DIY guideDrains
Run water into floor drains and seldom-used traps
A drain nobody uses dries out and lets sewer smell in. A jug of water into each one refills the seal.
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Look for floor drains, and any sink, tub or shower nobody uses, like a guest bathroom's. A sewer smell near one is the sign.
Pour a jug of water slowly into each floor drain. It refills the water in the bend below, which keeps the smell out.
Run the water at each sink, tub and shower nobody uses for a minute, so their bends fill too.
That water dries out in a few weeks. Pour and run them again about once a month.
If the smell comes back within days, or water comes up a floor drain, ask Handyman for a plumber.
What you need
- A jug or a bucket of water
Call a pro if
- The sewer smell comes back within days
- Water comes up a floor drain
- A drain gurgles or drains slowly
Handyman says: Smell back soon? I'll find a plumber.
Free for every home. Handyman asks a few questions, then books a pro it trusts.
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