Smelly Drain at Work - What Are Some Good Solutions?

AlienC on 05/05/2023 - 02:55
Last edited 05/05/2023 - 13:14 by 1 other user

Long story short the floor drain is smelling really bad and wondering what I can put down there to fix the problem without having to call a plumber.

I don't think it's a blockage otherwise things would be coming up out of the floor drain or toilet right now but yeah I don't know why the smell is coming back up shouldn't it be going all the way to the sewer like normal?

I'm thinking of using Draino but I'm not sure what else would work for toilet drain system basically.

TL;DR Floor drain bringing back up some powerful bad odours what can I do?

Browsing Coles/Woolworths/Bunnings now for options but any help or direction with this issue would be helpful.

Education & Work

Comments

  • AustriaBargain on 05/05/2023 - 03:36
    +1

    Is someone peeing or pooping in the bathroom? Anyway the plumber may have installed the pipe at the wrong angle under the floor. That could be an expensive fix but if they did and you own the house you should get it fixed anyway. You could also try the TikTok trick if putting a dishwasher tablet on the the drain grate and slowly pouring a kettle of boiled water over it.

    • AlienC on 05/05/2023 - 04:44
      +1

      Thanks it is at work. I'm a cleaner so ultimately it's not my job but I'm trying to fix it to clean the bad odour smell because it is bad.

      Yeah the toilet gets used frequently every day Monday to Friday.

      Hope it's not an angle issue it just started smelling like this in the past two weeks I believe so not sure why it's so strong right now.

      Wasn't perfect before but wasn't this bad or maybe I have just been out of it during my shift.

      Yeah some others said to try pour a lot of water down the drain to seal up the trap.

      I'll try the dish washer tablet boiling water trick maybe if I can find a few cheap ones just for this.

      Might be a good idea to have some for emergencies like this.

      I am praying the water doesn't come back up.

      They recommended to try use a drain auger if it is blocked but I can't get into the drain nor do I want to mess around with something out of my range or scope this is more of a facilities management or plumber type job I think not a cleaner.

      Thanks fingers crossed the site calls the correct person to fix this job.

      I don't know how they have put up with it this long (2 weeks minimum).

      • AustriaBargain on 05/05/2023 - 06:18
        -1

        Are you new at the job?

        • AlienC on 05/05/2023 - 19:23

          Few years now. Not new but this problem is new at this place.

    • Cheaplikethebird on 05/05/2023 - 08:51
      +3

      Somebody's been waffle stomping

  • iamherenow on 05/05/2023 - 06:41
    +13

    Water. The water sits in the pipe and blocks the smell.

    • tallkid123 on 05/05/2023 - 10:20

      I had the same issue, OP.

      I ended up paying a plumber to come out and tell me my laundry floor drain (under my washing machine) needs water running through it on occasion to not smell like arse.

  • MS Paint on 05/05/2023 - 06:43
    +4

    Just pour water down there. The P trap may have just dried out.

    Edit: beaten by 90 seconds

    • Adredocto on 05/05/2023 - 07:28
      +2

      Hehe… P trap

      • soan papdi on 05/05/2023 - 07:38
        +11

        That makes scents. Cheers.

  • payless69 on 05/05/2023 - 09:47

    Use the longest cable tie like 600mm, clip it on the side with side cutters so it has backward hooks and then stick down drain.
    Usually full of hair come up, repeat until tie is clean and then pour down vinegar and eventually just water.
    You can buy dedicated ones locally for like $20 or online delivered for like $4 if you can wait. Check youtube.

  • Gunther on 05/05/2023 - 13:43

    Vinegar will 100% kill the smell….won't help if their is a blockage.

  • tharlow on 05/05/2023 - 14:14
    +1

    10 litres of bleach should disable anyone’s olfactory system. Might do something for the stench, too

  • AlienC on 06/05/2023 - 03:30
    +1

    Update: poured some water down the drain I think it went away for a little bit but its still there now.

    Will try vinegar and maybe bleach in future to see if it will help but yeah I think I might have a bad angle pipe which means it's out of my control. We will see.

  • Sinnerator on 06/05/2023 - 10:00

    Mix Draino + Bleach + Ammonia + Petrol, pour down drain.
    IANAL

    • AlienC on 06/05/2023 - 10:44

      is that chloroform?

  • boretentsu on 06/05/2023 - 22:27

    I used to live in an apt with a smell laundry drain. The agent told us to try pouring boiling water down then a bit of bleach/drano. I did not expect it to work but did it anyway because I had nothing to lose. Lo and behold, it actually killed the smell. I lived in that place for around 5 years and only had to do that one extra time.

    • AlienC on 07/05/2023 - 01:01

      roughly how much water and bleach/drano did you pour down that one time.. a whole bottle or just half?

      we have a kettle at work i suppose i can use to pour the boiling water.. how many kettles should i pour down 1 or 2

      • boretentsu on 07/05/2023 - 08:29

        Just did a full 2l kettle then followed with maybe 200ml of bleach.

        Let me know how it goes

        • AlienC on 07/05/2023 - 11:19

          OK cool well try this when I get a chance to at work

  • bmxr on 06/05/2023 - 22:45

    I'm thinking of using Draino but I'm not sure what else would work for toilet drain system basically.

    If you can gert access to a product called "Mo Flo" get it. This will sort any blocked plumbing issue out ever. Just be careful as it's literally just a 1L bottle of sulfuric acid.

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