Sewer smell coming from shower drain

[LLigetfa]

I get a soap scum buildup in the shower drain that eventually develops a bacteria culture which stinks. It is not a matter of the trap drying out as the shower is used daily and not a vent issue sucking out the trap.

At first I was pouring a bit of bleach down the drain but that was always a short term fix. The long term fix I found was running a brush down it with some dish soap and water. I used one of those 3 inch brushes made to get dust out of a dryer vent that I chucked up on a cordless drill. This is the second time in over 20 years I've had to do this.

 

[SteveW]

Might consider using some Bio-Clean periodically.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

The long term fix I found was running a brush down it with some dish soap and water. I used one of those 3 inch brushes made to get dust out of a dryer vent that I chucked up on a cordless drill. This is the second time in over 20 years I've had to do this.

How far through the trap does that brush go?

 

[LLigetfa]

How far through the trap does that brush go?

It doesn't get past the trap. At least I have not tried hard to go deep. I see no point in going past the trap since any smell there belongs there.

 

[WorthFlorida]

The culprit could be the soap. Some bar soaps are extremely oily and leave scum behind more so than others. My last home and my present home I've had a black slime built up on the PVC pipe. I've done the same thing, use a brush to clean the walls of the pipe. In both homes it was twice in ten years. I had to do the same at my son's house up the street. This black slime looks like a liner. It can can get really interesting. I actually posted one of my first questions on the forum thinking is was a liner to hide the white PVC so the drain looks like it is evenly black.