Sewer Gas Smell in Basement

Why Does My Basement Smell Like Sewer Gas?

Sewer smells are very distinct and off-putting. Even if the smell is contained in your basement, there’s a good chance you can smell it in other rooms with drains as well. There are a couple of reasons you might have a sewer gas smell in the basement, and if you do, it’s important to eliminate the cause. This is worth addressing promptly. When you smell sewer gas in your home, it might be a sign of problems in your home or sewer system, and you should call a plumber to take a look.

When you take a trip down to your basement and notice it smells like rotten eggs, call a plumber to inspect the source of the smell and make any necessary repairs. Getting the problem addressed helps prevent potential health issues from hydrogen sulfide buildup.

You can reach HomeSense day or night for drain cleaning services. We offer after-hours emergency service if a serious problem occurs.

What Is Sewer Gas?

The fetid, rotten egg smell of sewer gas is pretty distinct. We’ve all gotten a whiff of a rotten-egg smell coming from a drain before. The distinct “rotten egg smell” comes from hydrogen sulfide. Not only is a foul sewer smell in the basement hard to tolerate, but it can also be dangerous too. The danger resulting from the foul odor of sewer gas comes from the breaking down of organic materials that are commonly found in sewers.

These gasses are made from a wide variety of chemical compounds including hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, esters, carbon monoxide, and more. The effects can be hazardous to your health if you’re exposed to them for long enough. Some of these gasses can even be flammable.

Where Is the Sewer Gas Smell Coming From?

When we experience a foul sewer smell in the basement, the large drain in the basement is usually where it is coming from. The drain may be clogged, but something simple like a dried-out water seal in a basement floor drain could also be the culprit.

Other times a sewer odor is a sign of a bigger problem. Sewer drain clogs can affect multiple drainage points in your home, like toilets and showers. Here are some other common reasons you may be smelling sewer gas:

• The drain line is clogged or damaged
• Blocked or broken sewer line vents
• Bad or broken seal on a vent, drain, or toilet
• Cracked and leaking pipes
• Dry plumbing

As you can see, there is not just one reason why you’re smelling sewer gas in your home. If you are having other drainage problems, on top of bad odors, talk to your neighbors to see if they’re experiencing the same issues. If they are, there could be something wrong with the main sewer line.

If you notice drainage problems like a clogged shower drain, it’s worth getting help promptly. There could be a variety of issues causing your shower to clog, so it’s important to find the cause and get it fixed.

From a dried-out water seal in your basement floor drain to a bad or broken vent pipe, a variety of causes can force a sewer odor to appear in your basement. With so many potential causes, it’s important to call a plumber like HomeSense to investigate the problem.

What Can Be Done about the Sewer Smell?

A sewer smell in the basement won’t go away on its own and shouldn’t be ignored. Even though sewer gas is so putrid, we can eventually become desensitized to it. Since sewer gas can be potentially hazardous to your health, what could seem like a little problem could lead to health issues down the road.

Whenever you smell a sewer gas odor, it’s important to call a plumber. The plumbers at HomeSense treat a sewer smell as an urgent matter and are available after-hours to fix the problem.

Smoke Machine Service

The EZSmoke® leak detection systems allows a technician to use low-pressure, non-toxic smoke with a pleasant lemon scent and UV dye to quickly locate sewer gas leaks that are often difficult and time consuming to find in cuts, cracks, fractures, punctures, porosity or unsealed fittings inside or outside residential or commercial buildings.

The core of EZSmoke®’s convenience is that it uses patented technology to send non-toxic smoke containing a trace dye (UltraTrace UV) through the air (not a liquid) that is contained within pipes, wall cavities, or other forms of enclosed spaces. Any visible smoke immediately provides an indication of a large leak.

However, if smoke alone cannot provide the source of the sewer gas odor, technicians can rely on UltraTrace UV, which is carried within the smoke vapor, to pinpoint very small leaks of sewer gas.

What Are the Dangers of a Sewer Gas Smell?

Initially, a small amount of exposure to sewer smell and hydrogen sulfide might lead to a headache, irritability, and other minor symptoms. However, with more exposure comes more intense symptoms.

With prolonged exposure to hydrogen sulfide, symptoms can become serious, including organ failure, loss of consciousness, and in extreme cases, death.

When sewer gases are discovered in your home, it’s important to act promptly to limit the amount of exposure to those within your house. Even a small amount of hydrogen sulfide can cause symptoms in your loved ones. Protect the health of your home and those within it and contact a plumber you trust to inspect your home and find a solution that works for your family.

Call HomeSense for All of Your Commercial & Residential Plumbing Services

Whether it’s plumbing or drain cleaning, HomeSense can help with your residential and commercial needs. We’ve handled just about every plumbing situation you can think of, so don’t hesitate to reach out with any problem. If you smell sewer gas in your basement or laundry room, give HomeSense a call for service.