Areas We Serve

Areas We Serve

Why Does My Shower Drain Smell Like Sewage?

Nothing is more upsetting than stepping into a hot shower and being hit by a strong smell of sewage! It’s nauseating, and embarrassing if experienced by guests. And, it usually means something in your plumbing isn’t working the way it should. At 2 Sons Plumbing and Sewer Seattle, we’ve fixed this problem for countless homeowners, and in most cases it’s nothing unusual—just a sign that your system needs attention.

Why a Shower Drain Starts to Smell

That sewer odor isn’t random. It generally means gases from the sewer line are finding their way back into your home. The most common reasons are:

Dry trap – The water in the trap under your drain is what blocks gases. If it dries out, odors pass straight through.
Clogs and buildup – Hair, soap, and grime sitting in your drain breed bacteria, which produces that rotten smell.
Blocked vent pipes – Your plumbing has vents on the roof that release gases outside. When they’re blocked, pressure builds and forces the smell into your bathroom.

These are everyday plumbing issues, but they won’t go away on their own.

Simple Things to Try Yourself

Sometimes the situation can be resolved by giving your system a little help:

Run water in the drain – In guest bathrooms or showers that aren’t used often, running the water for a few minutes refills the trap.
Baking soda and vinegar flush – Pour in this mix and let it bubble before rinsing with hot water. This freshens the line and helps clear light buildup.

If the smell comes back quickly after trying this, there’s usually something deeper causing the problem.

When to Call a Plumber

Not every odor can be solved with quick fixes. Give 2 Sons Plumbing and Sewer Seattle a call if you notice:

The smell lingers after cleaning
More than one drain in your home smells bad
You hear gurgling noises or see slow drains along with the odor

These are signs of larger blockages or venting problems that need professional tools to diagnose and fix.

What It Costs in Seattle

Most sewer-smell problems aren’t major repairs. In Seattle, a professional drain cleaning or inspection usually runs between $200 and $450, depending on what’s found. Fixing it early almost always keeps the expenses down and prevents bigger headaches later.

How to Keep the Smell Away

A few simple habits can stop odors before they start:

Run water weekly in showers that don’t get used much
Use a drain screen to catch hair before it clogs
Don’t pour grease or heavy oils down any drain
Have older plumbing inspected now and then to catch small issues early

Let’s Get Your Shower Back to Normal

Your shower should be a place to relax, not somewhere you have to put up with a sewer smell. Call 2 Sons Plumbing and Sewer Seattle at (206) 487-1757, and we’ll send a licensed plumber who can find the source of the odor, clear the line, and make sure your drains and vents are working the way they should.

With one call, you’ll have a clean, fresh shower again—and peace of mind knowing your plumbing is safe and in good shape.

2 Sons Plumbing and Sewer

4.9

Based on 3872 reviews

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Brad Poirier

4 weeks ago

Had a great experience with 2 Sons Plumbing and Sewer and the representative they sent, Jake. They did a fantastic job communicating through email, text, and calls, sending reminders when the appointment was and who their representative was, and when he would arrive. Jake did a wonderful job hunting done where the leak was coming from and explaining the options I had for getting the leak repaired. When he left he emailed my receipt, pictures he had taken of my water lines under the house, and the options I could use to compete locating and repairing the leak. Highly recommend them. A very professional outfit.

Brad Poirier

4 weeks ago

Jennifer Suemnicht

3 months ago

I asked some of my real estate colleagues who people have been using for plumbing repairs lately and several said “2 Sons”! So friendly and responsive. Came out right away for an estimate, had the best follow up, came in with the best price, and got me on the schedule and got the work done on the very next day! Everyone I spoke with was friendly and fantastic! Highly recommend!

Jennifer Suemnicht

3 months ago

Katy Garner

4 months ago

We had a mystery leak per our meter reading. Riley and Riley saved the day. They promptly discovered the issue, resolved and repaired our pipes in one service call. They were quick, thorough and entirely delightful. They took the time to talk me through the job. I felt heard, safe and comfortable with the two of them in my house. For my next plumbing disaster I hope to get ‘The Riley’s’; but know, whoever comes will be excellent. Thanks 2 Sons!

Katy Garner

4 months ago

Aaron Sutter

4 months ago

2 Sons are my go to plumbers and I recommend them to friends and family looking for a recommendation.
2 Sons had my tenant's water heater replaced in the same day I called them! Justin and his apprentice were awesome! This wasn't a "quick" replacement in the garage - they had to figure out how to squeeze in the water heater through a tight crawl space on their hands and knees under furnace ducting.
Justin was knowledgeable and helpful in troubleshooting different replacement scenarios. He was kind and patient with my number of questions. He never once complained to me about the undesirable placement of the water heater under the house. My tenant even commented to me how kind Justin was to her.
Thank you for making this a quick and easy fix!

