaped trap that sits underneath the drain and is responsible for holding a little bit of water. This water prevents toxic sewer gas from backing up into your home. Unfortunately, if you don’t use the sink or shower frequently, the water in the P-trap can evaporate into the air.
This allows the toxic sewage gases, which smell like rotten eggs, to come up through your P-trap and out of your drain. This issue has a very easy fix, as all you need to do is run water down the drain. We suggest turning on the sink or shower and letting it run for about 30 seconds, so it has adequate time to refill the trap. You may even want to consider adding a few drops of mineral oil to the P-trap to help slow down the evaporation process. This is especially important for areas of your home that are not used frequently, such as guest bathrooms or your basement.
If the sulfur smell is coming from a drain that’s frequently used, meaning it’s very unlikely that the P-trap water is empty, the problem may be caused by bacteria. Bacteria feed on the gunk that accumulates in your P-trap and produce a sulfur smell as they release gas. A great way to eliminate unwanted bacteria in your drainpipe is to create a mixture of baking soda and vinegar.
We suggest mixing about one cup of white vinegar with about half a cup of baking soda. You want to pour this down your drain and let it sit for about 10 to 15 minutes so that the solution can work on destroying the bacteria. Next, turn on your hot water and let it run for about a minute to flush all the residue and bacteria. This is a good routine practice for the drains in your home that experience frequent usage.
Sometimes the problem may not actually be with gunk in your piping but rather inside the overflow or on the drain cover itself. You can help remedy this problem by pouring some vinegar down the overflow hole on your sinks and showers. This vinegar will naturally kill the bacteria there. If you have removable drain covers, remove them and give them a thorough soaking in a vinegar and baking soda solution. Follow up by scrubbing any remaining debris from them.
If you notice a sulfur smell emanating from all your drains, take a moment to check if the smell is more pronounced when you’re running your hot water. This indicates a problem with the internal components of your water heater. It’s very common for those, especially on well water, to have harmless sulfate ions in their water.
Unfortunately, if the anode rod inside your water heater is made of magnesium or aluminum, it can have a biological interaction with the sulfate ions. This creates a byproduct of hydrogen sulfide gas, which smells like rotten eggs. To remedy this particular source, you’ll want to have one of our plumbing professionals replace your existing anode rod with a zinc one that won’t interact with the sulfate ions.
All the plumbing fixtures in your home will naturally have a vent that allows air to escape. If the vent pipe becomes blocked with debris, it will disrupt the pressure inside your plumbing system. Without an adequate route for the sewage gases to escape into the outdoors, they will travel the path of least resistance, ending up at your drains, showers, and sinks.
It’s best to contact one of our professionals if you suspect a blocked vent pipe. We’ll be able to conduct a thorough video inspection of the pipe to locate any blockage and remove it.
Another culprit behind the rotten egg smell coming from your drains is a clogged sewer line. As you flush wastewater down your drains and toilets, it will travel down your sewer line and hit the clog. All this wastewater will continually back up, getting closer and closer to the drains in your home.
Without an adequate route for the sewer gas to escape through the sewer line, it will simply back up into your drains. If you suspect a clog in your sewer line, it’s essential to seek professional assistance immediately. You never want to continue using your plumbing system, as it will only cause an even more costly backup.
While it’s definitely possible to fix the smell in small cases like refilling your P-trap, a lot of the time you’ll need to call for professional assistance. We highly recommend calling as soon as you notice an issue, so we can fix the problem before it gets any worse. You should avoid many common DIY fixes, such as using a chemical drain cleaner to break up a clog, as it will likely cause damage to your home’s piping.
Ready & Able Plumbing, Heating & Air offers expert drain cleaning services to the Etters, PA, community. We can also assist with all your video pipe inspection, hydro jetting, and drainpipe installation needs. Simply call us today to schedule your next consultation with one of our helpful plumbing professionals.
Welcome to Ready & Able, formerly known as David LeRoy Plumbing! Although our name and brand have changed, we are still here to serve you and all of your plumbing, heating, cooling, and air quality needs!