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Old 02-27-2019, 02:07 PM
GravityAlwaysWins GravityAlwaysWins is offline
 
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Default Help with shower drain smell

BLUF: we need a good plumber who can troubleshoot shower drain smells in Fairfax county. Any recommendations? I'd also love some advice from the local experts here on how we can troubleshoot ourselves.

Problem: rotten broccoli/cabbage smell coming from shower drain in a tiled shower floor. Only shower drain -- not any other drain in that bathroom, or anywhere else in house. Covering that drain does remove the smell.

Add'l:
1) There is a trap.
2) There is water in the trap.
3) Water flows fine through drain.
4) The water level in the trap after 36 hours with no shower is about 1/8" lower than full. I don't know enough to tell if that's enough of a drop to indicate a leak, or just normal evap.
5) There is no access to the plumbing in the floor/ceiling to inspect the trap for leaks.
6) We have very thoroughly, with several different cleaners and methods, cleaned out the drain plate and pipe to get rid of biofilm buildup.
7) Smell started last September near the end of that 23-days-in-a-row of rain we had here. Not sure if coincidence or related.
8) There is no hint of leakage in the finished ceiling below the bathroom. Which we figure there would be by now, if there's a leak and it's molding, given it's been 5 months.
8) I have called several plumbers listed in previous plumbing threads here but they're all MoCo and don't come down to VA. Thus part 1 of my cry for help. We don't know if this is a more unusual problem requiring a GOOD plumber, or another simple fix for them.

At first I thought maybe it was a blocked vent (exits on roof), but wouldn't that make the sink smell, too? We've also used one of those hair clog pullers and nothing comes out. Could it be a partial clog further down than that reaches? We have a snake but it's seems to get stuck about 10" in at an elbow or something and comes back squeaky clean. And if it was a leaky trap, I thought I'd see evidence on the downstairs ceiling by now...

Appreciate any education you can give me on this matter.
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Old 02-27-2019, 02:13 PM
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Blocked venting would cause bubbling sound as sewer gas is pushed up the drain if there is water in the drain.

What steps have you done to clean the drain other than the snake 10 inches? Can you remove the drain cover? Is the shower floor tile/masonry or plastic?
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Old 02-27-2019, 02:39 PM
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You can get a decent waterproof usb borescope/camera for ~$25, toss it if you find 'issues'.
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Old 02-27-2019, 04:54 PM
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Try Jose at JCT plumbing. E Loudoun is his area. 703 975 0855. Good luck.
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Old 02-27-2019, 05:31 PM
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Sounds like there may be a partial block where the line ties into the riser, and it is directing some of the gasses into that line. Probably need to snake/ route from the vent pipe on the roof, or open up the ceiling below, pull the trap and go in the line from there.
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Old 02-27-2019, 05:34 PM
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Not all smells are from the pipes and back gassing will be accompanied with bubbling from the P trap. Masonry based shower pans use weep drains that catch the water that migrates through the pan and gets intercepted by the membrane liner. If the pan and liner are not done right you can end up with a gap between the bottom of the sand mix and the liner. Funk can grow in this gap and weep stink into the drain. Hope this is not the case as the fix is demo and redo.

More likely is there is a hair ball or conditioner slime in the trap and beyond. The hairball decomposes and contaminates the trap water. Decomposing hair stinks. A big hairball can be held in by a few hairs and unseen beyond the curve of the drain.

If this were my shower. First thing I remove the cover and run a proper size and flex snake 3 feet or so down the line. Then I take a 5 gal bucket and fill it with pure hot water. I pour it directly down the drain as fast as the drain will take it. "Pour mans" power flush of drain slime. Some hair conditioners can line the drain pipes with bacteria loving slime. Drain bacteria and slime molds like to colonize and produce a protective slime that is able to resist things like a chlorine blast and the like. you need to use heat and mechanical means to remove it. You can also run a garden hose up to the drain and use a spray nozzle set for jet.The goal is to knock loose the gunk that builds up.

Another place stink can come from is the little overflow tube in the sink. Power flush with a garden hose.

Vinegar, drain acid and Clorox are fun to pour down the drain but in the long run that is all you will be doing.
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Old 02-27-2019, 05:40 PM
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Quote:
20 years in health clubs. Chased down way too many "Somthin' F-n' stinks in the......"
Thats funny, now. Hairball is the usual culprit. Good idea with the bucket of hot water. I've had luck sometimes with a plunger too.
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Old 02-27-2019, 05:52 PM
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Yep^ you can block the shower drain with some plastic and fill the pan to the top* with hot water. Pull the plastic and pulse the drain with the plunger. let some water flow then stroke the plunger a few times, flow a bit of water and repeat. Let the rest of the water drain down.

*lets be reasonable here. You run it up to the bottom of the glass enclosure you are going to leak downstairs.
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Old 02-27-2019, 07:59 PM
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“Waffling” can cause smells too! Make sure everyone owns that’s a no-no.
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Old 02-27-2019, 11:27 PM
GravityAlwaysWins GravityAlwaysWins is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vicegrip View Post
What steps have you done to clean the drain other than the snake 10 inches? Can you remove the drain cover? Is the shower floor tile/masonry or plastic?
I don't see bubbles when looking into drain -- although it sounds that may be inconclusive. It's a tile floor. I don't know what the shower pan is. House is only 6 years old, if that tells us anything.

We've done (at different times): drano; chlorine bleach; vinegar and baking soda; near-boiling water; and StainSolver (oxygen bleach), which is supposed to be really good for biofilm.

It will be quite difficult to get into the vent from the roof due to pitch and necessary ladder height. But I'll start with the better-sized snake, flush, overflow tube, plunger, and cheap camera ideas before the ladder.

Many thanks for sharing suggestions and information.
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Last edited by GravityAlwaysWins; 02-27-2019 at 11:42 PM.
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