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Author:
Fregitbar (Non-US)
So I know this is an incredibly uneducated question, and I probably could have found my answer via google. But there's a (rather awkward) story behind it that I think is relevant.
So, a couple of days ago my toilet became blocked due to an overload of tissue paper. I tried unblocking it manually but it wouldn't budge, so before calling a plumber I decided to wait and see if it fixed itself. After a few hours it did and life returned to normal. Later that night I used the toilet, going light on the tissue paper this time, only to discover upon flushing that the toilet had tricked me and was, in fact, still blocked. And now it was blocked with some rather unpleasant entities floating around on the water's surface.
This was late at night so I decided to wait it out again and see what would happen after a few flushes. Problem was, the sinks in the rest of the house seemed to become blocked as well, and water would not go down the drains. After 30 minutes or so the problem again resolved itself; the toilet drained and everything returned to normal. Only now there was an absolutely putrid smell in the house. At first I thought it was a lingering odor from having used the toilet earlier, and only now having flushed everything away. But the smell not only came from the bathroom but from the kitchen as well, and after following the scent for a while I traced it to the hot water heater in the closet. It smelled foul, like it was filled with sewage water.
This was last night. I've now woken up and the smell seems to be gone. However, I'm a little hesitant to use the water because I have no idea why it smelled so horrible before.
So my question is this: given the events that occurred before, is it in any way possible that, somehow, the waste from the toilet has found its way into the water heater? Should I get a plumber in here? Just where exactly did that stench come from?
Thanks in advance!
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Author:
North Carolina Plumber (NC)
Doe the water heater have a drain pan ? If so it may be piped to a floor drain or sewer connection. It's not uncommon for a clogged drainage system to disrupt a trap's seal, maybe that's where the odor is coming from.
As far as sewage getting in the water heater, that didn't happen.
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Author:
Fregitbar (Non-US)
North Carolina Plumber,
Thanks for the reply, but as I'm a complete neophyte to this area I'm not sure what you mean when you say that "a clogged drainage system can disrupt a trap's seal". In very lay terms how do you suppose the blocked toilet was responsible for the bad smell? Would this explain the smell in the kitchen as well? Do you think I need to get a plumber out?
Like I said, the smell is gone now, but my biggest concern is whether the water is safe.
Edited 1 times.
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