Recently bought a house and sewer smell is coming out of floor drain. Any cheap fix you guys can recommend? : ausrenovation

[–] [email protected] 23 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

Has it been dry a while? Pour a bunch of water in it and see if the smell goes away. Once the P trap is full of water it will block the gas coming up the drain.

I have to do this with my tub every once in a while since I have a standalone shower and I only use the tub a couple times a year at most.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

This is the answer. If it’s a drain that you don’t use often, once you run water through you can pour a little mineral oil in to prevent evaporation over time.

[–] Taleya 6 points 4 months ago (2 children)

try dumping water down it. If the house has been empty for a while, the water in the trap may have just evaporated (thus allowing stinky stinky to rise)

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 months ago (1 children)

This is the right answer. The P-trap (named for the shape, not the substance) dries out and let's gasses pass. If you are feeling extra about it, you can add a capful of bleach the first time to sterilize the inside.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

This is literally why The U-trap was invented.

[–] yoz 4 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I don't think it has P trap. I tried pouring in some water the daybi moved in but that didn't help

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 months ago

Takes a bit. A cup won't do it, try a bucket.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Borax and boiling (near) water

[–] yoz 4 points 4 months ago (1 children)

There's no P trap

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago

Oh, yeah that would be bad

[–] RedCarCastle 4 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Try flushing every drain point, sinks, showers, Laundry, toilets, outside, with a heap of water, and chemicals to if it will make you feel better, Drano worked for me in my old place.

[–] yoz 3 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I think there's no P trap installed so no point of pouring in water and chemical.

[–] RedCarCastle 4 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Unless someone has built it super dodgy there most certainly would be one, if not near the inlet of the drain then certainly before the sewer big old cast iron thing, probably underground, if you live in town. if you're brought an old farm house that old mate built himself then lord only knows

[–] yoz 3 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I am sure the previous owner got some dodgy plumber to save some money. He was an Italian guy and was living an awful life in that house. None of the windows worked , shitty paint etc. I am trying to fix all one by one. Also, I live in the city , its a duplex.

[–] RedCarCastle 4 points 4 months ago (1 children)

There would still be one in the ground, would of been put in probably when the main sewer line was put in, like 100 years ago depending on where you live, anyway waters cheap so I'd say give it a ago, at worst it's not gonna fix it.

[–] yoz 3 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I have tried water, bleach, soapy water , detergent etc but the smell is still there. During summers it gets worst. Its weird that the smell comes from just this one drain. Fuck the plumber who did it. Most of these TAFE guys with mullet are fucking idiots. I am planning to cut open the drain and may be pour in plumbers putty.

[–] RedCarCastle 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Yer it's wired that it's only one drain, There could be a jagged edge somewhere down the pipe that could have caught a mass of something that's slowly rotting away, you can get hand cranked pipe snake there a few metres long, probably 30bucks, might get you outta trouble,

[–] yoz 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I am sure the smell is from the sewer and not something rotting. I have noticed when its windy outside that when I notice the smell so definitely sewer. How can I check if theres a P trap in there ? I tried using a torch but can't really see properly. Should I just cut open the floor drain?

[–] RedCarCastle 1 points 4 months ago

Is there an outlet vent outside? Check to see that it's not blocked by something, insect nest, or spider web or something, that's the only place I can think of that the wind cause possibly get in. If you can get under the house you can see what is going on, maybe a inspection camera? You'd feel it with a drain snake.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago

Cover? Cheap and easy. Could be something as simple as a towel until you can find a replacement drain with cover.

[–] CEOofmyhouse56 3 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

I would have suggested cloudy ammonia but you've already poured bleach down there. Not a good idea now.

[–] yoz 6 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Pouring anything down there will not help because I think there's no P trap installed.

[–] Taleya 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Can always pop the grate and see if there's a curve

[–] yoz 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I tried but its stuck to tiles/cement? How to safely remove it ?

[–] Taleya 1 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Your house. Time to go ham.

It should lift up.

[–] useless_modern_god 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Yes. Pour hot soapy water down that and any other drains near it. The trap has dried out.

[–] yoz 3 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I don't think it has P trap installed. I already tried water , bleach etc but the smell is still there.

[–] useless_modern_god 4 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Floors drains are required to have traps so there’s something else that drains into that would be the culprit. I knew someone else with this problem and discovered the hot water service overflow tray was actually plumbed up to drain into the laundry floor drain. The trap had dried out on the overflow tray and was causing the floor drain to smell as well.

[–] yoz 3 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Ah ok...towards its left is the toilet, towards the right is another floor drain (in front of wash basin) and further right ,its the shower. I am sure the smell comes from the drain (pic I posted ) others don't smell. That makes me wonder if p trap was not installed

[–] useless_modern_god 3 points 4 months ago

Well without looking at it, I can’t offer much more assistance, congrats on the house. It’s a small miracle to buy anything decent these days.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

If you don’t have a P-trap in your floor drain, the correct thing to do is add one.
If you’d like to avoid that, there are devices made that claim to keep out sewer gasses from floor drains. I’ve not used them, so I can’t say how well they do/don’t work. I searched for “floor drain check valve”.

[–] yoz 1 points 4 months ago

I don't know if its the drain or the smell is coming from back of the toilet. Its a shitty american toilet with skirts that covers everything to make it look fancy. Fuck I hate anything made that's made in america.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Have you tried shooting it with a gun?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago

It's a house not a school

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