What causes sewer line gas?
Most of us have experienced bad smells in our home that clearly don’t come from garbage needing to be tossed. Many are easy to fixed with home remedies that can help get rid of odors. Others are much more serious and require immediate attention from a Sacramento plumber. Sewer line gas is one of these.
What is sewer gas?
Sewer line gas is a complex substance formed from a combination of household waste and industrial waste that enters the sewer system. It contains both toxic and non-toxic substances, with the exact mix depending on the sources of the gases. The non-toxic components of sewer gas include methane, carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides. Toxic components of sewer line gas include hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and ammonia, as well as chlorine bleach, gasoline and solvents used in industrial applications.
What causes sewer gas?
Sewer gas can affect any home or business in Sacramento. It enters buildings by way of floor drains, cracked foundations and malfunctioning plumbing roof vents. Cleaning and maintaining septic tanks is another way that sewer gas can enter a home or that people can be exposed to the substance. When people are exposed to sewer gas, serious health effects may occur. These can include breathing problems, nervousness, dizziness, nausea, drowsiness, headaches and irritation to the eyes and lungs. If sewer gas is present in a high enough concentration, it can ignite and cause a fire or explosion.
What to do when it develops?
If you detect even the faintest hint of a sewer gas odor, call experienced Sacramento plumbers for urgent assistance. Home or business owners might consider attempting to locate the source of the gas by following the odor or checking to see whether a rooftop plumbing vent is blocked. Be very careful and when in doubt, leave it to experienced professionals. Pouring water down a sewer drain is another way to see if the sewer gas odor dissipates.
Call Ace
Professional plumbers have the necessary experience, skills and diagnostic equipment to locate the source and cause of sewer line gas. If needed, we can resolve the problem with sewer line replacement or repairs so that it does not reoccur. Don’t risk a bad odor that won’t go away, call us today.