Smelly Drains - when to sort them out?

[FessaEst]

This is one of things where I feel I need to ask the grown-ups!

Every so often, getting more frequent recently, our drains emit a foul sulphurous smell when someone is running water in the house. I have tried ignoring it, and putting loads of soada crystals down but no improvement. Obviously, if they blocked I would have to get someone out, but is there anything you can do before that point. Do you call a normal plumber? Or someone else?

You have a blockage further down the pipe. I would suggest you go to the DIY store, and buy both a plunger and a can of compressed air. First plunge the drain as much as possible. Then use the compressed air to blow pressurised air in to shift the blockage along. What's causing this is that there will be a partial blockage and sewage flows back because it cannot pass quickly enough. Nice Easily fixed without a plumber.

If that doesn't do it, buy a plumbers snake and shove it down there. Still cheaper than a plumber and you have it to keep for next time.

Thanks WMMC - had a feeling it would involve glamour galore!

You should probably just cut to the chase and buy a plumbers snake. You will feel very powerful having a huge rod to shove up your ubend

Also they don't break - you'll have it for life and can use it to scare recalcitrant children.

Here you go, this is what you need

When you say 'your drains' what do you mean exactly.

We had a drain outside our kitchen that the kitchen sink outlet ran into. Bits off food and fat would sink to the bottom of the square trap and then rot. Flowing water distured it and emitted a foul smell in summer. The food and fat had to be cleared out.

You can do that yourself.

BeenBeta - you have identified the nub of the problem - I am clueless!!! Your description fits though, i think it is the drain directly outside the kitchen sink and below the bath overflow. It's going to involve marigolds isn't it?! Grim!

WMMC - thanks for the link. The pic is a bit random, is he holding a kid's umberella ?!!

We used to bail it out with a ladle and then give it a really good squirting out with the garden hose.

Stop putting food and especially coffee grounds down it too.

A drains man once said to me that as a preventative measure we should, every month, put a kettle of boiling water down the kitchen plughole, followed by bleach.