We moved into a brand new home built in 2000 and have had the
following problem since then.  Our shower DRAIN has a sulpher-like
odor.  It doesnt happen all the time and there doesnt seem to be a
pattern.  Could possibly be worse when its hot outside, but this is
not consistent.  The shower is located upstairs in our master bedroom.
 The other shower which is also upstairs, never has this problem. 
This odor is not coming from any other drain or faucet in the house. 
What is the cause and how can we fix this? Please help!

Dear Pandora, 

Your problem is a very common problem, especially in humid areas (but
not only). First of all, it is not a health risk; the problem is only
with smell.

Sulphates-like odor in pipes and drains is usually caused by Hydrogen
Sulfide, which was formed in your drain or in your well from
decomposing underground deposits of organic forms (for example:
decaying plants).

Usually, it appears in all drains using the same system and the source
of the problem is the water well. However, in your case, it seems that
the problem is somehow only in this shower, and therefore you must ask
yourself:
- Have you checked and chlorided the drainpipes from this shower? 
- Is the water supply for this shower (for example, from a
heat-tanker) different from the other showers? Does it occur only with
heated water?
- Have you checked pipes for this shower? 

The solution for sulphur water is to chlorinate the whole water system
- or at least those pipes leading to this shower (which probably means
the whole system). The chlorine should be kept in the system for 10-12
hours (overnight). If you use it on the water tank, "Add about six (6)
ounces of chlorine (common household liquid bleach) to each 10 gallons
in the water tank. Then run the heavily chlorinated water throughout
the system, opening each faucet one at a time until you smell the
chlorine. Let the RV sit a few days and the chlorine should take care
of the problem. Then you will need to take care of the chlorine by
flushing the water system. If you don't have a water filtration system
that removes chlorine, you may have a problem getting rid of the
chlorine taste. You might consider adding such a system because it
allows you to keep water chlorinated and this prevents several
problems, including sulphur water. Chlorination also takes care of
other types of bacteria and viruses.". (see
http://www.rvcomfort.com/html/suburban/service/waterheaters/questions.html
regarding water-heating systems).

If that doesn't work, you might need water treatment systems, such as
filters. You can see examples of such systems here:
http://www.alphausasystems.com/terminator.html
http://home.att.net/~dexter.a.hansen/filterb/dhsec34.htm 

My search method was sulphur+odor+drain 
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=sulphur+odor+drain

I also recommend newsgroups such as
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&group=misc.consumers.house
And sites such as http://www.homeimprovement-tips.com/OurGurus.asp 

I hope that helped, please contact me if you need clarification.

---

Request for Answer Clarification by pandora99-ga on 30 Jul 2002 16:04 PDT

Dear politicalguru,
    Thanks for responding.  What you suggested sounds like it would
work, but it seems like an awful lot of work considering it is only
coming from the one shower drain.  If the problem of the source is
from a water well, wouldnt we smell it throughout the  entire house
(from all drains and faucets)?  We only have one water heater.
 Also, we have a 6 mos old and I question the safety of giving her
baths with heavily chlorinated water.  Someone  else responded and
suggested pouring bleach down the drain after each shower.  What is
your opinion about doing that, and is pouring bleach everyday, safe
for the pipes?  You also said "Let the RV sit....."  What is an RV?
Also, how would we check the pipes for the shower?

Anxiously awaiting your reply, thanks,

Pandora99

---

Clarification of Answer by politicalguru-ga on 31 Jul 2002 02:00 PDT

Dear Pandora, 
First of all, Wengland proposal sounds great to me, and I suggest
you'll try it. I also completely agree with you regarding the health
risks in chloride  and bathing your daughter. In my initial answer I
commented, that since it's only in one shower, it is very unlikely it
is the whole system, and measures should be taken to "clean" only this
shower. RV is as far as I knwo, the Residual Volume left from the
chloride.

I hope that helped, but I'll be pelased to clarify more.

It was a detailed answer but not completely pertinent to the problem. 
I did explain in my question that it was only one drain involved,
however the answer and reccomended solution was for an entire plumbing
system problem.  I would have really liked to rate this answer a 3 1/2
stars, but appreciated the promptness.  I found the comments to be
very helpful, especially the one suggesting the baking soda.  Anyway,
I really like the concept of ga, and will definitely use it again. 
Thanks!

Since the odor is only coming from the drain, instead of filling the
hotwater tank with bleach, you can try adding a cup of bleach to the
shower after each use - just dump it in there while the shower is
running.

This should help to clean out any organic cruft that is in the trap or
beyond.

check and make sure there is a trap in the plumbing under the shower.

pandora, a couple environmently friendly solutions, since I have
ceased using all chemical cleaners in my bathroom, except for the
"orange" variety. First, get some Arm and Hammmer baking soda, and put
about 1/2 lb down the shower drain that smells, leave overnight. If
that does not work, get over to a store (Home Depot, etc) that sells
the product Drain Care, mfg. by Zep. This will "eat" any build up that
has occurred in the traps and pipes that may be making the offensive
smell. I swear by this product and it does NOT use chemicals. Hope
this will eliminate the smell.