I am smelling a strong mold smell from the bathtub drain. I will try your suggestion to another question on this site, to use a longer metal snake. But I am wondering... where does the water from the "overflow" behind the drain lever plate go to? It seems that that is possibly where the smell is coming from. Does that water join in with drain water somehow? I've read elsewhere on the internet that it does not, that overflow drains are a myth, and that the water goes into the space surrounding the bottom of the tub and can create a "mold forest."?? Help! I've done bleach, a "plastic" snake from the hardware store that pulls out hair, vinegar, boiling water and detergent... but the mold smell just seems to get stronger each day.

Whomever posted that was someone that has never even seen the underside of a tube or its drains. There are a lot of people that post things they know nothing about on the internet. You have to be careful which you chose to believe.

The "overflow" joins the drain right past the main tub drain when you either put a plug or close a drain with a mechanical Stopper.

It most certainly does NOT drain into the space under the tub.

I agree with Smoothy about what you have read on the internet
If someone really said that, they should not be allowed to discuss plumbing in any way. Your "common sense" should tell you that couldn't possibly be correct.

There are a number of tub stopper mechanisms, two of which Smoothy has shown. If you have remove the stopper and cleared any decaying hair that might have been trapped in the drain as you have indicated, it is possible that the trap is dry.

There is a thing called a trap, which is basically a low place in the drain. Water collects in the trap and prevents sewer gasses from coming back. Look under the lavatory sink or kitchen sink to see what a trap looks.

First, slowly pour about a quart of water down the tub drain. Then check to see if you smell any odor out of the overflow. If you smell an odor, try cleaning the drain again with the plastic snake. You must not have remove all the decaying hair.

If you smell no odor, flush the toilet and run water down the lavatory sink. Again check for odor. If you smell an odor, you have a blocked vent pipe. As water flows down the drain pipe it must be able to pull air in behind it. If it can't get any air in, the water going down the drain will suck the water out of the trap. The water in the trap is your seal that prevents sewer gasses from entering your home. The vent pipe, which goes up through the roof, is there to let air into the drain pipe.

Do these things and post back what you find.

What type of smell are you getting?

Thank you for clarifying this. Here is a link to that post, and reading it again (always recommended, ha ha) I believe I misinterpreted some of it. Function of bathtub overflow drain

Okay, going to enlist the hubby to help me with this. Question: where does the vent pipe connect in, and how does one unblock it if that's the problem?

It is possible that the trap developed a small drip. As a result, water level inside trap is too low to prevent sewer gases from entering your bathroom. Thus the odor.

Milo

"Do these things and post back what you find"









































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