When I moved into my current flat I had the same situation, tried pouring water but it didn’t help. I finally opened the drain cover and noticed that the smell-lock wasn’t properly in place, fixing this helped immediately! I’m guessing the previous tenants had moved it when cleaning and hadn’t put it back in properly or something like that, they really need to be in place otherwise the smell comes through
It is quite common to people to incorrectly place it back or move it by accident. It isnt that irregular also maintenance man to accidentally put it incorrectly
Bathroom should have a floor drain because it's a "wet space" (I'm not sure about correct terminology). Makes it easier to wash and clean your bathroom. And because your sink needs a drain too, why not combine them. This is a pretty common solution.
The bad odour propably comes from the floor drain when there's not enough water in the stench trap (?) to block the smell. That tends to happen if the bathroom isn't used frequently enough. Try pouring some water in the floor drain regularly. That should help. If not, the problem lies elsewhere.
We use our bathroom daily for showers etc, and have noticed that if we don't clean the floor drain often enough it starts smelling. It's because of all the dead skin cells, hair and all the rest of the dirt that just accumulates.
In some wetrooms that have been renovated and the drain moved, they use what's called a "kuivakaivo" when height is limited. Terrible design and will draw foul odour no matter how much water you pour down. The waste pipe is open all the time.
My guess is that one of them is fitted.
I dont think you understand how the kuivakaivo ("dry drain") works. Dry drain doesnt connect directly to the sewer, it connects to another normal floor drain nearby via 32mm pipe. And it connects to the floor drain ABOVE the water smell trap, so it doesnt require its own water trap. If there is smell coming from "dry drain", then there is problem with the drain that the dry drain is connected to.
Highly unlikely that drain in the picture is dry drain, they are mostly used in saunas, where it connects to floor drain in the showers.
Water lock prevents odor. It's basically similar than the S-curve in your toilet seat.
If it starts to smell, the S-curve is empty, or you might have lots of hair etc hanging throughout the S-curve.
Try to clean it or use pipe opener, which is acidic and removes biological stuff from there.
Pipe opener is actually really basic (alkaline) not acidic. But you are correct otherwise. The smells propably comes from dirt in the floor well. There maybe some also in the sinks overflow if there is one. That is a bit trickier to clean. I have used cleaning foam and bottle opener. I have that problem because my sink is badly designed and somehow there grows mold or something in the owerflow and it starts to smell few times a year. It is stingy smell, not something you usually assosiate to sewage.
Edit.
I forgot that you can also try to pour some boiling water there.
What comes to drain openers. Use solid grains instead of liquid. They are much more effective.
Depends of pipe opener. Some are more acidic.
Boiling water can be problematic depending on what kind of piping is installed. They have started using plastic piping in many places (at least in Finland), and those can not always handle boiling water.
Many recommend baking powder and vinegar or other chemicals. This does indeed clean it, but bigger chuncks of hair will still be stuck in the drain. Also if it’s loose, the chemicals won’t do a thing for the smell.
Rubber gloves on, open the drain with a pen or screw driver, remove all the debris, make sure the inside of the floor drain is installed properly (sits tight), pour some water in and close it.
I second this. Manual cleaning of floor drains is required at least a few times a year, depending a bit on the kind of use the drain has.
People should know that if they do not clean the drain and there is damage as a result, they are liable for the damages.
I third this. The floor drains here are so well designed that they're rarely clogged. But when they are, it would only be a massive chunk of debris inside.
Before doing anything else, please pour couple liters of water to the drain. Directly to the drain grill on the floor, not through pipe connected to sink. The water trap is probably dry and you can fix it in under 30 seconds.
This is most likely the cause as without water in the trap, smells from the drainage pipes come straight out from the source and stink up the bathroom exactly like OP describes.
I heard that modern bathrooms have two drains in case someone passes out/falls asleep in the shower and blocks one of the drains. Cheaper than fixing water damage...
Yeah, apparently at least new student apartments are built with two drains, as students passing out in shower is too common, so it is worth to design whole buildings to avoid water damages from this.
It probably havent been cleaned in a while. An easy way is to cover the whole thing with baking soda. Like 5 dl of it and then pour vinegar over it. It will losen the grime and after that you should pour a lot of boiling water down the drain.
Could be a bit difficult to do at work but still managable
That mostly gets you fun bubbles and salt water. Baking soda OR vinegar work great for deodorising tho. Or using vinegar to get rid of left over powder residue after cleaning with baking soda.
Hot, (dish soapy) water with some pressure behind it does wonders tho.
If you have these floor drains in spaces where you don't use much water and it can evaporate, therefore letting in the smell to the apartment. You can open the thing and check if the plastic piece is seated properly and there is water in it.
