What Causes My Shower Drain To Smell?
Does your shower drain smell so bad you don’t enjoy being in your bathroom? Orange, CA, residents are too busy to deal with horrible shower drain smells. You need a professional plumber to help beat the stink.
Find out how a professional plumbing repair service can fix up your shower drain in no time.
Showers are a high-traffic area of the home. Every member of your household probably showers at least once a day. Even if that’s only one person, using the shower once a day, every day, will eventually start to wear it down.
Also, when you consider that your shower is constantly pumping in water and draining it out, you have the perfect recipe for clogs and build-ups of an unsavory nature.
What actually causes your shower drain to smell? There are a few probable causes, including:
- Mildew and mold growth
- Clogged shower strainer
- Broken or dry P-trap or vents
- Sewer line break
If your shower drain is smelling up a storm, a skilled plumber can let you know which one of these parts is the culprit.
While these problems may sound simple, it takes a reliable plumbing repair service to fix your shower up like new and stop the smell in its tracks.
Common Reasons Your Shower Drain Smells
Wondering which part of your shower is most likely causing the smell? A lot depends on where the smell is coming from. Here are different signs and symptoms related to each part of the shower.
Mold and Mildew
We’ll start by saying that fungus loves warm, damp places to live and breed in peace. It can get very warm in Orange County, CA. That means your shower gets very moist, and this arrangement is ideal for mold and mildew.
Mildew and mold have very distinctive smells. If your shower drain smells mildewy or moldy, it’s probably because (you guessed it) mold and mildew are growing inside.
Eliminating mold and mildew buildup requires a relatively simple plumbing repair service. It will very likely not take long for your shower to smell clean and clear once again!
Clogged Shower Strainer
Every shower has a shower stopper or strainer. These convenient little devices keep a good amount of large debris from entering the plumbing system.
All that buildup of hair, soap, dirt, and grime can really start to stink after a while. If the drain doesn’t smell like mildew, but there is still a very definitive stench, a clogged-up shower strainer could be the cause.
Ask your professional plumber to inspect the shower strainer if you notice a non-mold or mildew smell coming from your shower drain.
P-Trap or Vent Issues
Shower drain smells originating from mold, mildew, or a clogged shower strainer are closer to the surface of your shower’s drain system. But shower drain smells can come from even further down in the plumbing.
One potential problem is the P–trap. The P-trap is the part of your drainage system that connects the shower drain to the rest of the plumbing system. P-traps are so-called because they resemble a “P” shape.
These devices are designed that way to retain a small portion of water after you send the rest down the drain. This water retention activity prevents sewer smells from escaping the plumbing system and seeping into your bathroom.
The vents are connected to the P-trap, and they give the air that gets forced out by water being flushed down the drain an escape route. Your vents ensure that the water that needs to stay in the P-trap won’t get pulled out with the force of the pushed air.
If your vent, or vent stack, is broken or clogged, it can also lead to a dry P-trap.
Breaks or clogs with either of these parts can cause sewer smells to creep up through your shower drain. Dry P-traps can create an extremely unhealthy environment and low water quality that needs to be addressed with professional plumbing repairs right away.
If your P-trap or drain vent is the cause of your shower drainage smells, you’ll need to call a professional plumber to fix the issue.
Sewer Line Break
This last common cause of a smelly shower drain is probably the most dreaded, especially by Orange County folks who live in pretty warm conditions. (There’s nothing quite as stinky as warm sewage…)
In the event of a sewer line break, the smell will be much more powerful and pervasive than a clogged vent or mildew buildup.
Sewer line breaks generally cause sewer smells to seep up through every drain in your home. If you notice sewer smells coming from your kitchen, bathroom sink, shower, or any other area connected to a pipe, you can be relatively confident that you have a broken sewer line.
The first thing to do is call your local sewer company and make them aware of the situation. The problem could be local to your home or something much bigger, requiring their services to fix.
We also recommend you call a professional plumber that you trust to come and check out the situation. Sewer line breaks are nothing to mess around with, and you need skilled professionals on the case to fix the problem as quickly as possible.
What Do I Do If My Shower Drain Smells?
No matter what your drain smells like or how pungent the stench is, call a plumbing repair service like Moffett Plumbing. Professional plumbers in Orange, CA, who have enough experience, can safely and promptly fix the problem (no matter how big or small).
You don’t want to leave the problem of unpleasant drain smells to just anyone. You need a trusted plumbing service to find the issue and fix it with little to no hassle.
Contact Moffett Plumbing, Serving in Orange, CA
Our team is ready and willing to bring you quality plumbing services you can count on. Call us today and schedule an appointment if you live in Orange, CA, or surrounding areas!