Sulfur smell in bathroom septic tank

The bathroom may be one of the most extensively used room in your home. If your toilet has developed an odor that resembles rotten eggs, it is an issue that you need to have resolved as quickly as possible. It is likely that the odor you have identified is sewer gas.

It can stem from the septic system of your household or even a sanitary type of sewer system. It often results from the presence of bacteria within the water of your toilet.

If the toilet water is the only source of the smell, it means it is only impacting one pipe line. Continue reading to learn about sewage gas and its impact.

What is Sewer Gas?

Sewer gas is a highly complex mixture of other types of gases. Many of these are non-toxic, but there are those that are considered to be toxic. It is created when the household waste goes through the process of breaking down.

It is a result of the decomposition process of your home’s sewage and the sludge. It is mainly made up of methane gas; however, it may also include carbon dioxide, hydrogen, ammonia, nitrogen, and sulfur dioxide.

Methane has the ability to displace the oxygen that is found within a small space. As a result, it can be potentially deadly. Combined with hydrogen sulfur gas, sewer gases can be highly hazardous to the health.

Where is the Smell Actually Coming From?

If you notice a rotten egg smelling coming from your toilet, it means that some component of your plumbing lines is not functioning appropriately. The following outlines a few of the most common possibilities:

1. Dry Trap Problems – All of the drains that are part of a sewer system have a trap that is shaped like the letter “P”. This is the “dry trap”. In most instances, this trap contains water and a type of seal that helps to keep sewer gas odors out. If the water evaporates from this or the seal is damaged, it could allow sewer gas to enter.
2. Breakage or Leakage – The next reason why you may notice a rotten egg smell coming from your toilet is that there has been a break or the development of a leak within the drain line for your sewer system. As a result, the smell of sewer gases may creep into various areas of your home and your toilet.
3. Blockage – The third most common reason for the development of the rotten egg smell from a toilet may be a blockage within the septic tank. The clog may be at or near the drains, within the toilet itself, or some other location within the septic tank. Due to the inability of the sewage to flow appropriately through the septic tank system, the sewer gas backs up into the drains or into the toilet – where you are able to smell it.

Can Sewer Gas Make You Sick?

Due to the fact that sewer gas is often a mixture of various gases, it has the potential to make you sick.

At low levels, this probably will not occur; however, at large levels or in small, confined spaces, the health risks drastically increase.

The real danger is not in the home, it occurs if you make an attempt to enter the septic tank yourself in order to resolve the issue. Be it a hole, a tunnel, or other component of your septic tank, sewer gas can be fatal.

For this reason, you must always enlist the assistance of a plumbing professional to eliminate the rotten egg smell coming from your toilet. Failure to do so could result in serious health complications, such as gastrointestinal illness and respiratory complications.

We Can Help!

We here at Reynolds Plumbing are trained and have the experience to handle that rotten egg smell coming from your toilet and any other septic issues you may be experiencing in or around your home. We possess the training, the skills, the equipment, the tools, and the general level of expertise to quickly and safely get rid of that rotten egg smell and get your septic system running optimally – once again.

Our experienced plumbing professionals will conduct a thorough inspection to get to the source of your problem. We also offer line cleaning, general maintenance, and repairs to all septic systems.

For more information or to learn about the various septic system solutions that we offer, give us a call today.

As septic tanks receive waste from the toilet, some very repulsive odors can generate from them. This can make daily living in your house unpleasant and can be downright embarrassing if you’re hosting a party or if friends drop in.

Should my septic tank smell bad?

Although there are occasional odors from septic tanks, your septic tank should not be stinking on an ongoing basis. In a healthy system, the septic tank receives waste from the toilet flushes, allows the solids to sink down in the tank, gradually forming sludge, while allowing the liquids to flow out into the distribution trenches. A septic tank in ideal condition contains bugs and bacteria which help to break down and “eat” the solids. To find out more information about how a septic tank works, visit our information page on Maintaining and Cleaning Septic Tanks.

How can I stop my septic tank from smelling?

If your septic tank stinks, firstly identify exactly where the smell is coming from. Is it a bad smell wafting around outside? Is the smell coming up from the toilet? Does it only stink outside around the actual septic tank?
There can be a variety of issues which cause septic tanks to smell and finding the source of the odor can narrow down the septic tank stench problem. Below are some of the main issues causing the septic tank to smell:

My septic tank toilet is stinking
The first cause of a smelly septic tank is if the tank is full and needs pumping out. In this case, please contact us to book in your septic tank pump out. Lee’s Environmental provide the highest quality septic tank pump out service on each occasion – please see our Septic Tank Cleaning page for more information.

