Plumbing systems are supposed to keep sewer smells at bay. However, lack of proper maintenance of plumbing systems can give room for them to appear. In fact, in the Bay Area, sometimes pipes can freeze during winters which may eventually lead to cracking and foul smells to go out. On top of that, old homes probably have old plumbing systems that may not have undergone any treatment for decades leading up to accumulated debris and awful odors coming out of them.

Reasons for Getting Awful Odors from Your Plumbing Systems

1) Few or no vents or traps: Pipes should have vents that drive the odors out of the home
2) Broken seals: Especially around the toilet. When this happens, water may get stuck before going through the siphon.
3) A trap became dry: all traps should have water in them in order to keep sewer gases out. This is especially true for those that are rarely used and also for the trap located under the basin.
4) House trap in the basement may be cracked and foul smells may be entering your home.
5) Debris got stuck inside a sink.
6) A leak in one of the vent lines of the system, or the toilet, or any other fixture. Part of the venting pipe may be corroded or have loose fittings.
7) Cracks may be present in the piping system. This is especially the case if the system is old and made of cast iron. Usually, cracks are formed on the top side
8) A vent has become clogged.

Conquering Odors in Your Plumbing System

Conquering odors in your plumbing system is not a one event thing. It requires proper preventative measures to prevent them from happening in the first place. However, if there are odors already coming out of your plumbing system, here are a few solutions to common problems:
Conquering Odors
1) If no vents or traps are in each fixture, you should call a plumber and have them installed.
2) In case the odor comes from the toilet, check if it is tightly gripped or sealed to the floor. To do this, you should grap its bowl and move it to the sides with lots of care. It it rocks from one side to the other, then the wax ring needs reparation. The best thing to do is to call a competent plumber to solve this problem for you.
3) If the bad odor is being caused by a dry trap, the solution is easy. Simply, put a liter of water in each one of the drains that have dry traps. Don’t forget to check the basin’s trap to see if it is holding enough water.
4) If the smell is coming from the sink, you can try to get rid of it by pouring a deep cleanser in it. If this is not enough, you may try to unlock the plastic pipes under the sink and manually remove the debris. This may sound complicated by it isn’t. Make sure you plug them properly after performing this operation.
5) In the case of leaking, a plumber should be contacted. To check if there is one, see if there are loose fittings, holes, or general corrosion in the vent pipe. Also, check for rusting in the pipes. In the case of rusting, gas leakage may be present even if there is no presence of liquid. Rusting usually happens with drain lines that are made of materials such as copper, cast iron, or steel. If there is rusting, you should contact an experienced plumber to fix this issue.
6) Pipes made of cast iron crack as they age. Check out all parts of the pipes made up of this material to see if there are cracks on it. Welding equipment may be needed so more often than not it is better to call a plumber to fix it. In case, the whole pipe is cracked, you can replace it with a PVC drain pipe.
7) When vents are clogged, a plumber may be required to disconnect and clean them all.

Conclusion
Conquering odors in your plumbing system may not be an easy task. However, it is well worth the effort. A clean and properly operating plumbing system will take all the garbage out and you will be able to breathe fresher air inside your home. Also, by providing the proper maintenance to your system you will be able to avoid expensive replacements in the future. Most of the times you will need an experienced plumber since materials and skills are required for conquering these odors in certain situations.