If you walk into a room and smell something bad, you might not know exactly what it is at first. Did someone microwave salmon? Did someone drop an egg behind the refrigerator? Maybe someone forgot to flush the toilet.
In these cases, we’ll let you take care of them…sewer cleaning service doesn’t usually involve finding eggs behind the fridge. But if the smells are coming from your drain, it’s a good idea to call us for drain cleaning. Some of these problems can be fixed easily, and others will need expert repair.
Garbage Disposal: Garbage disposals are pretty cool, in that they let you chop up your food refuse before it heads down the drain and becomes clog fodder. But because they’re grinding up the food and making it fly around the inside of the disposal, particles of the food get stuck to the sides and don’t get washed down the drain. The food particles start to rot, and the stink starts. To prevent this, grind some ice so that it will fly around and help dislodge the food (be sure to look away so that the ice shards don’t hit you in the eye). Grinding small bits of orange or lemon peel can also help freshen it.
Kitchen Sink: It’s unlikely that you’ll smell sewer gas coming from the kitchen sink, mostly due to how amazing j-traps are. If your kitchen sink stinks, it’s most likely a building clog above the j-trap that you need to take care of. The stink is coming from the spoiled food that’s accumulating and the grease that’s becoming rancid. Don’t use chemical drain cleaners; instead, give us a quick call.
Bathroom Sink: Bathroom sinks usually stink because of the accumulation of decaying matter, usually hair and skin cells. Sweet-smelling soaps and toothpastes can mask the problem for a while, but eventually it might become overpowering. If you’re not comfortable taking your drains and stoppers apart, give us a call and we’ll help with your drain cleaning.
Shower Drains: Shower drains are often the forgotten drain in the house. Well, it’s forgotten until you’re ankle-deep in water. If the clog is further down that just under the drain cover, it’s time to call for professional drain cleaning service.
Toilets: As dirty as we imagine toilets to be, they’re actually one of the least likely to smell (as long as the outsides and floors around them are kept clean, of course). That’s because most of the smell that might emanate them is stopped by the standing water that’s in the toilet, something that sinks don’t have until you get to the j-trap. If your toilet is the source, it might be a bigger problem. Check down in the…
Basement: All sewer drains run down the the basement, or under the house, for one simple reason: gravity gathers everything you want gone and moves it to the public sewer line. So if you go down to the basement and smell sewer gas, you’ve got a problem. This could mean that your sewer pipe is broken, which is preventing your sewage from reaching the public sewer line. Our sewer camera can head down and find out. It could also mean that your sewer vent has suffered some damage. In either case, we fix it or help you find someone who can.
If you’ve got a sewer smell problem you can’t fix, give Garvin’s a call and we’ll be there to help.