If you’re already having your septic tank cleaned out regularly, but bad odors are coming up from the toilet pipe into the toilet bowl, this usually indicates there is a problem with the bugs and bacteria in the septic tank where they have been disrupted and are beginning to die off. You can encourage the bacteria to repopulate with the following method:

• Get a cup of regular raw or brown sugar from your kitchen.
• Flush it down the toilet.
• Repeat once a week for 6 – 8 weeks.

If the smell continues to be an issue, you will need to take further action. First, try a hydrated lime solution which neutralises the PH levels in the tank and creates a film over the top that dampens the smell:

• Buy a 5kg bag of hydrated lime (can be found at Bunnings and similar stores).
• In a large 10L bucket, mix 5kg of hydrated lime and fill the bucket to the top to create a mix of 50% hydrated lime with 50% water.
• Flush the equal parts hydrated lime and water mixture down the toilet

Wait a few days to check if this has taken care of the smell. If you still continue to experience bad smells from the toilet, you may need to have the septic tank pumped out to reset the bacteria in the tank. Please see our Septic Tank Cleaning page or Contact Us to book your service.

Bad smells are coming from around the septic tank
If the stench seems to be coming from outside where the septic tank is located, there may be a hole in the septic tank lid or the septic tank lid may not be sealed properly. Lee’s Environmental can provide replacement of your lids – please visit our Maintaining and Cleaning Septic Tanks for more information.

My house has a septic system and there is a bad odor somewhere outside
If there is a bad smell wafting around but doesn’t seem to be coming up from the toilet or from the septic tank, it may be something else on your property that smells. Most properties that have a septic tank also have a grease trap which receives waste from the kitchen sink and greywater tank which receives waste from the laundry and showers. Either of these tanks could be causing a bad odor and the stench from a greywater tank is often mistaken for a stinky septic tank. If you think one of these tanks may be causing the smell, please see our pages Why Does My Grease Trap Smell and Why Does My Greywater Tank Smell.

If your grease trap and greywater tank are being maintained regularly and them smell doesn’t seem to be generated from them, the distribution trenches may be causing the smell. Distribution trenches, also called transpiration trenches or drain fields, receive the liquid parts of the waste from the septic tank, grease trap and greywater tank. If there are areas on your yard where grass is always growing prolifically or areas of your property that are always wet, this indicates that the trenches are saturated, blocked or have failed. If you’re experiencing trench problems, Lee’s Environmental offer high pressure drain cleaning called jet rodding which has an 85% success rate of clearing blockages. To find out more about this service, please see our Drain Cleaning page.

Can septic tank smells be prevented?
Most septic tank smells are preventable by using the right cleaners, only flushing the appropriate items down and toilet and cleaning the tank as needed. Here’s our recommendation to keep your septic system smelling sweet:

• Only use 1 or 2 ply toilet paper
• Never flush nappy wipes, sanitary napkins, condoms, kitty litter or other items down the toilet
• Do not flush wipes marketed as “flushable wipes” or “bio-degradable” down the toilet as these do not break down quickly enough and will cause a crust to form on the tank and can cause blockages
• Repair leaking toilets
• Install a dual-flush cistern for the toilet
• Clean your toilet with natural products – see our Septic Toilet Cleaning Recipe
• Pump out the septic tank every 2-5 years when the sludge levels reach 30%. Lee’s Environmental provide free sludge testing when on your property to clean your grease trap and or greywater or if we’re in your area on a neighboring property. Please see our Septic Tank Cleaning page for more information.

Please note that there are a few occasions where the bacteria in the tank will inevitably begin to die off:

• When a person using the toilet is on certain medications such as antibiotics
• If a person using the toilet is currently undergoing chemotherapy

In these cases, the septic tank will need frequent pumpouts to maintain it. Lee’s Environmental can put your property on regular scheduled servicing so you don’t need to worry about the septic tank through these times. Please call our office on 3206 4844 to discuss your needs with our friendly staff.

Contact Us

Please fill in the form below and we will be sure to contact you within 1 hour (within business hours). For immediate service please call 3206 4844.

How do I get rid of septic smell in bathroom?

Why do I smell septic in my bathroom?

Why do I smell sulfur in my bathroom?

Why do I smell septic in my shower?