Why do the drains in my house smell?

Basically there are two reasons for a drain to smell (or go septic) which is most often described as sewer, stinky, or sulfurous. They include:

  • A little used drain and its associated trap may go dry, which lets the drain emit sewer gases. Periodically running water into the drain helps to keep the trap filled and operating properly thereby stemming the sewer gas issue.
  • The accumulation of organic products in a drain or trap can emit a host of odors and the problem becomes noticeably worse after hot water is introduced into the drain, especially after the drain has sat unused overnight. The steam or hot air from the drain mixes with the organic byproducts and wafts upwards towards the users nose and then the user thinks they have a smelly water problem when the issue is actually the drain or trap. This is more common than you think. Cleaning the drain is the only way to resolve the issue.

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1. Is the water fluoridated?
2. How hard is our water?
3. I sometimes get a pink stain on my bathroom fixtures, in my pet’s water bowl or on other surfaces. Sometimes, the growth grows from my faucet screen. What is it and how do I get rid of it?
4. Why are my faucet strainers and other plumbing fixtures clogging with white particles?
5. Why does my humidifier water grow slimy over time?
6. Why does my water smell like sulfur?
7. Why does tap water sometimes look milky white or appear to have air bubbles?
8. Why does my water taste like plastic?
9. Why is there a musty odor at my faucet?
10. Why is my water is cloudy after the Water Department flushes hydrants in my neighborhood?
11. Why do the drains in my house smell?