Smell and air coming up through shower drain AFTER a shower?

[Dylan T]

Hi all - I've got a downstairs shower that I rarely use; but after using it it really smells damp. After using it again for the first time in a while today I've tried to find the source and it seems to be coming from this trap. Now it's clear the seal around it has perished, so maybe sorting that will fix the smell, but while giving it a sniff I noticed that I could feel a breeze coming up through the pipe.

Wouldn't that indicate that there is no trap installed, and isn't that a bigger problem? The shower is on ground floor, is a corner unit with a tray thats fixed to the floor, and the pipe comes out the wall outside and runs to a drain. I have no idea what goes on under the tray but i doubt it would fit a trap unless theres some sort of fancy compact thing i don't know about (the tray is about an inch high, so maybe something is buried, no idea!

But then my next question is if theres no trap, and thats why i can feel a breeze, why would it smell AFTER a shower? Wouldn't it smell when not in use?

Thanks!

 

[Wayners]

You need to investigate what sort of trap you have

 

[CountryFan]

Well there’s water present in that trap, which is what is designed to prevent smells entering the property. How/what is it connected to? Perhaps the shower seal depth is too shallow and perhaps why it’s intermittent. You could also have a backfall or a section where stagnant water can lie.