Septic tank maintenance

Sewer odors in home

What causes sewer odors in my home?

Waking up to septic system odors would resemble a nightmare. It is not a normal thing for you to be breathing in hazardous sewer odors straight from your very own sewer system. You know that there has to be something wrong already and that something has to be done about this.

Sewer odors are not very welcoming especially when you have parties or sudden guests. It is something that your entire household tends to suffer from—health-wise—most especially. You may wonder why the sewer odors waft through your house just like that. Well, this could very well be a warning sign that your septic system needs attention already. Anytime there are sewer odors in a home, immediate action should follow.

One of the causes of septic odors is the backing up of the wastewater into your yard or sinks and drains of the home. This is caused by the clogging of the drain field and too much accumulation of sludge buildup in the septic tank. The clogging of the drain field is caused by this gunk that you were not able to pump out of your septic tank on its normal schedule. The solid wastes material makes its way out to the drain field and hinders its ability to absorb the effluent that should be treated at its final stage in the soil.

Next is the clogging up of the pipes. This happens when you irresponsibly dump all sorts of chemicals and bits of solid waste into the drains or the toilet. This causes the backing up of the wastewater into your shower floor or sink. This even makes your toilet overflow when you flush it. Disgusting, isn’t it? If you are this unmindful of your septic system usage, then sewage odors will be part of your life forever.

When you dump chemicals such as detergents into your sink or drains, the sodium in them reacts with the clay in the drain field. This makes a hardened compound that clogs the drain field. As a result, the wastewater will back up into your yard or home, giving you your daily dose of sewer odors.

Another thing is the vent installation in your home. There are actually houses that did not have any septic vent installed. As a result, the gas pressure becomes too high that it already seeps through various areas of your home to be relieved. There are times when the contractors block an existing septic system vent to make a wall for a new room in the house. This will cause that room to be the source of sewer odors in your home.

The plumbing system in your house may also be a direct cause of the sewer odors that you have. There should be traps in the pipes that are installed in your sinks. These traps are literally traps for the odors that accumulate or come from the septic tank. These are important so that the hazardous, irritating odors will not enter your bathroom or kitchen areas. There are two types of common traps—the P trap and the S trap. You could consult with your plumber to change the pipes in your house if this is what causes the sewer odors that you have.

When the pipes have high pressure and they have no place to vent out of, the sewer gas will be forced straight out of the traps. There will most probably be bubbling and gurgling sounds with the sewer odors. If the pipes have low pressure and they cannot vent anywhere else, siphoning can happen in the pipe traps whenever you drain. When the traps are also dry, this can be a pathway for the sewer gas to enter your house.

You should also consider having all of your pipes and traps properly sealed because any leaks could be portals for sewer odors. Ask your handy plumber to help you check them regularly and apply a long-lasting water-proof sealant on them. Sewer odors in your home can be eliminated with periodic inspections.