There’s an old saying that you don’t need to stick your head in a sewer to know it stinks. However, sometimes you do have to go in and get your hands dirty when something needs to be fixed. That’s the case with sump pumps. When they are running correctly, everything is wonderful, the basements are dry and moisture is gone. When a sump pump is acting up, however, one of the tell-tale signs it gives off tends to be bad smells. Those smells, as offensive as they might be, are warning signals maintenance or repair is needed. Don’t ignore them.
Why Smells Happen
Sump pump smells are either organic or mechanical. In the case of organic, it’s due to the presence of moisture and bacteria. When wet organic material sits, it rots. That creates lots of bacteria which in turn produce a lot of waste in the form of off-gassing and smells. One of the most common sources of rotting organic material tends to be a blocked pump or water not moving and draining as expected.
Mechanical smells usually come from friction. When mechanical parts are working against each other without sufficient lubrication or they are straining with motion, that friction creates a burning smell. Electrical has its own smell too, as arcing occurs that should be happening, the gases created produce a “burned electrical” smell, which can include burned plastic, usually from wire housing melting.
Sump pumps, by their very nature, don’t smell wonderful, but extra strong smells are usually indicators something else is going on. An attentive homeowner can pick up on these flags and react, usually avoiding bigger problems later.
What are the Common Causes?
When it comes to organic-based smells, the most likely cause, as noted above, is trapped material. However, what can also happen involves the presence of sewage. In many homes, the drain system is connected. So, what goes down the toilet connects to the same drain system as the sump pump. If it backs up, the sewage can make contact with the pump and get trapped. Additionally, stagnant water in the sump basin can also generate bad smells with bacteria and rotting material in the water. The remaining causes are, no surprise, standing water in the basement drainage lines themselves.
Basin water can be an issue where there is trapped liquid from previous runs that never quite was removed. The sump pump operation is triggered by rising water levels in the basin, which a basement drain system deposits into. If the level never gets high enough, the water just sits, and bacteria kick in generating smells. Another contribution to this situation is if the sump pump is not turning on correctly removing the water level. That too can produce the same effect.
Sump Pump Maintenance
Like everything mechanical, pumps and their drain lines need maintenance too. This is especially the case if a drain basement is also the drain for laundry gray water. The soap can coagulate and create deposits in the drains and pump basin. A regular washout of the system with proactive flushing of water helps remove this issue, but it needs to be done regularly. Doing so cleans out the channels, and the pump basin and resides in the pump itself. It also cuts down on smells quickly.
Professional Repair
When the smells only seem to be getting worse, stronger and basic cleaning/flushing doesn’t solve the problem, then it’s time to call for professional help. The sump pump itself is probably malfunctioning, and it needs the skill of a trained, licensed plumber to review and address the cause. That usually involves a disassembly, clearing the system, checking the motor and parts and reassembly. It’s the kind of work that is handled correctly by experience and having the right parts available for the pump involved. Without that knowledge and inventory, a do-it-yourself repair can turn into a lot of mistakes and multiple runs to the hardware store. With a professional repair, the pump is fixed properly and back up and running as expected. There are some pump needs a homeowner can definitely take care of, but a full pump repair is best left in the hands of an experienced plumber.