Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mcpubes]

i use a drain cover but the floor isn't even so it can't cover it completely. those air freshener jello things masks it a little but it still reeks. is this sewer smell dangerous to my health?

[ernie]

i've been wondering the same thing myself... some days are worse than others for some reason... i tried pouring bleach down there, but that only made it smell like sewage and bleach... yuck

[CeleryMan]

Which is why one should never drink tap water in the country! Sewage, water, etc. all share the same lines.

[bassexpander]

Stop pooping in your toilet, and ask the rest of the neighbors to stop, as well.

I have a big bottle of this drain cleaner I bought at Costco which I pour a few cups of down there every few weeks. It helps.

I had an old apartment once, and the only way to stop the drain smell was to put a toilet plunger over the hole when I wasn't in the bathroom.

[cbclark4]

Baking soda.

But seriously folks you can't get rid of it.

There are no pluming codes so there is an absence of traps in the systems.

[anyangoldboy]

Bleach might work...

Or something more drastic is to put lighter fuel down the drain and to burn it without blowing yourself up in the process which is something i almost did when my drain was blocked.

[cheeseface]

I had the same problem when I lived in a small villa, both from the bathroom drain and the kitchen sink, for some reason neither had U-bends, I don't know if this is normal in villas in Korea? Anyone else living in a one room with no U-bends under the kitchen sink?

Now I live in a n apartment I don't have that problem, all I can suggest is get some incense sticks.

[SuperFly]

Get a Korean friend to order an inverse drain plug for you. It's like a small bag that fits down inside your drain in the bathroom and allows water to pass through it at a normal rate like before, but doesn't allow smells to come up through it. Works like magic.

[Bibbitybop]

[IncognitoHFX]

[mistermasan]

the drain is in the middle of the floor and drains shower water, right?

when not in use, i cover it. put a small plastic bowl over it. while nothing short of concrete is perfect a bowl reduces the aroma greatly. i often think about getting a sqare of heavy plastic/rubber like so many folks put over the open drains near their homes.

probably a million dollar product to be developed out of this.

[cbclark4]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trap_(plumbing)

[Sadebugo1]

I can offer nothing but a funny, TRUE story. In the 90s, a friend of mine was working at a hagwon in Ulsan. His apartment was in the same building as the hagwon and provided by the hagwon owner. After living there a few months, he started noticing that dark-colored particles were coming through his shower nozzle and sticking to his skin. One day, he decided to remove the nozzle and investigate. When he turned on the water, chunks of feces started pouring out of the faucet into the tub!! Needless to say, this was a shocking event for him. After investigation, he discovered that the sewage was somehow getting into the water supply. He went on a cleanliness strike until the owner got the problem fixed. Of course, not using that shower was hardly a sacrifice on my friend's part.

Sadebugo
Djibouti, Horn of Africa
http://travldawrld.blogspot.com/

[aquagirl]

For those people who don't like to use bleach - try using vinegar - pour about 1/2 cup down the sink/drain and then add a few teaspoons of baking soda.
Vinegar is also great for getting rid of any odors from plastic containers/ lunch boxes...put equal parts of vinegar and water into the container and let it sit overnight (with the lid on). If the odor is really strong (e.g. kimchi) then use straight vinegar. Any kind of vinegar will do the trick, but the extra strength vinegar is best.

[4seasons]

Bleach works.


Before you go to bed one night, pour about 2-3 tabloe sppons of good old Rox (clorox) down each drain. Don't forget the little one on the floor in the bathroom.

You should be fine after that......well.. until next year at this time.

Good luck!!