Why Am I Smelling That?

Do you ever smell a foul odor of sewer gas in your home? If so, you are not alone, but what could be causing it?

A common reason why sewer gas may leak into your home is the plumbing system. Plumbing fixtures can start to dry out, which can happen if you have bathrooms that are not used very often. Take, for example, a plumbing trap. It is designed to have a water barrier that prevents sewer gases from entering into the home but, if it has started to dry out, that barrier will no longer exist so, sewer gas will enter into the house.

If your house was constructed with plumbing vents situated too close to the home’s air intakes, this could be another reason why you are smelling sewer gas. Over time, cracks may start to appear in the home’s foundations, plumbing drains, and ventilation pipes, this can also allow sewer gas to enter indoors. It could also simply be a case of air that is flowing a certain way around the building that causes the gas smell to come into the home.

Should you ignore the smell of sewer gas? Sewer gas can cause some very serious problems, especially to your health, so you should never ignore the smell, assuming it is nothing serious. It is better to have someone come and diagnose the reason for the gas leak so that they can eliminate anything of real concern.