If you’ve had sewer problems, such as sewer leaks, or a sewer back up in your home, you know how bad the entire situation can be. Have you ever experienced a bad sewer smell, or a rotten egg smell? This got us wondering about a few questions:

Question:   Is sewer gas harmful?

Answer: The short answer is yes. However, it’s only bad if present in high concentration.

Question:   What is sewer gas?

Answer:   Sewer gas is a mixture of inorganic gases created by the action of anaerobic bacteria on sewage and sludge. This gas can contain methane, hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and hydrogen. Methane is actually an odorless gas that is part of sewer gas. Methane also has the potential to negatively affect your health, but it’s not a toxic gas.

Question:   What makes it smell so bad?

Answer:   Almost always, hydrogen sulfide is the odor culprit, although ammonia may be formed in rare cases. The rest of the gases listed above are odorless. Methane is an odorless, colorless gas, despite what you’ve heard about farts. Methane is non-toxic and unharmful at low concentrations, but it can be quite dangerous if it accumulates in a confined space. Since it’s a compressed gas, it’s also extremely flammable and explosive.

Question:   How does the sewer smell get into the house?

Answer:   The only way sewer gas can get into a home is if there is something wrong with your plumbing. The most common fault in the plumbing system is no drain trap, especially floor drains. A dry trap can also cause bad sewer smells. If the floor drain is not often used, the water in the trap may evaporate, breaking the trap seal. We frequently run H20 in our floor drains to prevent a dry trap.

Question:   What, exactly, is a trap?

Answer:   A trap is a device made from a U-shaped section of pipe, tubing or tile which traps wastewater. This wastewater then acts as a seal to prevent sewer gases from coming out through the drain opening.

Question:   What can I do to keep sewer smells out of the house?

Answer:   The best answer is to find the problem with the plumbing system and have it repaired. Duncan Plumbing can inspect your home for plumbing problems using sophisticated tools & techniques such as camera inspection and leak location. In any case, an experienced plumber like Duncan Plumbing in Waxahachie will be able to find the shortcomings of the system and offer suggestions on how to correct them on an individual basis.

There are other ways sewer gas can get into your home or business...

• A damaged drain line. If the drain line is cracked or broken between the main sewer, there is nothing to impede the flow of gases through the cracked sewer or break in the line. A damaged drain line may allow sewage to drain under your house, and you may get a sewer odor from that accumulation of sewer.

• A damaged or plugged sewer vent. The vent system in your plumbing is designed to equalize the atmospheric pressure differences caused by wastewater flowing through the plumbing, and also to allow sewer gases to escape the plumbing system by venting them into the atmosphere above the house. These are the vents you see on top of homes & they are very important. If the vent system has an untrapped opening inside your house, gases will escape through that opening. This is why venting and p-traps are very important to your plumbing system.

Duncan Plumbing is here for you, so don’t hesitate to get in touch if you encounter an issue with your sewer system, including bad sewer smells or leaks. Our experts will efficiently and effectively resolve any problems, and make sure you and your family are perfectly safe. Contact us today!