Sewer Gas is largely a byproduct of the breakdown of natural human waste. It comprises a mixture of gases, including hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, and more.

Is sewer gas harmful?

Sewer gas isn’t necessarily toxic at low levels. However, chronic exposure, or higher levels of exposure, can cause symptoms of sewer gas poisoning.

Possible Causes of Smells in Your Home!

• Water Leaks

If there are leaks in your plumbing system due to improperly placed pipes or vents, you may become exposed to sewer gas.

Sewer gas can also leak into your house when plumbing vents are installed too close to a window or air intake.

In some cases, leaks from nearby septic systems can enter your home through cracks in the foundation.

• Cracked Plumbing / Pipes

Sewer system pipes are reinforced to protect the inside of your home from exposure to the byproducts of human waste. If your pipes are degraded, cracked, or broken, sewer gas can leak through them and into your home.

• Blocked Air Vents

Air vents are responsible for diffusing toxic gases away from your home. If your air vents are blocked, like with dirt, debris, or other items, they may not be able to ventilate your home properly. This can cause sewer gas to build up in the pipes and the gas odor leaks into the home.

• Clogged Drains

Like air vents, drains are responsible for the transportation of toxic waste through the septic system. If your drains are clogged from items that shouldn’t have been poured or flushed, it can cause a sewage backup.

If this drain backup isn’t treated, the clog can continue to decompose and leak sewer gas back into your home.

• Dry Plumbing

The movement of water through sewer systems helps provide a barrier against potentially harmful gases.
When plumbing systems, such as toilets and drains, aren’t used, they can dry out and lose their water barrier. This can cause the area to become dry, which allows sewer gas to leak into the house.

• Loose Toilets

Toilets are an important part of the sewer system in your home. To protect yourself from leakage of gas from the pipes, toilets should always be tightly fitted to the sewer lines.

A loose toilet can cause a gap in the pipes and lead to a leakage of sewer gas into your home.

What are the symptoms of exposure to sewer gas?

If sewer gas is present in your home, the first sign you may notice is the smell of rotten eggs. You may also experience various symptoms of exposure, such as:

• Fatigue

• Headaches

• Nausea or vomiting

• Dizziness or lightheadedness

• Poor memory and concentration

It’s uncommon to be exposed to high levels of sewer gas at home. However, high levels of sewer gas exposure can occur in industrial workplaces.

The symptoms include:

• Loss of smell (you’ll no longer be able to smell the rotten egg odor of sewer gas)

• Mouth, throat, and lung irritation

• Eye irritation and pink eye

• Seizures

• Coma

• Possibly death

When to call Freedom Plumbers…

If you believe there’s a sewer gas leak in your home, get in touch with Freedom Plumbers right away.
Freedom Plumbers can assess your home for potential leak areas. Cost-Effective. Safe. Efficient. Our Smoke Testers are laboratory tested safe. Smoke Testing is the fastest and most economical way of locating leaks in plumbing systems. Smoke filled air is forced through the plumbing system, quickly revealing problem areas efficiently and accurately.

We can fix the leak and advise you with the best course of action for how to keep your plumbing system functioning properly.

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Call 703 895-4109

Reference: This article was created with excerpts from:
https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-home-guide/sewer-gas#call-a-plumber
https://www.hurcotech.com/power-smoker-2