Can you put vegetable oil down a drain to stop sewage odors?
So, almost everyday, raw sewage odors were emanating from my laundry room. I was smelling the odors badly inside of the washer compartment. I lived somewhere else that had this same problem, however, I was able to delute water and bleach and pour it into the drain. Right now, I m unable to do so because my washer and dryer sits right on top of the drain. Told this to my landlord, and oddly enough, she has informed the maintenance guys to put vegetable oil in the drain. Is this the proper thing to do? I have never heard of this method before. Vegetable oil sounds like it would cause additional problems. Am I right?
Sewage problems?
a drain cleaning service can probably get the roots out but, without replacing the old probably clay sewer or removing the tree. It will become an ongoing problem. The tree roots will grow towards the water source, if it's leaking, thats where they will go.
Employer refuses to fix bathroom drain- leaks sewage gases (hydrogen sulfide)? What are my options?
The higher-ups of the company I'm employed with have seemingly ignored complaints from myself, several other employees, customers, and even my bosses about a constant, lingering "rotten egg" odor in the restroom area. I know this to be hydrogen sulfide and I also know that it is a toxic byproduct of sewage decomposition. The concentration isn't enough to be exceedingly dangerous (as far as I know- been working there for months and never had any major health obstacles from it), but every single co-worker I have has complained of nasal and eye irritation, headaches, and throat pain while at work, while feeling perfectly healthy before their shift. Furthermore, a few of them have developed other illnesses that may be related. We've tried some of the home remedies, including pouring water and olive oil down the drain to "entrap" the gases, but it's fairly evident that our entire sewage line is either plugged or the drain is broken somewhere- because nothing works. Customers complain, the entire store smells horrible some days because of it, deodorizers don't work, cleaning the bathroom with the smell in there is nauseating, and even though my bosses are aware of it and have attempted to get home office to order an inspection, they seem to ignore them. I'm curious as to what my options are, or what I should maybe advise my boss to do? Repairs? Ways to test the levels by myself? Legal routes? I'm aware of what OSHA can do, but I really don't want to make a headache for my bosses, because they're really trying to help and it isn't their fault. I also don't want to get into legal stuff, like lawsuits, though I'm sure at this point, especially if we proved there were significant daily levels of hydrogen sulfide in the store, we could probably take it to court. But I don't want that, I just want to have a healthy work environment.
My house smells like sewage?
Three possibilities come to mind. First, you need to track down the source of the smell as well as you can. If it leads to an area where there's plumbing, it's possible that a long-unused sink or floor drain's P-trap (that curved section of drain under the sink) has dried up. Normally, water in the P-trap blocks sewer gas from coming into the house. If the water in the P-trap dries up from lack of use, sewer gas will seep in. Just pour about a pint of water down the drain and the smell should stop. Second, if the smell is coming from a heating/AC register, something may have died in your ductwork. You need to hire someone to investigate where the offending carcass might be. The third, and least welcome possibility is that you have a natural gas leak. If your house has natural gas service it's possible that you have a leak inside your house. This needs to be taken care of immediately! Call a gas appliance/plumbing service company for help. Without being in your house, it's hard to tell for sure what the problem is. Check these three possibilities.
My plumber used sulfuric acid to clear my drain and now my house smells like spoiled eggs. I have 2 small daughters, and I'm worried for our health. What should I do?
Rotten-egg smell ("spoiled eggs") is hydrogen sulfide. There are some closely related methyl and ethyl sulfides that have a similar stench. The gas company adds dimethylsulfide to natural gas no that you can detect gas leaks with your nose.Sulfate (the sulfur ion in sulfuric acid) has no smell. No smell at all. Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate, which has no smell.So a biological agent in your drain and sewer system is likely feeding off the sulfate and converting it into hydrogen sulfide. I suggest you try a biological alternative. There are slow-acting drain cleaners that are based on sewage-treatment sludge mixed with some kind of probiotic food. You mix it in lukewarm water and pour it down your drain.Normally, every month is sufficient to keep bugs digesting would-be clogs. But in your case, you might want to do daily applications for a few days, and weekly applications until you no longer have an objectionable odor. Very tiny amounts of hydrogen sulfide may actually be healthful, but high levels are quite toxic.If you can barely smell it after coming in from outside, it's probably OK.Addendum: There is one other possibility to consider if you are dealing with a bathtub or shower drain: a hole in the trap. All sinks and tubs have a trap, which is a S-curved pipe that goes below the level of the drain line, up again, then down into the sewer system. A functioning trap collects a pool of water that prevents air from the sewer line from flowing up through the drain and into your bathroom. If the trap corrodes and develops a hole, the water can leak out of the trap, break the “seal,” and air (smells) from the sewer line can emerge from the drain. You might not notice this because the trap is under the floor and it leaks into the dirt under your house. Crawling under your house (or having somebody ELSE crawl under your house) to see if there is wet spot can tell you that it’s time to replace your trap. Plastic (PVC or ABS) traps are very inexpensive and can often be installed without tools (with hand tightening of fittings).
I have condensation on a sewage vent pipe in the attic. Would a clogged pipe cause this?
hmm?