Foul Sewer and Drain Smells?

Sewer Odors! Yesterday we performed a smoke test within a large multi-tenant building in order to find the hidden breaches of their sewer system: that caused foul odors.

How does a smoke test work? We seal the pipes and induce smoke into the drain and sewage system. The smoke will fill the system and escape through any breaches. We trace the smoke down to the source and correct as needed. The test is repeated until we achieve a sealed tight system. 

Smoke tests can be complicated at times due to logistics and the fear triggered by the appearance of smoke. Therefore, it's always wise to inspect for the obvious:

1. Loose toilets. Toilets are supposed to be mounted sealed tight. If the toilet wobbles or has rust signs at its base; it may have a breached seal. Pull and reset the toilet to correct. 

2. Dry trap ways (due to lack of use). If a fixture or faucet goes unused for a couple of weeks; the water will dissipate from the trap (designed to prevent sewer smells), thus, allowing sewer gases to escape. Always keep your plumbing fixtures active by running a little bit of water into them at least once every couple of weeks. 

3. Loose or missing clean out plugs or caps. Often times, drain cleaning technicians with limited experience will fail to secure the cap or plug back on after a simple drain cleaning service. Unaware that they just left the vent system breached: sewer smells are left with an easy path into the building. 

4. The most common source of sewer smell and odors into buildings has to do with plumbing vents, air conditioning systems, parapet walls and wind patterns. Use of carbon filtered vent caps will immediately correct such issues.

Sewer smells aren't normal, nor are they healthy to be exposed to. They do indicate a problem with your plumbing system that must be immediately corrected.

For more info visit our website at www.aap-allamericanplumbing.com or give us a call 1-855-893-3601