How to Get Rid of a Sewer Gas Smell

Use a handsaw to make straight cuts through PVC pipe.

Household sewer lines, generally made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) or ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) hard plastic, are tough and durable. If they are accidentally jarred or knocked, however, cracks can occur, leading to sewer waste spillage. Apart from being odorous, potential health hazards may ensue. The broken pipe section must be fixed quickly for safety sake and to eliminate the smell of sewer glass in your house.

Things You'll Need

• Black marker
• Tape measure
• Handsaw
• Utility knife
• 80-grit sandpaper
• PVC pipe and couplings
• PVC primer and cement

Instructions

1. Close all doors and try to isolate the source of the sewer gas smell. Open all windows where the gas is strongest to dispel the sewer gas odor.

2. Pour water into the sink, tub or shower base if the odor is coming from a bathroom. P-traps, which connect the fixtures' drain holes to the sewer lines, have a U-shaped bend that collects water to stop sewer gas from traveling up the pipe and into the bathroom. Consequently, if the bend has lost its water, the gas will travel back into the room. Wait 30 minutes after pouring the water to see if the smell dissipates. If not, start looking for breaks in the sewer line.

3. Look along the sewer lines for any damp patches on the ground below the sewer piping. Mark damp areas on the sewer pipe 6 inches on each side of the damaged area, using a black marker for PVC pipes or a carpenter's pencil for black ABS pipe.

4. Cut a straight perpendicular line through the PVC pipe at both marks, using a handsaw or circular saw. Remove and discard the broken sewer pipe section. Scrape off all large burrs from the pipe ends with a utility knife and remove smaller plastic fragments with 80-grit sandpaper.

5. Measure the distance between the sawn pipe ends and cut a new section of PVC pipe to that length. Remove all burrs.

6. Brush PVC cement around the outside ends of the existing pipes as well as the outside ends of the new pipe section. Also prime the insides of two straight PVC couplings. Brush PVC cement onto all primed areas.

7. Push the couplings quickly onto the existing pipe ends. Insert the new pipe section into the other ends of the couplings. Hold the couplings to the pipe ends for 10 seconds while the cement sets.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not pour water or waste down the sewer pipe being repaired until the job is finished.

• If repairing an ABS sewer line, use ABS couplings and ABS cement. No primer is needed.

References

• HammerZone: Cutting PVC Pipe--Various Methods
• The Family Handyman: How to Glue and Join PVC Plastic Pipe
• "This Old House"; Gluing PVC Pipe; Thomas Baker