How a Few Drops of EverPrime Could Have Prevented a Lot of Problems

In August 2017, an Aurora, Colorado man reached out to a local television station to help him address a problem he was having in his apartment bathroom. According to the man, he had just moved into his apartment, and sewer gas odors were coming from sinks in his bathroom. The smell was so bad, he had to go to the emergency room.

Apparently, he turned to the local news station for help because his landlord was not taking steps to address the problem.  He said that not only did the fumes make him sick and send him to the hospital, it temporarily broke up his family.  Many went to live with nearby family members.

As for the smell, he says it was like “rotten eggs.  It caused me to get sick, and the property manager didn’t do anything about it. [I] experienced dizziness, waking up coughing, eyes burning, throat burning, not being able to focus, and I’m normally a healthy guy.”

While the local television station did report the unflattering story, the man still had to take more steps to try and get his landlord to resolve the situation.  He called the City of Aurora and when the officers showed up, “he didn’t even have to go into the bathroom.  He could smell the odor as soon as I opened the door.”

The officer cited the landlord and gave the landlord one week to fix the problem. However, the man renting the unit said as of one week, nothing had been done.

So what’s going on? The tenant said the only way he can get any relief is to clog up the bathroom sink as well as the bathtub sink. 

A plumber was finally called in, snaked the bathroom pipes, and said he found “nothing in the pipes.”  Because of this, the plumber assumed that because there was nothing in the pipes, the pipes were not the cause of the problem. 

However, in this case, he was likely wrong. We have seen similar situations just like this happen over and over again.  The fact that there was nothing in the pipe was the problem. All the water that usually blocks odors in the “P” or “U” shaped trap under the sinks had evaporated

It is very likely this apartment had been vacant for one or more months.  That’s about all it takes for the P trap to dry up.

This entire problem could have been avoided had the landlord placed a few ounces of EverPrime in all the sinks in the apartment. In fact, landlords should consider using EverPrime every time a tenant moves out.

EverPrime is an odorless, biodegradable liquid that does not evaporate. Just a small amount poured down drains should prevent the drain from drying out or releasing odors for three or more months, possibly longer. 

If this had been done, the tenant would not have:

·        Gone to the hospital

·        Had his family separated

·        Called the local news media

·        The news station would not have run a negative story on this apartment building

·        There would have been no city violations cited

·        There would be no reason to call a plumber.

That’s a lot of hassle which could have been averted by just a few ounces of EverPrime.

For more information on EverPrime, contact a Waterless Co representative.

EverPrime Drain Trap Liquid Could’ve Saved the Day

Sewer odors coming from restrooms can be a problem just about anywhere.  This is why all types of facilities should stock EverPrime drain trap liquid, just in case it happens to them.

Case in point: In June 2016 in what was reported as a “milestone,” San Diego finally opened a lifeguard tower on La Jolla Children’s Pool beach.  The tower had been planned for more than four years and cost the city about $5 million.

However, this was a short-lived milestone.  By July 2016, a bank of toilets in the tower overflowed and leaked into the lifeguard locker rooms and shower areas below.  It cost the city $1,400 to clean up the mess…only to have the toilets overflow once again a couple of weeks later.

Fortunately it appears this problem has been rectified.  However, almost as soon as that issue was taken care of another one materialized.  By mid-July, lifeguards began noticing a nasty smell in the building.  Sewer odors were coming from the sewage trap on the floor in the basement of the building.  This is an area of the building that is rarely used or cleaned.  Likely it is just used for storage.

Email records from the lifeguards to city engineers indicate that the sewer odor problem seemed to be getting worse.

“It has been recently brought to my attention that a significant odor is present in the Children’s Pool facility,” wrote lifeguard Sgt. Marcus Schreiber.  “Guards are reporting this to be unbearable at times.”

But wait, there’s more.  By August 2016, the lifeguards were sending more emails to the lifeguard sergeant, this time about rats.  “Three large rats were seen in the new facility,” according to one email, and a temporary trailer set up near the new tower was infested with ants.

Sewer odors, rats, ants – it makes you wonder what’s going to happen next.

As far as the rats and ants are concerned, it would not surprise us if the rats and ants were drawn to the area as a result of the sewer odors.  We can offer some insight into how the city could have addressed the sewer odors and this entire situation quickly and inexpensively. 

But first, let’s discuss what they actually did.  Their first step was to pressure wash the floor area in the basement.  This was a deep cleaning to help remove any sewer odors that had settled into the pores of the floor.  After this, the floor was sealed with an acrylic floor finish.  This sealed those very same pores.

To address the actual sewer odor problem, the city removed the grating from the floor drain and installed a solid plate over the opening.  Essentially, they closed the floor drain so no sewer odors could escape.

It does not appear that the city engineers ever investigated why the sewer odors were occurring.  On top of what we discussed here, the new tower was experiencing a number of structural problems which were blamed on the architects and contractor.  It’s very likely that they just added the sewer odor problem to the mix and blamed it on poor construction or design.

However, that may not have been the problem.  This is a new building.  There is no indication the basement floor had ever been mopped or pressure washed before.  What likely happened is that there was no water in the “J” or “P” trap underneath the floor drain.  It is the water that collects in these traps that prevents sewer odors from being released.

The city could have addressed the sewer odor problem in about five minutes and with a cost of essentially pocket change.  They could have poured about a gallon of water down the drain, to help fill the trap, followed with 3 to 6 ounces of EverPrime drain trap liquid, depending on the size of the drain.  As long as no additional water is poured down the drain, EverPrime can last indefinitely, keeping the trap filled and blocking sewer odors.  And even if water is poured down the drain, just add a few ounces of EverPrime drain trap liquid, and the sewer odor blocking power of EverPrime starts all over again.

Using Everprime drain trap liquid is fast, easy, inexpensive, and effective.  For more information, contact a Waterless Co. representative.