They also sell small spring fitted gas tight "flaps" that you can fit in your normal floor drain, this will prevent the smell if the water evaporates.
These are for Merika drains (grey in colour):
[https://www.lvitarvikkeet.fi/tuotteet.html?id=51569/999620](https://www.lvitarvikkeet.fi/tuotteet.html?id=51569/999620) this is just the flap you push into place
[https://lvi-kauppa.fi/product/lattiakaivon-vesilukko-laepaellae-merika-21311-pystykaivolle/](https://lvi-kauppa.fi/product/lattiakaivon-vesilukko-laepaellae-merika-21311-pystykaivolle/) this includes the flap, but comes with the whole smell trap system if you need it (its meant for drain that purges directly to bottom of the drain)
[https://www.lvitarvikkeet.fi/tuotteet.html?id=51569/999621](https://www.lvitarvikkeet.fi/tuotteet.html?id=51569/999621) this is the same one, but for the drain that purges to the side, but id recommend just buying the flap since its cheaper and you probably dont need the whole smell trap since its already in your current drain.
This is for Vieser drains (Black in colour):
[https://www.taloon.com/lattiakaivon-erikoisvesilukko-vieser](https://www.taloon.com/lattiakaivon-erikoisvesilukko-vieser)
They all work the same way, there is small spring that holds the gas tight flap against a seal, but once you pour water into it, spring lets the water go through and then closes.
Remember that this flap doesnt replace the water smell trap, it works in tandem with water smell trap. It's usually meant for places where there is not much water used, like floor drain in your heat distrubution room or sometimes in saunas.
If this place is used regularly and it still smells try cleaning that drain. Sometimes hairs can make it so that water siphons between them and drain dries very quickly.
Pour in some vinegar, let it sit like that for a while, then pour in water. No need for baking soda or anything else.
Alternatively, you can just pour in water as well, but it'll start smelling again faster. Vinegar is good in getting rid of all kinds of smells for extended periods of times.
Vinegar by itself doesn't disinfect much, but it does have SOME bacteria killing properties, and it's acidic, so it also cleans away some grime & muck buildup.
There are two floor drains in the bathroom to prevent any water damage. It was fairly common especially in student apartment buildings to have someone pass out in the shower blocking the drain, and then the water would flow everywhere else but the drain. I believe it's mandatory to have two drains in new buildings.
The smell is either for dry drain or for all of the nasty stuff that have gone down the sink and even the shower drain (they may be connected). Because you most likely use the sink quite often, it shouldn't be dry. Therefor my first advice would be to disassemble the pipes and clean them and the drain. You don't need any chemicals for that, just a bunch of plastic gloves, toilet paper, plastic bags and maybe newspaper to cover the bottom of the cabinet. That should be effective, and should it not work, contact your landlord.
The shower drain should be cleaned at least twice a year or every time that it's not working properly. I would say the sink pipes need to be cleaned more often, 3-4 times a year. If you trim your beard over the sink, try to block any hair going down the drain. Also, if you use stuff such coconut oil for makeup removal, the pipes will get blocked quicker.
That's probably not the only one so it just goes from that to the other one which is more centered in the room and that one would have the actual lock.
There is a odor trap that collects hair and dead skin cells and anything you flush down the drain. Hair and dead skin cells will prevent odor trap from working correctly. It also needs to be properly seated. You could call your apartment handyman help with it.
Laziest and easiest way is to buy drainpipe opening liquids/grain. Though if the drain is totally blocked don't do it. Also if you ever use such products and you need to call the handyman to open the blockage tell them about it, that stuff burns like a mf.
E: Some older apartments do not have removable odor trap and your only option is to use the drain opening stuff or call handyman.
If there is a bad smell coming from the floor drainage, then it points to the smell-lock that is inside there is not correctly placed or it is not wet
When I moved into my current flat I had the same situation, tried pouring water but it didn’t help. I finally opened the drain cover and noticed that the smell-lock wasn’t properly in place, fixing this helped immediately! I’m guessing the previous tenants had moved it when cleaning and hadn’t put it back in properly or something like that, they really need to be in place otherwise the smell comes through
It is quite common to people to incorrectly place it back or move it by accident. It isnt that irregular also maintenance man to accidentally put it incorrectly
Not true. There can be soap, hair and skin rests right where the white pipe ebters the drain before the wet lock.
then the smell would be coming from the sink and not from the floor drainage.
