Here is why your house smells like a sewer after it rains and what to do about it.

There are times when after getting home on a wet day, the first thing that greets you is an unpleasant odor from your sewer. This can be quite disturbing as the smell can be overwhelming.

What immediately comes to mind are questions on the causes of such a smell.

Such odor may disappear after the rains and reemerge when it rains. You’ll need to put a stop to this cycle because it isn’t normal. We’re here to help you find answers.

Also, we want to figure out how to fix smells like sewer outside homes.

Dangers If House Smells Like Sewer When It Rains

Do you perceive awful sewer odors when your tank is pumped or when it rains? There’s only one possible explanation; sewer gas leaks.

Sewer gas leaks don’t only smell awful but are dangerous. The higher the levels of this gas, the riskier it becomes. Health risks are posed with symptoms such as headaches and nausea.

Other symptoms include poor memory, lightheadedness, poor concentration, vomiting dizziness, and fatigue. Such symptoms worsen with higher levels of sewer gas. You may experience loss of smell, and irritations in your long, mouth, and throat.

Other severe symptoms include seizures, pink eyes, eye irritation, coma, and ultimately death. All of these are reason enough to seek urgent answers and fix sewage gas leaks.

Let’s turn to the causes of such sewer smell in bathrooms and other sections of your property.

The Connection Between Sewer Smell and Rain

This is the focus of our discussion as we seek to establish possible reasons why your home smells after rain.

Methane is one of the gases released by sewers. Now, if you have a septic tank, such gases are supposed to be vented out. However, this may not be possible after rain.

A possible reason for this may be due to changes in atmospheric pressure. Such changes mostly occur after rain. When this happens, it makes the air heavy. As a result, methane and other gases from sewers are unable to go up.

The low presence of such gases results in the smell you perceive.

Possible Reasons For Sewer Odors After Rains

When your home smells like sewer after a rain, it could be due to many other reasons.

Some of these include loose or missing trap plugs, cracked or broken sewer lines, dried-out water barriers, and compromised P-traps on drains.

Other possible reasons for such smells include broken pipes on septic systems and clogged drains. There are also, improper vent installations and loose toilets.

For a better understanding of what these issues are, let’s discuss each briefly.

  1. Loose or Missing Trap Plugs

Sewer plugs play an important role in preventing odor and gas leaks from a septic tank or sewer line. This U-shaped component could be loose or missing.

As a result, nothing is stopping such harmful gases from entering your home.

  • Fixing the Issue

When it’s discovered that trap plugs are loose or missing, a simple tightening can resolve the problem. This applies to a loose trap plug.

On the other hand, a replacement will be needed for missing trap plugs.

2. Dried-Out Water Barrier

When a septic system isn’t in use for a significant amount of time, the water barrier held by the trap belly dries up.

When this happens, there’s no barrier stopping sewer gases from coming in. This results in awful odors.

  • Fixing the Problem

Thankfully, fixing this problem is much easier than most septic leakage issues. You only need to run some water through the pipes to restore the water barrier.

3. Compromised P-Traps on Drains

P-traps are essential drainage components found in sinks, floor drainage, and basically all sorts of drainage systems. When these are also called water traps. Faulty or compromised p-traps let in gas into your home.

  • Fixing the Issue

If you need a thorough repair job performed, consider contacting a professional plumber. The faulty p-traps are identified and fixed.

4. Broken Pipes on Septic Systems

When your septic system has broken pipes, rainwater eventually seeps in and finds its way into your septic tank. The septic tank gets filled up faster than usual which results in awful odors when it rains.

To fix this problem, you’ll need to call a professional plumber to have the pipe replaced.

5. Clogged Drains

It is common for households to experience clogged drains. This arises from the improper use of their sewage system.

Here, items that don’t easily decompose find their way into the drainage. This results in sewage backup which gives off an awful smell due to decomposition.

  • Fixing the Problem

Your septic drains will need to be unclogged to eliminate such a smell.

As always, the services of an experienced professional are needed. The plumber detects the issue and has it fixed in no time.

6. Improper Vent Installations

When a vent isn’t properly installed, it could lead to gas leakages after the rains.

Improper installations include locating vents close to windows. Remember we said there are atmospheric pressure changes after the rains. Now, a denser air means gases won’t go up hence the smell.

  • Fixing the Problem

Improper vent installations can be corrected.

You’ll need to call an experienced and reputable plumber to have this fixed. By redirecting the vents away from your windows, it lessens the chance of awful odors leaking into your home.

7. Loose Toilets

Loose toilets pose a real problem when it comes to sewer odors. They’re supposed to fit tight and prevent the escape of gases. When loose, sewer gases will easily leak in through open spaces.

Rains make it even worse as atmospheric changes mean sewer gas stays low.

  • Fixing the Problem

You must move fast to rectify this problem before it worsens.

The best strategy involves calling a reliable and experienced plumber. This goes a long way to plug the holes through which such odors leak out.

Why You Need Professional Help For Sewer Smells

Septic gases are quite dangerous to inhale. Plus, you might not have access to certain specialized equipment to rectify the issues. A professional has all the tools necessary and can probe the issues much better.

If your house smells like sewer when it rains, it could be due to any of these issues outlined above.

We’ve listed all possible scenarios linking sewage odor with rainfall as such, you should have the little issue have it fixed.

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