sewage smell from shower

[joanne]

i have seen the response through this site and nothing has worked for us. We are on public sewer and water. The smell is getting very strong and has worsened over 2 weeks. We have 3 levels in our home basement main and upstairs. the shower drain that smells is on the main floor only. We tried running water in the drain because the tub is never used and this has worked in the past but not now. we checkec for leaks in the craw space and in the basement and check the air vents on the roof and have found nothing. I am getting concerned because i have read the gas is combustible and its giving me a headache. Any other suggestions?

 

[joanne]

testing... i am new and want to see how the responses come n.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Jay Mpls]

Pour bleach.If this is a tub the overflow may have a dead rat stuck in it or just soap scum build up.Post back.
Lots of stink around the nation this week.Hmmm.
Every bathroom odor is not sewer gas....
I think my Vikings will stink today Vs Green Bay.

 

[joanne]

I tried the bleach and then boiling water yesterday and it did not work. Actually went back up on roof with hose and sprayed full blast through air vent..hopefully this helps. Thx

 

[Jadnashua]

Is the shower a dedicated shower, or a tub with a shower? If a dedicated shower, is the floor (pan) tiled, or a manufactured pan? MOre often than it should, a tiled shower has the liner (the actual waterproofing) installed flat on the floor by the plumber, then the sloped floor is installed then the tile by the tiler. Since the tile is not waterproof, eventually there is a buildup in the flat pan since it can't easily flow to the drain (or the weep holes) because that waterproof layer is flat...gravity can't draw it to the drain. This means that stagnent water eventually accumulates. Mortar is naturally basic (pH higher than 7). Eventually, it will be neutralized and then continue to become acidic by the soap, pee, etc. that might migrate down there. Once that happens, things can start to grow in the stagnent water trapped in the pan. At that point, assuming the shower is used regularly, the only way to resolve it is to tear it out and rebuild correctly. A properly built shower pan won't leak or smell like a swamp. An improperly built one might not leak, but can easily start to smell. It can take years to neutralize the cement so stuff starts to smell, but moisture accumulation starts almost immediately. If you live in the desert where the relative humidity is really low most of the year, you may never notice this.