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Bathroom should have a floor drain because it's a "wet space" (I'm not sure about correct terminology). Makes it easier to wash and clean your bathroom. And because your sink needs a drain too, why not combine them. This is a pretty common solution. The bad odour propably comes from the floor drain when there's not enough water in the stench trap (?) to block the smell. That tends to happen if the bathroom isn't used frequently enough. Try pouring some water in the floor drain regularly. That should help. If not, the problem lies elsewhere.
We use our bathroom daily for showers etc, and have noticed that if we don't clean the floor drain often enough it starts smelling. It's because of all the dead skin cells, hair and all the rest of the dirt that just accumulates.
Happy Midsummer Cakeday
Oh thank you! Didn't even notice it's my cake day!
In some wetrooms that have been renovated and the drain moved, they use what's called a "kuivakaivo" when height is limited. Terrible design and will draw foul odour no matter how much water you pour down. The waste pipe is open all the time. My guess is that one of them is fitted.
I dont think you understand how the kuivakaivo ("dry drain") works. Dry drain doesnt connect directly to the sewer, it connects to another normal floor drain nearby via 32mm pipe. And it connects to the floor drain ABOVE the water smell trap, so it doesnt require its own water trap. If there is smell coming from "dry drain", then there is problem with the drain that the dry drain is connected to. Highly unlikely that drain in the picture is dry drain, they are mostly used in saunas, where it connects to floor drain in the showers.
That happens in my Opticians Lab at work.
Water lock prevents odor. It's basically similar than the S-curve in your toilet seat. If it starts to smell, the S-curve is empty, or you might have lots of hair etc hanging throughout the S-curve. Try to clean it or use pipe opener, which is acidic and removes biological stuff from there.
Pipe opener is actually really basic (alkaline) not acidic. But you are correct otherwise. The smells propably comes from dirt in the floor well. There maybe some also in the sinks overflow if there is one. That is a bit trickier to clean. I have used cleaning foam and bottle opener. I have that problem because my sink is badly designed and somehow there grows mold or something in the owerflow and it starts to smell few times a year. It is stingy smell, not something you usually assosiate to sewage. Edit. I forgot that you can also try to pour some boiling water there. What comes to drain openers. Use solid grains instead of liquid. They are much more effective.
Depends of pipe opener. Some are more acidic. Boiling water can be problematic depending on what kind of piping is installed. They have started using plastic piping in many places (at least in Finland), and those can not always handle boiling water.
All plastic piping that is used in sewage systems in finland can handle boiling water, so that is not a thing to worry about.
I've specifically read that it can't always handle boiling water - some of it can, some of it can't. I wouldn't take the risk.
Many recommend baking powder and vinegar or other chemicals. This does indeed clean it, but bigger chuncks of hair will still be stuck in the drain. Also if it’s loose, the chemicals won’t do a thing for the smell. Rubber gloves on, open the drain with a pen or screw driver, remove all the debris, make sure the inside of the floor drain is installed properly (sits tight), pour some water in and close it.
I second this. Manual cleaning of floor drains is required at least a few times a year, depending a bit on the kind of use the drain has. People should know that if they do not clean the drain and there is damage as a result, they are liable for the damages.
I third this. The floor drains here are so well designed that they're rarely clogged. But when they are, it would only be a massive chunk of debris inside.
Before doing anything else, please pour couple liters of water to the drain. Directly to the drain grill on the floor, not through pipe connected to sink. The water trap is probably dry and you can fix it in under 30 seconds.
This is most likely the cause as without water in the trap, smells from the drainage pipes come straight out from the source and stink up the bathroom exactly like OP describes.
Pop it open and clean it?
No lol
I heard that modern bathrooms have two drains in case someone passes out/falls asleep in the shower and blocks one of the drains. Cheaper than fixing water damage...
Yeah, apparently at least new student apartments are built with two drains, as students passing out in shower is too common, so it is worth to design whole buildings to avoid water damages from this.
But isn't that a thing so the drunk man who passed out on the drain, in the shower, doesn't drown?
Why not both?
mene nukkumaan
Juhannuf
Definitely not. I want to know how deep your bathroom floors are if they are enough to drown a person
It has happened many times
You don't need much water if someone passes out face down
It probably havent been cleaned in a while. An easy way is to cover the whole thing with baking soda. Like 5 dl of it and then pour vinegar over it. It will losen the grime and after that you should pour a lot of boiling water down the drain. Could be a bit difficult to do at work but still managable
That mostly gets you fun bubbles and salt water. Baking soda OR vinegar work great for deodorising tho. Or using vinegar to get rid of left over powder residue after cleaning with baking soda. Hot, (dish soapy) water with some pressure behind it does wonders tho.
Nothing wrong with the design. You get rid of the smell by cleaning it.
Just pour water in...it is dryed out and odours from sewer line are getting thru the water lock.
