If you notice a foul smell coming from your bathroom’s sink or the drains, it may be due to sulfur. Not the kind you find in volcanos, but hydrogen sulfide gas produced by bacteria.
Detecting the Origin of the Smell
The smell can come from a variety of places, such as the sewage, the ground, as well as contaminated water and pipes. Oftentimes, it is hard to find the source of the smell. A simple test can solve the mystery for you.
To check if the smell is coming from your drains or from the water, follow these steps:
- Fill a glass of water from the drain or the area you believe the smell is coming from.
- Go outside with the glass of water and smell it.
- Fill a glass of water from another faucet and go smell that water outside as well.
- If both glasses of water have a foul smell, bacteria may be present in your water.
- On the other hand, if only one glass smells, then one of your drains is contaminated.
Contaminated Drain
If your drain smells like rotten eggs, you must disinfect the pipes to get rid of the odor. You can eliminate the bacteria by pouring a ½ cup of bleach down your drains. However, if you would like an alternative, pour down ½ a cup of baking soda and 1 cup of vinegar.
Contaminated Water
Your water heater may be contaminated due to the magnesium from the anode rod reacting to the bacteria. To fix this, you can just replace the rod with an aluminum version and disinfect the water using hydrogen peroxide.
If the rotten eggs smell persists, request a service with our licensed plumber at Smith’s Plumbing Services today.