Ask Experts Questions for FREE Help !
Ask
    w4l7v701's Avatar
    w4l7v701 Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #1

    Nov 17, 2006, 05:15 AM
    Smell from shower drain
    How can I eliminate an odor from the shower drain?
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
    Eternal Plumber
    		  
    #2

    Nov 17, 2006, 09:20 AM
    Most bad smells in tubs, lavatorys and showers are caused by rotting hair matted with grease from the soap. Try this for the smell. Tonight before bedtine Take a 1/2 gallon of bleach and pour it down the drain and let set over night. Next morning ,(and this is important) flush out the drain with two large pans of boiling water to loosen the grease and flush the mess out. The bleach will make the hair slippery and began to dissolve it and the hot water will melt the grease and flush the mess away. Good luck, Tom
    vpatui's Avatar
    vpatui Posts: 10, Reputation: 0
    New Member
    		  
    #3

    Nov 17, 2006, 03:35 PM
    You didn't say, but if this is a shower that does not get used often, the water necessary to prevent odor from escaping into the shower may have dried out. Just run the shower for a few minutes. This is especially a problem in places with high temp and low humidity.
    richhawk's Avatar
    richhawk Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #4

    Jun 11, 2007, 05:36 AM
    Quote Originally Posted by speedball1
    Most bad smells in tubs, lavatorys and showers are caused by rotting hair matted with grease from the soap. Try this for the smell. Tonight before bedtine Take a 1/2 gallon of bleach and pour it down the drain and let set over night. Next morning ,(and this is important) flush out the drain with two large pans of boiling water to loosen the grease and flush the mess out. The bleach will make the hair slippery and began to dissolve it and the hot water will melt the grease and flush the mess away. Good luck, Tom
    I tired this with no luck. I seem to have a bit of a backdraft of air coming from the shower drain. I read another thread where they talked about shower vents, but I don't know what those are. I just bought a home in Arizona(high heat)... Could the problem be the shower venting? If so, what would be the fix.
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
    Eternal Plumber
    		  
    #5

    Jun 11, 2007, 03:41 PM
    As a rule showers are wet vented through the lavatory vent. It sounds like your shower has its own vent that's subject to down drafts. You might wish to look into installing a vent cap,(see image) to reduce it. Good luck, Tom
Not your question? Ask your question View similar questions
 

Question Tools Search this Question
Search this Question:

Advanced Search

Add your answer here.


Check out some similar questions!

Fowl Smell From Shower Drain [ 6 Answers ]

I read a discussion on this forum that occurred in 2005. Several people noted they had sewer like smell coming from a single shower drain. Speedball1 had several suggestions regarding cleaning out hair or other biological material from the drain. Some of the questioners tried all the suggestions...

Gurgling in the shower drain and sewer smell [ 2 Answers ]

We moved into a 100 year old farm house about 8 months ago. The plumbing was replaced in the 80's. We are learning the ins and outs of the house. About 2 weeks ago we started hearing a gurgling sound in the shower drain in the upstairs bathroom when we flushed the toilet. Now we are smelling a...

Smell from Shower Drain [ 1 Answers ]

Hello, I have a shower on the 2nd floor of my 30 year old house and I notice a sewage smell coming from the drain. :confused: The shower has not been used in over 4 years because it has a crack in the liner (it is a fiberglass shower unit). I notice the smell when the washing machine which...

Horrible smell from Shower drain [ 1 Answers ]

We moved into this house 5 weeks ago and have tried everything to combat this problem. Our upstairs bathroom shower stinks from high heaven after we've had a shower ie:after its had hot water running down the drain. The sink and bath drains in the same bathroom don't stink and neither does the...

Sewage smell on 2nd floor shower drain [ 12 Answers ]

I have a shower on the second floor that has a foul smell. I have tried to put everything recommended through the drain with no luck. Can you please give me some advise?

View more questions Search