I own an old house (1910) in downtown Indianapolis. I don't think I have a septic system, I think my pipes run to the city sewage. The drain in my unfinished basement (where my A/C condensation drains to) smells horrible! It has a bit of standing water in it but never overflows. Now my first floor is beginning to smell because of the basement, and every shower and sink drain smell as well. Please tell me what I need to do?

Thanks!

I own an old house (1910) in downtown Indianapolis. I don't think I have a septic system, I think my pipes run to the city sewage. The drain in my unfinished basement (where my A/C condensation drains to) smells horrible! It has a bit of standing water in it but never overflows. Now my first floor is beginning to smell because of the basement, and every shower and sink drain smell as well. Please tell me what I need to do?

Thanks!
Get a person in to fix it. It could be affecting your health

Start by flushing a lot of water down the floor drain. Get a pail of water and pour it down the drain as quickly as you can. Do this several times until the water is clear. Then take a cup of bleach and mix it with the water and pour this down the drain.


If that doesn't work.Its possible you have a partial blockage downstream of the floor drain and it is causing sewage to back up into your basement fittings. If flushing the drains doesn't work let me know and I can run through how to check for blockages or other options.

Try this. Tonight at bed time pour a 1/2 gallon of full strength bleach down the floor drain. Let it set overnight and next morning flush it out with a few pans of boiling water. This should make your drain smell better. Good luck, Tom