Spending time outdoors in the garden is something that we all look forward to when the warmer weather arrives. However, something that can hamper this is a smelly drain!
What causes a smelly drain
You don’t want to be relaxing in the garden or have your friends and family over for a barbeque, only to be plagued by horrible smells that come from your drain. Drains that smell in the summer months are usually caused by blockages in the drain. Bits of food, fats and oily substances can all cause this to happen, by getting washed down the drain and getting stuck.
Of course, food rots and in hot weather rotten food can smell particularly strong, which then leads to the smell coming from the drain. When this stuff has got nowhere to go, the problem is only going to get worse as more food builds up and rots, the smell will become stronger. Not only is this unpleasant in itself, but this is also a hygiene issue and could also attract pests.
Rats and flies will be attracted to the drains by the strong smell of rotten food that it is giving off, which will give you another problem to contend with if the problem continues. This could mean that diseases could spread, and rats can also cause damage to your home and garden, as they are notorious for being able to gnaw through even some of the toughest materials to get to food or to make nests.
Getting professional help
If you notice that you have a bad smell coming from your drain, the best thing to do is to call someone who can deal with the problem. This is something that requires knowledge, as well as specialist tools and equipment to be able to see inside the drain and look at what is going on in there. A company who does CCTV drainage surveys like this https://www.wilkinson-env.co.uk/drainage-services-cctv-surveys-midlands/cctv-drain-surveys/cctv-drain-surveys-gloucester/ will be able to help you with this.
You should also minimise the potential for more food to be able to build up in the drain. When you are rinsing plates, cups and cooking pans and pots, make sure that any food and oil leftovers go into the bin, not down the sink, as this will make the build up in the drain much worse.
Summary
This article explains why drains often smell in summer, usually due to blockages from food, fat and oil washed down the sink and left to rot in warm weather. It warns this can attract rats and flies, creating hygiene and disease risks, and recommends a specialist CCTV drain survey to diagnose the problem. It advises binning food and oil waste rather than rinsing it away.
Questions this article raises
- How often should drains be checked to prevent smells building up over summer?
- What household products can safely be used to clear a mildly blocked drain?
- How much does a professional CCTV drain survey typically cost?
