downdraft problem

I am getting a sewer gas smell in the bathroom although the traps are full. Someone suggested that I may be getting a downdraft forcing gas through the water in the trap. It was further suggested that something could be modified on the vent on the roof or an aparatus added to prevent this from happening. Can someone shed some light on this issue, it would make my life alot easier?

Thanks,

Jim

If the trap is empty, then you might have a vent issue; in that case, the vent should be examined for blockage and proper sizing. But if the traps are full, I doubt that's yr problem. It's highly unlikely that sewer gasses could permeate a full water trap.

Try to isolate from which fixture it's coming. If it's the tub or sink, it could be bacteria forming in the overflow tubes. I had that problem bkz the builder of my house plugged the hole where the overflow tube enters the drain. Small amounts of water were providing a great environment in there for festering mold or bacteria or whatever. I unplugged the hole, bleached it, and have had no problems since.

The thing is, the odor for me was more sulfurous than "sewery".

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In addition to Prashter's comment, I have had sulfery-sewery smell from a bathroom sink from accumulated sludge on the vertical pipe (called the tailpiece) which goes from the bottom of the sink down to the trap. Take off your drain plug and shine a light down the sink drain. If there is ANYTHING adhering to the walls, use a brush to scrub it off. Did the trick for me.

I found a "trap brush" or some such name at a hardware store.

A word to the wise: If you decide to do this, make sure you cover the sink with a big towel, and do the scrubbing with your hands UNDER the towel. Otherwise, you'll flick black sludge all over your bathroom. Guess how I know that...

odor

It is more likely that the odor is coming down through your bathroom fan discharge pipes, especially if they are located near the sewer vent outlets on the roof.

If you occasionally or constantly smell sewer gas around your home on the outside, the odor is coming from your plumbing vents. Normally the wind will carry away the funk. If conditions are right, weather/wind/humidity, land slope, will carry that stink to the ground and spoil the party. Depending on the size of your house, you'll have 1 or more plumbing vents. VentGenie Filters builds an activated carbon filter that solves this problem immediately, guaranteed. Visit VentGenieFilters.com.