Aaron Sutter

4 months ago

Oksana Naidu

4 months ago

Highly recommend 2 Sons. We had a leak in the master bath due to some malfunctioning fixtures and needed to install shut off valves on the hot and cold water lines to prevent further leaks while we waited on the faulty part replacements to be delivered. It was a treat to work with a professional and honest plumbing company that also does quality work. A great experience from first call to post-completion follow ups. Marcos, who was assigned to our job, was just awesome - thorough, efficient, knowledgeable, professional, courteous and helpful. He took his time to fully assess the issue, provided great options and then quickly repaired the problem. Thanks so much for great service in a stressful situation.

Oksana Naidu

4 months ago

Happy Lemon

4 months ago

We had an outstanding experience with this company! They provided incredibly fast, careful, and professional service for our commercial business. From start to finish, their customer service was absolutely excellent-responsive, friendly, and truly attentive to our needs.

A special thank you to our technician, ADAM, who did an exceptional job fixing our clogged hand sink. He was knowledgeable, efficient, and extremely professional & polite. He quickly resolved it with great skill and attention to detail.

Highly recommended!

Happy Lemon

4 months ago

Louisa

4 months ago

Trung our tech and his apprentice Cole did a fantastic job yesterday. They worked tirelessly to replace our old CPVC pipes, install our new shower, and replace our kitchen sink. The job had a multitude of delays due our pipes not being plumb and some extra wall demo. They worked for at least 13+ hours yesterday and left our home at 11 pm. Trung wanted to ensure that we didn't have our water off longer than necessary. We could not be more thankful and grateful for their efforts in the rough in for our bathroom remodel. We look forward to having them back to install the shower/ tub combo, new bathroom faucet, and new toilet with a bidet seat. Trung always went out of his way to explain what was going on and helped us make informed decisions about our home. This is our 3rd or 4th time using 2 Sons and we couldn't recommend them more!

Update: Trung was extremely great with the final install! Unfortunately, there was a few mishaps with not communicating the right color of the shower/ tub combo and the hole for the toilet pipe not being wide enough for the toilet flange. Trung really went above and beyond to ensure we got the right parts and to cut the tile as best he could for the toilet to fit. He even had to double check our toilet because he thought he heard a leak. He even was able to replace our drain stopper and recommended a solution for making the tub drain match!

Louisa

4 months ago

Kathy Cook

5 months ago

I have to say Bob was amazing!!! I had a clogged drain in my kitchen sink. Bob came in and took every precaution to be neat & clean. He explained to me what he was going to do and gave me the pricing and I agreed and he got to work. He was super kind and polite and fixed my drain issue. He was a pleasure to work with. I would highly recommend using 2 Sons!

Kathy Cook

5 months ago

Emily Speakman

5 months ago

Had issues at home with water backup. Dave was prompt, professional, and genuinely kind. He communicated between myself and my landlord, explaining the issues and next steps. He quickly put an interim solution in place and outlined the long-term needs. Felt super reliable and easy to work with — highly recommend 2 Sons Plumbing and Sewer.

Emily Speakman

5 months ago

Frank Church V

5 months ago

We contacted these Plumbers on a Friday using Yelp quotes, and they were the fastest to reply and the fastest to engage with us when we had questions. We felt that warranted to give them the opportunity to give us the first consultation. Sometimes we get multiple consults if we get any icky feeling from the people doing it. We didn’t feel that way with this company.

Our toilet was leaking, and we expected we probably could use a new one. But wanted a professional estimate and options.

We got hooked up with their team to schedule it and they were able to give us a time only a day out. We asked for a 8-1pm window and received automated text and a formal phone call from a dispatcher saying how far out the plumber technician was.

The plumber who showed up was named Carey. We also a received a picture of him before he arrived for safety concerns which I thought was a good touch of care from the company. Carey was lights-out the best guy we could have asked for.

He showed up within the approximate eta and was kind, gracious, considerate of our space and gave us a myriad of options. He quoted us prices that felt quite fair, and we chose the option where he removes the toilet and chooses a toilet for us: though we talked about the various options beforehand.
All and all he left for 30 min to get the toilet: and returned to install it. Installation was complete within another 30 minutes.

He was so good man. And we just felt like this is how service and care and things should be in this world. It’s always refreshing when you get that. Because so many outfits just: make you regret everything.

The work was quick, professional, and he was happy to be there and gave us information every step of the way that we respected and appreciated.

We will use this company in the future. You earned our respect and business.

Frank Church V

5 months ago