Bathroom smells of drains and dirty water

[EarlyInTheMorning]

So I've already empty a bottle of drain cleaner, twice, a day apart, in the shower. Nothing. So emptied a bottle of drain cleaner in the sink, twice, a day apart. Smell still there. What next?

Have the floorboards got damp from a hidden leak?
If you sniff around at floor level, is it localised?

Do you have a plunger?

Do you have a bath as well? If you don't use it then maybe the water in the u bend thing there has evaporated allowing smells from the drains to get into the room. When this happens in my house I just run the bath tap for a bit and it goes.

Take the trap off the sink and bath to see if they are full of gunk , the sink in particular .

What sort of house? Mine's a Victorian terrace and we share drains apparently the water board will come round and sort it out as it is not classed as an individual property problem. I had a problem and knocked to ask neighbours but one side fine and others not in. I was about to call them up but my smell has gone. Previously neighbours and water board have asked me if I have problems.

Have you had problems with any of the plumbing? Toilet flushing? Washing machine not draining?

Victorian house, this is happening in a loft conversion, only 4 years old, in the shower room. Floor fully tiled. No other plumbing issues.

Flora the drain cleaner would have taken care of the gunk, no?

drain cleaner will rarely clear hair, hair traps gunk and makes it stinky

does anyone using the bathroom have long hair?

loft conversion?

It hasn't got a macerating WC has it?
Does the soil pipe travel horizontally much before it goes vertical?

Look at the soil pipe. When the house was built it will have been on the outside of the house, with the top of it sticking up above the eaves, where it can ventilate and only annoy the birds. Does it still? Or has it got a Durgo or similar valve on the top now, somewhere inside the envelope of the house? Probably grey plastic and just over four inches in diameter. An unkind or optimistic builder may have boxed it into a duct.

Oh Piglet, you're getting really technical on me, I'll have to check tomorrow. If it's what you said, I'm in trouble, right?

Sausage I have long hair. But, if drain cleaner doesn't get rid of it, what's drain cleaner for and what will get rid of hair?

If it does have a Durgo or similar vent it is supposed to let air in but not allow smells out (hahahahahahahahaha) so when it jams open you pull it off and clean it or fit a new one. If the builder has boxed it in and tiled over it you will wish he hadn't, every time it needs attention.

Many shower traps can be cleaned from above by pulling up a sort of mushroom over the plughole, unlike bath and sink traps which you have to unscrew from underneath. try that.

You might start asking friends and neighbours if they can recommend a local plumber. (S)he will find it easy.

okay piglet thank you, I'll be back in the morning hopefully with good news. Good night

macerating WC like a Saniflow which minces up the poo and paper and makes an attempt to pump it away down (or up) a narrow pipe.

The men who unclog them lead sad and lonely lives in their mansions.

Either hair removing cream yes really or you should be able to remove your shower trap from the top -press down with the flat of your hand and twist, it should just unscrew. Most modern showers have a basket in the waste to stop rings going down the drain but they do clog with hair, if you unscrew the trap it's easy to clean out

PMSL at PigletJohn

She sounds like she's enjoying it

We have had this - bleach works well.

I have established that the smell comes from the shower and not the toilet. However, the shower drainhole is covered by a metallic thing that I can't remove so I can't really clean inside.

Shove some bleach down it - it works, we have had the same.

k, I'll try, cheers

there might be some way of removing it.

see if there is any makers name on it, if not, if you ever have a plumber in the house, ask him to take a look.

Soda crystals and a kettle full of hot water sometimes improves things.