If you smell sewer gas when you do laundry, you need to get to the bottom of the issue. Sewer gas smells like sulfur, and that smell isn’t just gross, it can be dangerous for your health. Usually, a quick fix from your plumber can solve the problem. However, if it is a more serious problem, like a sewer line leak, you need to get on top of the problem quickly to avoid damage to your home.
Here are a few of the causes of sewer gas leaks in the laundry room.
1. Your Traps Are Dry
This is a rare cause of leaking sewer gas, but it’s a relatively simple fix for your plumber. Your laundry connection and laundry sink both have traps that contain water. These seal off the pipes from gas, so no sewer gas can get through. If the water has drained or evaporated, gas will continue to leak until your plumber puts new water in.
2. Your Washing Machine was Improperly Installed
If you got a new washing machine installed recently, it is probably the culprit of the gross smell. Sometimes installers make the mistake of attaching the machine to the drain line, without anything to block the gas from the sewer. If this is the problem, you’ll need to get the machine reinstalled and the drain line sealed.
3. Your Washing Machine has Mildew
Sometimes the bad smell isn’t caused by a sewer leak at all, but from bacteria, mold, or mildew growth in your washing machine. To clean mildew from your washing machine, first check if it has a self-cleaning cycle. If not, add a cup of bleach to it and run it on it’s longest cycle. Turn the water to hot before you do.
If cleaning the washing machine doesn’t get rid of the smell, it’s best to follow-up with a plumber. It might be a sewer leak after all.
4. You Have a Sewer Leak
It’s also possible that your sewers are leaking, allowing gas to float up into your laundry room or some other part of your home. If so, it’s in your best interests to get this fixed quickly. Sewer water is dangerous and leaks can get worse over time. Everything that touches sewer water needs to sterilized.
Not sure if it’s a sewer leak? You don’t have to dig up your whole yard to get your sewer inspected, fixed or replaced. At Trenchless Solutions, we have new ways to care for your sewers while causing minimal interruptions to your life and minimal damage to your landscaping.
We’ll use a sewer camera inspection to help locate leaks, and can replace any damaged sections without having to dig them up. Instead, we dig a small access hole and use hydraulic equipment to push out old pipe and pull in new sewer pipes.
In the end, you’ll have a restored sewer system and a laundry room that smells much better, for much less fuss than normal sewer repair.
Ready to get started? We’re happy to offer sewer inspection services in Concord, Walnut Creek, and throughout Contra Costa County, so help is never far away.
