Sniff, Sniff: Why Does Your Shower Smell Funny?

There is something rather disturbing about getting into a hot shower after a busy day and discovering a funky smell that rivals your sweaty armpits. Is the smell coming from the water itself? Or is it coming from down in the shower drain? Before you get on the phone to your plumber, a little basic detective work may help to track down the source of the orally-challenging scent.

Smelling The Water

It is not usual for water to smell bad without there also being a change of colour. A change of water colour accompanied by a bad odour is an indicator that the water coming into the hot water system is affected. A phone call to your local council will help to clear up this problem as it may be caused by contaminants getting into the public water line.

Smelly water that is still clear could be caused by an issue within your hot water system. Hot water cylinders contain a magnesium or aluminium rod called a sacrificial anode. This anode attracts the impurities in the water. However, if your water gets particularly alkaline, it will react with the rod and make the water start to smell like sulphur (rotten eggs).

If you suspect the smell is coming from the water, call your plumber to arrange for the replacement of the sacrificial anode in your hot water system.

Smelling The Drains

The next suspect in your hunt for the smell is the drain of your shower, and this means getting down to ground level. However, if you have a weak stomach, skip this step and move straight to the part where you pick up the phone to call for help from your plumber.

There are two main culprits that could explain why your shower drain is smelly. The first is you have an excessive build up of soap scum, body hair, and body oils that are clogging up your drain and plotting to overtake your nostrils. A liquid drain cleaner that you can purchase at the supermarket is a good starting weapon to use again this type of drain build up.

The second culprit is gas from your household sewerage line. If you could look down into your shower drain, you would see a curve in the pipe which is also known as the trap. Water sits in the trap, and that water stops any sewerage gas smell from getting into your home. But if the trap is dry, then the gas is getting into your shower via the holes in your drain. If refilling the trap with water does not eliminate the odour, then you need help from your plumber.

While you don't expect your shower area to always smell rosy, there is no reason for it to smell noxious either. Your plumber can help you quickly get rid of the shower smells so you can get back to the job at hand of washing away the body ones.