Yard Smells Like Sewage After Rain – Reasons and Solutions

There’s probably a more significant issue if there’s a foul stench inside or around the house every time it rains. It may come from your septic tank if you smell a foul odor after a rainstorm. However, if the odor is unbearable, that could be a symptom of a severe issue.

There could be various causes for the unpleasant smell, and the one that applies to you will depend on where you are concerned with the source. This sewer gas has an awful odor, similar to that of rotten eggs, and rises to the surface when rainwater is used in its stead.

This article will help you in eliminating sewage odors. And you’ll be equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to maintain your lawn looking great.

Reasons For Sewage Smell After Rain

We’ve all had that unsettling moment when we awoke to a rainy morning or returned home after a rainy day of driving and noticed something wasn’t quite right with the air. When it rains, the house takes on a sewage odor rather than a pleasant, natural one. The stench of backed-up sewage hits you like a ton of bricks.

Just what is going on here? Why does your home have a sewage odor? In the following sections, we’ll investigate potential reasons behind this, as well as solutions and preventative measures.

Septic Tanks

Rain causes changes in atmospheric pressure, which in turn makes the air too dense to breathe. This reduces the efficiency with which methane gas escapes from the tank. They’ll sit there and stink up the place. The vent stacks will produce downdrafts due to the low temperatures. A shift in the typical aromas of the house would result from this. If the scent from the tank diminishes while the temperature rises, the downdrafts are probably to blame.

Drainage Problems

A clogged drain or fractured pipe is probably to blame for the sewage smell in your home after it rains. Trees are primarily responsible for the sewer-like odor permeating your home, if any, in your yard. Worse, tree roots might crack the septic tank.

Clogged drains are comprised of biological material, which causes a backup once it rains (i.e., hair, cleaning material, and food scraps). If there is a clog in the sink, the aroma of the backup will permeate the entire house as the water is forced to rise due to the pressure of the rain.

Drain Gas

Sewer gas is, well, gas that you get from your sewer system. What you smell is a fusion of garbage and the odors around your home. A mixture of poisonous and non-toxic gases is used to create the gas.

You can produce hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, and other gasses this way, along with other unpleasant odors. If your home has a sewage-like smell when it rains, you may have a plumbing problem.

Water Trap

The water trap is crucial to your home’s plumbing system, as it prevents sewer gas from entering your living space. Your home has water traps installed in the drains of each room. This covers the bathroom, kitchen, and laundry room plumbing. When the water trap fails, sewage gas will permeate your yard.

Pipes In The Sewer System Leak

Your home’s sewage system connects to the public sewage system or a septic tank. Although these pipes are usually buried and safe from damage, they can burst under certain conditions. If this happens, raw sewage from your home will seep into your yard’s soil. Since there is nowhere for the water and waste to go, a foul odor will permeate the yard, and in extreme cases, the drains inside the house may back up. The pipes need to be excavated and fixed immediately.

Drainage Field Clog

Septic tanks allow sediments to settle to the bottom while liquids rise to the top. As the sediments settle to the bottom of the tank, the liquid is siphoned out by a network of drain lines and redirected to the ground near your house. When the drain field becomes clogged, either because of freezing temperatures or a solid blockage, liquid in the main tank cannot drain as it should. This can lead to the tank overflowing, which releases sewage odor via the earth.

Empty Septic Tank

Repairing a septic system may need as little as replacing a few parts to empty the tank. A tank can survive quite a while, especially if you are careful only to put in liquids and little particles. Still, eventually, it will get too full to function correctly, and sewage will begin backing up into your home. Pump-out services are available for septic tanks, and they should be used roughly once every five years to keep the septic tank functioning properly.

Solution In Backyard

When sewage can return into your yard in a significant way, no amount of air freshener or other solutions will remove the stench.

Disinfectants

To get rid of the odor, you can use disinfectants to kill the bacteria causing it, and then you can remove the extra doors. Get some bleach and use it to disinfect. Start disinfecting the area with your bleach/water solution while protecting yourself with the proper PPE throughout the procedure. It may take 24 hours for your disinfected area to dry in a dry basement.

Scent Spray

Then, spray the area thoroughly as you slowly move about the room. Within a day, you’ll be able to breathe well again since the sewage smell won’t return for at least 8-12 hours. The method is not entirely effective in eliminating odors. It will eliminate the scent, although some odors may take longer to vanish. The smell of bleach and the sewer can be removed entirely in one night, though.

Clean the Drains

The most common cause of plumbing traps in the home is clogged drains if Yard smells like sewage after rain. You’d be shocked at what may get stuck in your gutters, from toys to hair to other debris. Removing the drain stoppers and cleaning up the gunk inside them is a simple approach to avoid this problem.

Drop the trash into the waste cleaner for the pipes and lower it into the drain. You can repeat the process to ensure the drain is clear of any material. Change the plug and flush the drain with about four to five gallons of water after you’re done.

Be Sure to Leave the Water Where It Is in the Drain

Assuming you know where the traps are, you can take steps to keep them from drying out and maintain proper water levels. Put a few teaspoons of vegetable oil in fixtures you won’t often be used to keep them from drying out as quickly as you do.

Conclusion

This article concludes that it might save you a lot of money in repairs if you knew how to get rid of that sewage stench. Find the source of the odor and begin cleaning it up.

You may protect your lawn’s value and keep it from stinking too terribly by eliminating the smell as soon as possible. This piece of knowledge presented all the reasons and solutions for sewage smell after rain.