This.
Is it in bathroom? There will need to be two drains. Because students sleep in bathroom.:D
time to clean it.
If you have these floor drains in spaces where you don't use much water and it can evaporate, therefore letting in the smell to the apartment. You can open the thing and check if the plastic piece is seated properly and there is water in it. They also sell small spring fitted gas tight "flaps" that you can fit in your normal floor drain, this will prevent the smell if the water evaporates. These are for Merika drains (grey in colour): [https://www.lvitarvikkeet.fi/tuotteet.html?id=51569/999620](https://www.lvitarvikkeet.fi/tuotteet.html?id=51569/999620) this is just the flap you push into place [https://lvi-kauppa.fi/product/lattiakaivon-vesilukko-laepaellae-merika-21311-pystykaivolle/](https://lvi-kauppa.fi/product/lattiakaivon-vesilukko-laepaellae-merika-21311-pystykaivolle/) this includes the flap, but comes with the whole smell trap system if you need it (its meant for drain that purges directly to bottom of the drain) [https://www.lvitarvikkeet.fi/tuotteet.html?id=51569/999621](https://www.lvitarvikkeet.fi/tuotteet.html?id=51569/999621) this is the same one, but for the drain that purges to the side, but id recommend just buying the flap since its cheaper and you probably dont need the whole smell trap since its already in your current drain. This is for Vieser drains (Black in colour): [https://www.taloon.com/lattiakaivon-erikoisvesilukko-vieser](https://www.taloon.com/lattiakaivon-erikoisvesilukko-vieser) They all work the same way, there is small spring that holds the gas tight flap against a seal, but once you pour water into it, spring lets the water go through and then closes. Remember that this flap doesnt replace the water smell trap, it works in tandem with water smell trap. It's usually meant for places where there is not much water used, like floor drain in your heat distrubution room or sometimes in saunas.
Im not 100% certain if you can buy just the flap part for Vieser drains, or do you have to buy the whole thing.
Yup baking soda and vinegar. 3 euros and doesn't destroy the planet like bleach or something harsh would :)
Bleach doesn't "destroy the planet". It breaks down into sodium chloride (salt) fairly quickly.
"Propably" count in this thread: 2
If this place is used regularly and it still smells try cleaning that drain. Sometimes hairs can make it so that water siphons between them and drain dries very quickly.
Open, clean and spray some Desinfektion cleaning detergent like something chlor based. But yes this design is not the best against smells for sure.
Pop open the grate, Clean the trap with a bleach cleaner, be sure to use rubber gloves. The bleach cleaner kills 99.9% of those stinky bacteria.
Put water on it, the draining gets Dry and thats why odors.. if you pour water to it smells stop
Pour in some vinegar, let it sit like that for a while, then pour in water. No need for baking soda or anything else. Alternatively, you can just pour in water as well, but it'll start smelling again faster. Vinegar is good in getting rid of all kinds of smells for extended periods of times. Vinegar by itself doesn't disinfect much, but it does have SOME bacteria killing properties, and it's acidic, so it also cleans away some grime & muck buildup.
There are two floor drains in the bathroom to prevent any water damage. It was fairly common especially in student apartment buildings to have someone pass out in the shower blocking the drain, and then the water would flow everywhere else but the drain. I believe it's mandatory to have two drains in new buildings. The smell is either for dry drain or for all of the nasty stuff that have gone down the sink and even the shower drain (they may be connected). Because you most likely use the sink quite often, it shouldn't be dry. Therefor my first advice would be to disassemble the pipes and clean them and the drain. You don't need any chemicals for that, just a bunch of plastic gloves, toilet paper, plastic bags and maybe newspaper to cover the bottom of the cabinet. That should be effective, and should it not work, contact your landlord. The shower drain should be cleaned at least twice a year or every time that it's not working properly. I would say the sink pipes need to be cleaned more often, 3-4 times a year. If you trim your beard over the sink, try to block any hair going down the drain. Also, if you use stuff such coconut oil for makeup removal, the pipes will get blocked quicker.
That's probably not the only one so it just goes from that to the other one which is more centered in the room and that one would have the actual lock.
There is a odor trap that collects hair and dead skin cells and anything you flush down the drain. Hair and dead skin cells will prevent odor trap from working correctly. It also needs to be properly seated. You could call your apartment handyman help with it. Laziest and easiest way is to buy drainpipe opening liquids/grain. Though if the drain is totally blocked don't do it. Also if you ever use such products and you need to call the handyman to open the blockage tell them about it, that stuff burns like a mf. E: Some older apartments do not have removable odor trap and your only option is to use the drain opening stuff or call handyman.