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Sewer smell inside the building.

A plumber should open drains, basins and run smoke tests, and a licensed plumber should repair joints or change venting.

Customers put it like this

  • It smells like sewage in the bathroom
  • Sewer gas smell in the basement
  • The smell comes and goes
  • It stinks near the floor drain
Check it step by stepPrepare this job in ForeBot

Stop first if

  • The smell could be fuel gas, not sewageTreat it as gas. Leave the building and call the gas utility from outside.
  • A sewage basin would have to be enteredNever enter a used basin. It can hold poisonous gases. Call a licensed plumber and work from outside it.
  • Sewage has reached electrical partsKeep everyone away. Call the electric utility or a licensed electrician before anyone goes in.

Check it step by step

Answer what you can see or measure. Each answer sets causes aside, and the check offers the one cheap reading that best separates the rest. Nothing is saved, and no account is needed.

Start the check
01

Ask on the call

6

Homeowner? These are the questions a good technician will ask you. Having the answers ready makes the first visit count.

  1. Where is the smell strongest?
  2. Does it show up after a fixture sits unused, after draining, or on windy days?
  3. Is there a floor drain or a fixture that rarely runs?
  4. Does the building have a sewage pump pit?
  5. Is it winter only, and does it clear in a thaw?
  6. Is a plumbing vent close to a window or air intake?
02

Bring

5
  • Water for refilling traps
  • Smoke machine or peppermint test supplies
  • Gloves and eye protection
  • Flashlight
  • Binoculars for checking vent openings
03

Check on site

6
  1. Top up each trap in question and mark its water line.
  2. Have a helper run fixtures one at a time and watch each trap level.
  3. If levels hold and the smell stays, look for cracked traps and leaking drain joints.
  4. On any sewage pit, inspect the lid seal, cord seals and the vent line. Open it only with protective gear.
  5. Check vent openings near windows and intakes. Note any air admittance valve and if it can be reached.
  6. A plumber runs a smoke or peppermint test with every trap filled and windows closed. Whoever pours peppermint stays outside.
04

Keep on the record

4
  • Map of where the smell is strongest
  • Trap level notes for each fixture
  • Smoke or peppermint test results with locations
  • Photos of pit lid, vent line and vent openings

General guidance for a qualified person, not a finding about any home. The person on site decides.