How to Eliminate Septic Tank Odors, Causes and Solutions

Are you bothered by unpleasant odors and smells in your house? Why do you smell septic odors in the shower or from a sink? Unless you’ve lost your sense of smell, bad odors most definitely disturb the liveability of any home or business, and understanding the causes behind them is the first step to fixing the issue. Fortunately, with the innovative products offered by HOTROD Septic, homeowners can now keep these unwelcome smells at bay. Before we get into our septic tank odor solutions, let’s dive into some of the things that can cause odor problems in your septic system.

What Causes Bad Odors from My Septic System?

These gross sewer smells are often caused by inadequate ventilation, clogged drains, full or backed-up tanks, and structural issues like broken seals or pipes in your anaerobic or aerobic septic system. Other potential issues may include roof vents or other venting pipes that are no longer allowing odors out properly. Improper functionality prevents these vents from helping the system pressure equalize, which our professionals find is a common cause of odor issues. With nowhere else to go, bad-smelling air can backflow into your home. Not a great situation for the noses!

Vents and pipes are vital parts of your system and sometimes become obstructed and clogged by leaves or other outdoor debris. If you live in a place that gets cold for part of the year, chilly conditions sometimes cause vents or pipes to freeze closed or can be blocked by ice and snow. Without an escape route, odors produced during the waste decomposition process accumulate and give off a pungent smell. No matter the cause, with no easy way out of the tank, odors look for alternative routes, sometimes seeping through other parts of the system and making your yard stink, or even going back through the way they came in, emitting a gross odor inside your home.

Leaks, cracks, or broken seals in the tank can allow sewage gasses to escape as well. Through regular checks and using efficient sealants and repair kits, you can quickly address these problems and avoid your septic system making your home smell like a toilet.

A backed-up or overflowing septic tank has a similar impact on bad smells, pushing raw sewage and gasses back into your living spaces because there’s no room for them inside the tank. Using an additive product like HOTROD Septic Treatment introduces 26 biological strains and enzymes into your system to break down solids and sludge in the tank. Better yet, the patented formula keeps working long after other solutions have given up. While it’s best to treat your septic system with an effective biological so that your system processes solid waste and avoids backups, they can still work to clear a clogged system that’s causing odors.

A drain field that’s stopped working properly is another common cause of septic tank odors outside of the tank. You’ll know if there’s a problem when the drain field soil is constantly wet, soggy, or soft despite no heavy rainfall. These wet conditions around your drain field are usually a sign of a deeper problem and potential system failure. If you are experiencing these systems, please read our guide to septic system drain field maintenance for more information.

On the bright side, sometimes a bad odor around your home or yard is simply caused by a downdraft or excessive winds that bring the smell away from the septic tank and right to your front door. If that’s the problem, it’s an easy fix; the vent needs to be cleaned or raised. There are also charcoal filters for septic system roof vents that help conceal odors when they’re expelled from the tank.

If you have investigated all the common causes of septic system odors outlined in this guide and nothing is working to eliminate the offending odors, the best thing to do is consult with a local septic system professional in your area. Luckily, once you have solved the problem, there are many preventive measures to take that can stop gross odors before they even start and help you avoid these unpleasant septic issues in the future.

Prevention Measures that Work – Take It From Our 40+ Years of Experience in the Field