Clogged Drains And Drain Trap Cleaning
Some kitchen sinks have grease traps that will collect the grease which causes drains to clog. Grease, hair, food, and other particles get washed down the drain, but they soon become matted and clogged, causing any waste water to back up into the home.
Bathrooms also have plumbing traps that help to ensure there is no drain clogs. The sink, commode, bathtub, and shower have traps.
Commodes have built in traps and don’t need another trap installed at the drain. Bathtubs have drum traps installed which collects hair and dirt to prevent clogs, and also form a seal against sewer gas.
The traps are an important part of the drainage system. Under every sink, you will see an s-shaped pipe under the drain. This is the drain trap.
As you use water, it flows from the sink with enough force to travel through the drain trap and out on through the septic system. Every fixture must have some sort of drain trap, whether built in or added on to the pipes.
Also in plumbing systems, there are vents and clean outs. The clean outs are installed near the trap so that any clogs can easily be accessed to clean out. Vents are pipes that travel vertically up through the roof and are installed so that sewer gas will escape to the outdoors instead of in the home.
Sewer gas is noxious gas that is obviously a result of decomposed organic waste. It can consist of hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, methane, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides.
In some homes, there could be a problem with the vent that routes the gases to the outside. If there is, the gas can come back into the home and cause problems. There will be issues with odor and possibly health effects. There is also a serious risk of explosions and potential for fires.
You can get exposed to sewer gas if the gas seeps in through a leaking drain also, or possibly through cracks in the foundation. The gas may accumulate in certain areas such as the basement, but it may eventually mix with surrounding air.
If the tub, sink, or other fixture hasn’t been used in a while, there is danger of sewage gas coming up from the sink.
The plumbing traps in your Fresno or surrounding area home normally keep a small amount of water in them. This seals the system from allowing gas to escape back up into your home.
Be sure to flush the commode and run some water in the sinks every once in a while if the home or building goes unused for a time. Otherwise, the water in the trap evaporates and the sewage gas is free to travel upward.
Most of the time, the main issue with sewer gas is that it has an unpleasant odor. Methane is the gas that can cause problems, but it typically stays at nontoxic levels if the vent system is working properly. If there is a problem, it can cause eye irritation, coughing, sore throat, shortness of breath, and accumulation of fluid in the lungs.
If you smell an odor that is similar to rotten eggs, it is likely sewage gas. It could also just be a clogged drain with organic matter that is breaking down and causing an odor. Either way, you will want to have a plumber inspect and fix and clogged drains or broken pipes.
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