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Why Does my Septic Smell When it Rains?

What the smells are

The bad odour you’re smelling is hydrogen sulphide. Hydrogen sulphide, along with methane and carbon dioxide, is a by-product of the waste digestion process that’s taking place in your septic system and is perfectly normal. When it’s not raining, the gases produced by your septic system escape through your system’s vents quickly and are dissipated by the wind without you smelling them.

Why it happens when it rains

Rain is usually accompanied by low atmospheric pressure which impacts the way that gases escape from your system. When it’s raining and the air pressure is low, the air is less dense which means that gases do not rise up as easily and instead remain closer to the ground. As they lingers you’re more likely to notice the stronger smell.

If you’re noticing the smell coming from inside your house it could be due to an issue with your plumbing. The seals around your plumbing could be loose or broken which allows septic gases to escape into your home.

What you can do

If the smell is only stronger when it rains and is noticeable outside your house then you may not need to do anything as this is normal. You might want to get a wastewater technician in to check for peace of mind though.

If you notice the smell inside your home then you should get a plumber in to check your indoor plumbing.

If there’s a pervasive smell coming from your septic even when it’s not raining you likely have an issue with the biological function of your system. If this is the case, please get in touch with us as we can diagnose your issue and provide you with a solution that will solve your problem quickly and easily.

To find out more about how we can guarantee your system gets back to peak performance, please get in touch with us. Here are what some of our happy, long-term customers are saying.

We have been using the product for over 15 years in our septic system and have had our system pumped out once in all that time and were told our system was the cleanest they had ever had to service.

Gerry Kelly

I love it, I clean everything with it. We have been using it for 11 years and only pumped out once, we where told it was so healthy.

Michelle Wright

We have two septic systems, both treated with EcoCare. Systems have remained trouble free and have not required to be pumped out since we started using the product 12 years ago.. An excellent product.

Bryant Ham

Provides the result that we hope for quickly and easily. No mess, no fuss, no smell, in fact the smell from our grease trap disappears. Our system has not been pumped out a decade or more.

Larry Greetham