How come my shower drain smells shortly after turning water on? Not connected to a well.?

Question

How come my shower drain smells shortly after turning water on? It is an 'off' smell kind of like rotten eggs.

It happens on the other two nearby drains at times but water doesn't pass through them as often (laundry floor type drains).

I thought maybe there's some kind of residue that won't go down the drain or something?

We're not connected to a well, and its been like this since we bought the house. We've tried Drano but, from memory, that only fixed it for a while if at all...

Answer 1

I had the smell in my shower.I thought it was because I was the only one that showers in it.I poured some vinegar down the drain,and the smell went away.Every once in a blue moon,it comes back and so does the vinegar....

Answer 2

This only happens when water stays in the drain and becomes putrid. You have a stoppage somewhere and need to get it cleared professionally. Do not use draino or no professional will touch it. Draino is extremely dangerous and can come back up in your face and burn you. Call roto rooter or someone in your area and have him snake all the lines so you dont have this problem elsewhere. It may be costly but well worth it because if you leave it it will all come up eventually. You might have roots in your sewer line from a tree outside which needs to be killed. good luck!!

Answer 3

It costs more but if your in a house you may need your clean out valves cleaned out. They run a motorized snake from your clean out valve to the sewer line. In my case the septic.

This opens everything up and lets it all run clear.

Of course under your sinks you can disconnect the elbow joint yourself and check for any stoppage.

Soap, hair, shampoo, cream rinse and all of the chemicals we use can coat the drain and cause these problems. They just have to be cleaned out occasionally.