Drains smell from shower

The plumbing, that you have completed, I assume is water tight, all damp from previous leakage has evapourated, could it be possible that during the refit, a joint, has been disturbed, the problem did not exsist prior to your work, just run back over everything, check for any leakage. Also check for any movement in pipework that might have been affected by the new install.

 

Have you got a manhole nearby? If so have a look inside and see if it's backed up. If the drain is running freely they don't normally smell too bad (subjective of course), if they are blocked then the smell is very noticeable.

 

And as a PS.

The only types of trap that rely on a rubber seal are the Hepvo types all others including bottle traps rely on the a water depth to prevent smells.

 

you will not have the hepV0 type.

the only way you can have smell problems are;

The trap is lossing it's seal possibly by syphon from the bath because the pipe isn't large enough.

or the air admittance valve is not fitted or leaking.

or the pipe has been wrongly connected at the stack end.

 

If the water in the trap really is below the waste pipe as you describe then the trap is not doing anything. Right?!

Sounds like the water seal has been lost (ie the level in the trap falls below the top of the outlet pipe). Try topping up the trap carefully and observe if the trap seal is remade.

Bottle traps are really only for use with washbasins, as heavy continuous flow can break the trap seal as appears to be the case here. Special anti-siphon bottle traps are available to overcome the problem, but better still is a shallow bath trap in my opinion.

Disclaimer: Whilst I have fit many bathrooms in the course of my job, I am not a plumber.

 

pdj the trap is fine and how it should be, provided the middle bit which screws out for cleaning is sealed with the washer then no smell will come up unless, as my other post something is syphoning the water out

 

if the water remains in the trap then the smell is elsewhere.

have you disturbed the old joint where it connects into the existing for example

 

I have just posted this on my forum as i am suffering from a similar problem. It might be worthwhile you trying. It's a worry that i might disturb a weak joint though!!!

Sorry to keep banging on about this but this may also be of interest to the PILTDOWN who also has a similar problem with smells.
I have a snazzy hoover which blows air out so basically have put a bucket under the drain pipe to collect the water which has been sitting in the waste pipe since Sun/Mon. And then blown air down the 2 shower and 2 basin traps (Making show i blocked up the 3 wastes to prevent the water blowing into the bathrooms).
The results even surprised me. I expected around 1 -2 Litres of water sitting in the pipes but no it was more like 1.5-2 GALLONS of filthy stinking water that i have blown out.

 

Piltdown, is it posible that when you removed the old shower tray that water from the old trap and waste were spilt onto floorboards, or was the old trap leaking.
I am clutching at straws here but is it possible that the smell is in fact old water under your new shower tray. or even in the walls around the shower cubicle?

 

When you say discharges into the main waste pipe do you mean soil vent pipe?. If the venting is constant then you have a dodgy connection, if not it sound like a syphoning problem.

When you flush the toilet in affect you have a plug of water dropping down a 100mm vertical shaft, if there is no air flow behind this plug of water you create a vacuum, which will draw water out of sink,shower,bath traps.

If the last act of the day is to flush the loo you will have a direct vent into the bathroom overnight, or until the sink.bath.shower is used again, therefore filling the trap.

A simple test is to put the plug in and keep an inch of water in the tray, sink, bath,as a process of elimination, if the venting stops bingo.

most common cause of a vacuum is a blocked external SVP due to a birds nest, or a dodgy internal air flow vent, usually the result of fibres from loft insulation clogging the spring loaded flange/doobry/thingymabob.

Is it possible that the original pipework had backfall and therefore a greater weight of water in the trap, by installing more fall the syphoned water has an outlet what with gravity and all doing its thing.

Now im no plumber(no golf clubs)but both are easily resolved, and i think you can buy traps with a built in air flow valve, im sure somebody will confirm.