Problem Overflow

Smoke, smells and damp getting into your apartment, and how renters stop them.

Drain & sewer smells

A sewer smell that comes and goes, or shows up with rain

Easy · About 20 minutes

Where I am
You can't smell it all week, then it's strong for a day.
Where I want to be
To know what's causing it.
What's in the way
The vent stack on the roof, or the main drain, may be blocked or low on air.

Landlord's job? Report it in writing with dates, and keep a log. Who fixes what depends on your lease and where you live.

Try this first, free: Write down the time, the weather, and which room you smelled it in. A pattern shows up quickly.

The fix

  1. Keep a simple log: date, time, weather, room and how strong it was.
  2. Run water in every drain in the home, including the ones you rarely use.
  3. Check that no drain stands empty for long.
  4. Send the log to the landlord with a photo or two. A building vent stack is theirs.

What this won't fully fix: Running water refills dry traps. A smell that follows the weather usually comes from the building's pipes, which you can't fix.

Safety first: If the smell is strong and you feel dizzy or sick, leave and call the landlord or the city.

What to get

Drain cover on Amazon

These open an Amazon search, so you can pick the one that fits. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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