How can I find the source of a mysterious bad smell?
Are you encountering a weird smell in your home? Are you struggling to figure out what that smell is or where it is emanating from? Have you already hired a plumber who has tried to apparently fix something but you are still getting that odd, foul and toxic smell?
In many cases, homeowners don’t realize that what they smell is not gas leak or some odor emanating from somewhere far-off. Plumbers often have a traditional approach, which is limited in its scope, and end up misdiagnosing the problem. When the problem itself is not identified, you can forget about fixing it or getting it fixed. You would end up paying the plumber and you would still long for a solution. Before we talk about the remedy, let us state unequivocally that the smell you cannot explain is harmful so you should not be lenient with your response or any reactionary approach.
Locating the Source of a Foul Smell in House
The source of the smell is your sewer lines and the sewage. You must be aware that sewage emits a gas. This gas should ideally dissipate through the holes in the manholes across the neighborhood and beyond, there are rooftop vents that facilitate the dissipation of such gas which would be beyond the breathable area of your living space and there are many other fixtures within the civic infrastructure for sanitation that take care of this issue. Whenever the sewer gas manages to leak through places where it shouldn’t, especially inside your house, you would have this unexplained smell. The gas is toxic and unhealthy. You should not live amidst it, breathing it in and you shouldn’t delay sewer smoke testing.
The Solution: Sewer Smoke Testing!
There could be a leak in one of your pipes. There may be leaks in your plumbing infrastructure. There can be cracks in the sewer lines, there could be protruding roots of large trees, old pipes may have corroded, there may be other factors causing a leak, vent or crack that would allow the dissipation of the sewer gas. You need to know where this leak is and then you should fix it.
To identify the leaks, exactly where they are, sewer smoke testing is conducted in a restricted or confined area. Harmless smoke is pumped into the sewer lines and experts observe if the smoke leaks or comes out of any place where it is not supposed to. Once the leaks are identified, the problem is explored further to understand its nature, severity and also the cause followed up with an appropriate remedy.
