Why There's a Sulfur Smell Coming from Your Drain

If you notice a sulfur smell coming from your drain, there are several things the smell could indicate.

What Causes the Sulfur Smell in Your Drain?

Clogged Drain

A sulfur smell coming from your drains could be a result of a partially or completely clogged drain. When your drains are clogged, they obstruct the elimination of wastewater, leading to the accumulation of various substances in the drains. These substances will begin to decompose after some time and release a sulfur smell that can make its way back into your home.

So you should avoid pouring grease, fat, or oil down your drains as they are the major causes of clogged drains.

What You Can Do

You should take immediate action when you notice signs of clogged drains to prevent more expensive drain line repair.

The following are some of the ways you can clear a clogged drain:

• Pour boiling water down the drain.
• Pour one cup of baking soda into the drain and one cup of vinegar solution. Cover the drain with a drain plug and wait for 10 minutes, and pour boiling water down the drain.
• Try unclogging your drain with a plunger
• Use a plumbing snake to dislodge the clog

 If all of these methods do not resolve the problem, call a nearby plumber to help you with drain cleaning.

Dirty Garbage Disposal

Even though your garbage disposal is designed to shred solid food waste into small pieces, scraps of food can get stuck on the blades. If you don’t wash out the scraps of food, they will decompose after some time and release a sulfur smell.

What You Can Do

To avoid food particles getting stuck on the blades, you should run cold water while the food particles are being broken down.

Here's how to clean dirty garbage disposal in four steps:

1. Step 1: Put some ice cubes in the chamber and add one tablespoon of baking soda.
2. Step 2: Add three lemon slices to the chamber and one teaspoon of bleach.
3. Step 3: Turn the garbage disposal on without running water and let it run until you hear the grinding stop.
4. Step 4: Flush your garbage disposal with cold water for 30 minutes.

Improperly Installed P-trap

A P-trap is a U-shaped plumbing fixture installed anywhere there is an open drain line. This plumbing fixture retains water at the bottom of the curve to prevent sewer gases from getting into your home.

When a P-trap is not installed properly or it’s damaged, it may be unable to retain water leading to sewer gases leaking into your home.

The water in the P-trap can evaporate if you don’t use the drain for a long period of time and allow sewer gases into your home.

What You Can Do

The solution to an improperly installed or malfunctioning P-trap is to call a plumber to inspect the plumbing fixture and install it correctly.

If you’re in need of drain line repair in your home, contact Mr. Rooter Plumbing to help you restore your drains to their good working order.