# Shower smells like a sewage after showering



## mh307 (Jun 22, 2011)

What makes the shower smell like a sewage/rotten eggs after showering, it smells the entire bedroom up not to mention the whole upstairs area. The master bathroom smells of urine around the toilet area and the drain area in the tub. The house is about 30 years old but has been remodeled, especially in the bathrooms. We bought the home about 4 months ago and the first time I showered there was this horrible odor, later on in the month the urine smell developed. Also other drains in the house don't smell so wonderful either. Could this be caused by something clogging or stuck in the drainage system. I am baffled to death about this and wondering should I call a plumber since the house is under warranty, plumbing etc. or is this something that could be repaired ourselves. Please help...I have practically cleaned to death.


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## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

The rotten egg odor could be due to sulfur in the water, aggravated by the water's being heated by the water heater.

The urine smell could be due to a leak under the toilet causing some of the bowl contents to get on the subfloor or down under the floor..


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## OldSingy (Sep 6, 2010)

*Odors*



AllanJ said:


> The rotten egg odor could be due to sulfur in the water, aggravated by the water's being heated by the water heater.
> 
> The urine smell could be due to a leak under the toilet causing some of the bowl contents to get on the subfloor or down under the floor..


============

Check Allan's recommendations, but also check for proper venting of the entrie plumbing system. Also look for unusual staining or any evidence or water leaking inside the house, especially near the toilets. Sometimes birds or insects will build nests in the vents and cause this issue. You may have to have someone access tyhe roof and check the main vent line(s).


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## RollyHolly (Jun 20, 2011)

Check your anode sacrificial rod. I think if you have well (or high sulfur content) water and a magnesium rod (magnesium is overall generally preferred I understand) you can get "stinky", gassy (hydrogen sulfide) water. If you have a magnesium rod, switch to aluminum or vice versa as I might have the conditions mixed up. HTH


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

mh307 said:


> I am baffled to death about this and wondering should I call a plumber since the house is under warranty, plumbing etc. or is this something that could be repaired ourselves. Please help...I have practically cleaned to death.


My guess is a vent stack is clogged somewhere by leaves, a nest, or a squirrel or something silly that got itself caught. 

If it is under warranty why would you hesitate to have a plumber come out? Are you only allowed so many visits or something? Ask the plumber to explain findings to you so if you have to resolve the problem again and not under warranty, you can.


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## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

I can address the shower odor. How old is the shower?

Without going into detail right now I can tell you that stinky tile showers are always the result of improperly constructed showers. I doubt there is any kind of a warranty that will cover that aspect. If the shower was built without a pre-slope under the shower pan water will stay in the substrate and developed unbearable odors. If the shower is original and is thirty years old it may be time to re-do it. Depending on how it was built, thirty years could be the end of it.


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## Alan (Apr 12, 2006)

Bud Cline said:


> I can address the shower odor. How old is the shower?
> 
> Without going into detail right now I can tell you that stinky showers are always the result of improperly constructed showers. I doubt there is any kind of a warranty that will cover that aspect. If the shower was built without a pre-slope under the shower pan water will stay in the substrate and developed unbearable odors. If the shower is original and is thirty years old it may be time to re-do it. Depending on how it was built, thirty years could be the end of it.


I was going to say the exact same thing, but OP did not specify tile or fiberglass or other construction.

Sounds like grout joint failure, and incorrect drain fitting, not allowing the water to leave the area below the tile. Water turning septic, and after you shower, the warm water is causing the septic odor to waft into the air.

:jester:


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## mh307 (Jun 22, 2011)

sdsester said:


> My guess is a vent stack is clogged somewhere by leaves, a nest, or a squirrel or something silly that got itself caught.
> 
> If it is under warranty why would you hesitate to have a plumber come out? Are you only allowed so many visits or something? Ask the plumber to explain findings to you so if you have to resolve the problem again and not under warranty, you can.


 Thanks, I actually thought it was something I could do, but the plumber will be called before it gets too bad, hopefully it isnt that major.


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## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

Did I miss where the OP has said what type of shower this is?


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## mh307 (Jun 22, 2011)

Hi, it's just a regular shower with tiles is all I know


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## Alan (Apr 12, 2006)

mh307 said:


> Hi, it's just a regular shower with tiles is all I know


Post a picture of the grout joints at the floor, the lower walls, and the corners where the walls and floor meet.

Thanks.


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## JohnFRWhipple (Jun 3, 2010)

mh307 said:


> What makes the shower smell like a sewage/rotten eggs after showering, it smells the entire bedroom up not to mention the whole upstairs area. The master bathroom smells of urine around the toilet area and the drain area in the tub. The house is about 30 years old but has been remodeled, especially in the bathrooms. We bought the home about 4 months ago and the first time I showered there was this horrible odor, later on in the month the urine smell developed. Also other drains in the house don't smell so wonderful either. Could this be caused by something clogging or stuck in the drainage system. I am baffled to death about this and wondering should I call a plumber since the house is under warranty, plumbing etc. or is this something that could be repaired ourselves. Please help...I have practically cleaned to death.


While building my exterior deck we noticed that the tiles where falling off the sheets (1"x1" mosaic tile) and this caused me great alarm since the deck sees a ton of rain. I live in North Vancouver and didn't want to take any chances with the glue below the tile falling or causing the grout to turn milky white so we cleaned all the mosaics of glue.

The surprise we found was the smell! OMG it was awful and smelled for lack of a better word like 'Ass'. This effect of the warm water and horrible smell got me to thinking that perhaps some if not most of these common 'my shower smells' complaints is in fact not the plumbing line or the clogged weep holes but in fact the cheap glue used in manufacturing these moasaic tile sheets or 2"x2" sheets, 4"x4" sheets and 6"x6" sheets.

I suggest anyone digging and searching for answers test their left over tile by soaking it in hot water for 90 minutes.










We soaked ours in my kitchen sink (my wife didn't like this!) and used dish soap.

The sheets just fell off the tile or vice versa.










If you look you can see that the glue is covering 80-100% of the tile and this is so wrong since you need 80-100% coverage of thin-set to tile for a proper tile job.

We found cardboard and other debris in the water and the smell is fowl.

Going forward we will not install any sheet bonded tiles on any project unless the glue is resistant to water and the coverage rate on the back of the tile is under 20%. This is a good test for any tile being used in a shower, wet zone, water feature or pool.

Good Luck.

JW


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