Sewer Smell Locating Services

The last thing any of us wants in our home or business is a foul sewer smell. To plumbers, it smells like money, to the rest of the world it is just disgusting. Sewer smells can be caused by a multitude of things from dry p-traps, broken seals or issues with the sewer line or sewer venting. Diagnosing a sewer smell in your Phoenix home or business is something our pros at Robins Plumbing can handle with professionalism and expertise.

Sewer Smells or Sewer gases in your Phoenix home or Business? Know when to call the professionals

Sewer smells can be more than annoying, they can be hazardous to the your health depending on your sensitivity. We’ve heard of people experiencing headaches, drowsiness, and nausea from sewer gas odor in their homes or businesses and this is caused some sewer odors that contain Hydrogen Sulfide which is extremely flammable and highly toxic. Hydrogen sulfide is naturally occurringinsewer lines and is one of the major contributors to that unique and very distinctive sewer smell.

Sewer smells caused by dry p-traps

Sewer smells can be as simple as a dry p-trap at a sink and bathtub oras complex as a broken sewer or ventline. We do have some simple DIY plumbing tipsto help you find a sewer smell in your Phoenix area home or business if the issue is a dry p-trap. The cause of dry p-traps is one of two things, either the p-trap isn’t being used enough and is drying out over time or the p-trap is broken and not holding water. The whole purpose of a p-trap is to hold water which acts as seal or barrier to your sewer system preventing sewer gases from exiting into your home or business. When a p-trap is dry it allows sewer odorsto escape back into your home or business causing a sewer smell. This is especially common in guest bathrooms that are not used frequently or floor drains in businesses and laundry rooms that are not maintained with water. The quick solution to a dry p-trap is to simply fill it with water. If you notice the issue happening frequently it is time to call the pros at Robins Plumbing to diagnose if there is a cracked p-trap or if you need a trap-primer to keep your p-trap that isn’t used frequently enough primed with water to eliminate sewer odors escaping into your Phoenix home or business.

Sewer smells caused by broken seals

When there is a broken seal on your sewer or drain system that can also allow sewer gases to escape into your home. The most common broken seal that allows sewer odors to escape is from the wax ring underneath your toilet. The wax seal under your toilet is designed to be a seal between the flange and the toilet,this seal is often broken from plunging your toilet. The smell comingfrom the base of your toilet could also be caused by breaks in the bead of caulking around your toilet. Caulking isn’t just for a finished look, it serves an important purpose. The caulking at the base of your toilet is mean to keep moisture from getting under your toilet. Improper or a broken caulking bead around the base of your toilet can allow water, urine and other debris to seep under the toilet and creates the perfect breeding ground for bacteria and odors to escape. The solution to a failed waxring is to have the professionals at Robins Plumbing lift the toilet and reset it with a new wax ring creating a solid seal between your sewer system and your toilet, this will also include a new bead of caulking around the base of the toilet. Some DIY people will say that if the caulking is all that’s wrong with your toilet to just put a new bead of caulking down and call it a day, well, we still recommend pulling the toilet and cleaning out all of the bacteria and debris that is causing the smell rather than just sealing it under your toilet. 

Is it time to call the Phoenix plumbing professionals for your sewer odor problem?

If you’re past the point of a dry p-trap it’s probably time to consider calling the professional team at Robins Plumbing. A licensed professional plumbing company like Robins Plumbing will have the skills and the equipment to be able to diagnose and repair your sewer odor or sewer gas issue.

Specialized diagnostic equipment used to find sewer odor

Years of skill– Let’s get real, there is no substitute for experience and skill when it comes to the plumbing profession and having the skills and knowledge to find a sewer odor is no exception. Often the greatesttool there is when it comes to finding a sewer odor and diagnosing the plumbing issue is skill and plumbing experience. Sewer smells are one of the more complex plumbing issues to diagnose because they aren’t trackable with a visible consequence like water or sewage. Sewer smells can be caused by simple issues like dry p-traps but they can also get as complex as pressure balancing an air system that causes suction and pulls sewer gases through the system. There simply is no substitute for skill and plumbing experience when it comes to properly diagnosing a sewer smell andknowing what equipment to use and when to use it.

Sewer camera inspections– Sewer camera inspections are one way to locate sewer smells if the odor is caused by issues with the sewer line or the sewer vents. A sewer camera offers an inside view of your sewer system with a specialized camera lens that is designed to go into the sewer line or down the sewer vents to allow the plumber to visually see any defects or abnormalities in the sewer line that could be causing a sewer odor.

Smoke test machines– Smoke test machines are another specialized piece of equipment designed to locate difficult to find sewer smells. Smoke test machines are specifically designed to fill a sewer system with smoke at a low pressure to allow the plumber to locate where smoke is leaking from what should be a sealed sewer system

Services in Phoenix & Beyond

When you’ve found yourself in need of plumbing services in the Phoenix, Glendale, Scottsdale, or Chandler area, you can trust Robins Plumbing to provide you with prompt and expert care, contact our team today! In addition to our toilet services, we also offer a variety of residential and commercial plumbing services, including: drain cleaning, water heater repair and replacement, sewer camera inspection and locating, backflow prevention, commercial and residential jetting, water treatments, trenchless sewer repair and more. Visit our reviews online to see what others have to say about our local plumbing company!