Plumber for sewer smell in a Long Beach house

Why does my house smell like sewer?

Common culprits are a drain trap that has gone dry, a clogged vent, a worn toilet seal, or a sewer line that is cracked, clogged or backing up. Sewer gas is leaking into the living space when it should be rising out through the roof vent. Pay attention to the room and the timing, since both narrow the search quickly.

A plumber, whether you book one through the Harbor Lights home page or find one yourself, will ask the same things: which room, which time of day, and does it follow water use. Most Long Beach homes connect to the city sewer, and the stretch of pipe between the house and the property line generally belongs to the owner. That is why trouble in the yard is usually yours to fix, while the main down the street is not. The Long Beach Utilities sewer page describes that division.

An odor can also be the first hint of something larger, because a clog or crack in the line may smell for weeks before a drain slows or backs up.

Which room is the smell coming from?

Walk the house with a clear head and sniff at each drain, starting with the least-used ones. A smell concentrated at one floor drain, shower or sink points at that fixture's trap. A smell around a toilet base points at the wax ring. A smell that is strongest in a garage, crawlspace or yard points to the line or a cleanout.

Use this quick map:

Floor drains in garages and laundry areas dry out faster in warm months. If the odor fades after you refill the drain with water, the trap was the cause. Check with a plumber before putting any chemical product down a drain.

Is sewer gas in the house dangerous?

At low levels it is mostly unpleasant and can cause headaches or nausea, but sewer gas contains hydrogen sulfide and methane, so a strong or persistent smell deserves attention. Open windows, leave the room if you feel unwell and have the cause found promptly. Never ignore a rotten egg smell that could be natural gas.

When the smell reads more like gas than sewage, act as if it is a gas leak. Get out, leave switches alone, and call 911 plus the gas utility from outside. In Long Beach and Signal Hill the number is Long Beach Energy Resources at (562) 570-2140. Neighboring cities served by SoCalGas use 1-800-427-2200. Both smell of sulfur, because gas utilities add an odorant, so when in doubt, assume gas first.

Confined spaces such as crawlspaces and sewer cleanouts are not places for homeowners to test with a flame or sniff for long. Methane is flammable, so no cigarettes, candles or lighters near a suspect drain.

What can you try yourself before calling a plumber?

Run water in every drain for a minute, especially unused ones, then refill any floor drain trap. Check the toilet base for rocking or a gap. Glance at the roof vents for debris, but only from a spot that is safe. Make sure the cleanout cap in the yard is on tight. If the smell remains, book the visit.

These checks cost little and rule out the simple causes:

1. Send roughly a quart of water down every seldom-used drain.
2. Press on the toilet bowl to see whether it rocks and look for staining at the base.
3. Look under sinks for a missing or loose connection and for a dry, cracked rubber coupling.
4. Check that the yard cleanout has a cap that seats snugly.
5. Run the washing machine drain and listen for gurgling elsewhere.

Hold off on bleach, acid or drain-opening chemicals. They can damage older pipe and make later work riskier for whoever opens the line. If a drain is slow as well as smelly, see why a sink drains slowly for what else could be wrong.

Why does the sewer smell come and go?

An on-and-off smell usually follows water use, weather or wind. A dry trap smells first thing and clears once water runs. A blocked roof vent smells whenever a nearby fixture drains. Roots, or a sagging stretch of pipe, tend to smell after heavy use.

Older Long Beach housing adds its own causes. Many homes built in the 1920s to 1950s near Belmont Shore, Bixby Knolls and the Harbor area have cast iron or clay lateral lines that crack, sag or let tree roots in. Salt air speeds up corrosion in exposed cast iron and metal vent flashing. A camera run shows whether the culprit is a broken pipe, roots or a low spot where waste collects.

A smell after heavy rain, with soggy ground near the cleanout, can mean groundwater is getting into a damaged line.

At what point does a sewer smell need a plumber?

Book when the odor persists a day beyond refilled traps, when more than one fixture gurgles or runs slow, when the yard is wet or sewage is visible, or when you simply cannot locate the source. The plumber can send a camera down the line, run a smoke test or open a cleanout.

Visits tend to go in three steps: fixtures and traps first, the vents and cleanout next, then a camera down the line if nothing has turned up. A smoke test pushes harmless smoke through the system and shows where it escapes. Read what a smoke test costs and what a plumber inspection costs so the number is no surprise.

Contractor work at $1,000 or more, labor and materials together, needs a state license, so request the number, and have any permitted or major line work written down. The plumber service page explains how a visit starts, and the quote form is where your details go. For deodorizing steps, there is a companion piece on getting the smell out of the house.

What does fixing a sewer smell involve?

The repair follows the cause: refilling or replacing a trap, resetting a toilet on a new wax ring, clearing or repairing a vent, cleaning or cabling a clogged line, or repairing a cracked pipe with a patch, liner or replacement. A trap fix is often minor. A broken lateral in the yard is an excavation or lining job with a permit.

Roots are the repeat offender in yard lines. Cutting them clears the line for a time, and a liner or replacement is the lasting answer when the pipe is cracked. Request the camera footage, and ask for each option priced on its own.

Common questions

Why does my bathroom smell like sewage only sometimes?

Most often a dry trap or a seal that fails when the room is unused. A shower or sink you rarely run can lose its water seal in a week or two. Running water for a minute usually restores the barrier. If the smell returns quickly, a leaking trap or a vent problem is more likely.

Can a sewer smell mean the main line is blocked?

Yes. A blockage or break can push gas indoors well before a backup happens. Clues include gurgling, several slow drains, damp patches in the yard and a smell that is strongest near the cleanout. Inspecting the pipe with a camera shows exactly where it fails and whether roots or a collapse are involved.

Does homeowners insurance cover a sewer line problem?

Usually repairs to an old or broken sewer pipe are the owner's cost, and sewer backup coverage is typically an optional add-on. Policies differ widely, so read yours and ask the insurer before any work. Keep any camera footage and a written plumber's report.

Is a sewer smell outside normal in Long Beach?

An occasional whiff near a storm drain or the harbor can be normal, but a persistent smell near your own cleanout, side yard or house wall is not. If it is strongest next to your property, a plumber should check the lateral. If it is on the street, report it to Long Beach Utilities.

How soon should I book a plumber?

If it is just a faint smell that clears after you run water, you can watch it for a day. Book sooner if several fixtures are affected, the yard is wet or the smell is strong. We take requests weekdays from 9am to 5pm.