Sewer gas in a Tucson house is often a seal that disappeared, not a main that collapsed. Traps under sinks, tubs, and floor drains stay sealed only while water sits in them. Closed-up houses, guest baths, and laundry rooms that go unused through a dry stretch lose that water to evaporation. The room smells like a sewer the next time the air conditioner pulls air across the floor, or the first evening someone opens the door. Fill every trap in that room, including a floor drain hiding under a rug, and wait. A smell that leaves and stays gone was a dry trap.
If the smell remains in one bath, a rocking toilet is a clue people can see without taking anything apart. The wax ring that seals the toilet to the flange can fail, and gas comes out at the base. Mention a rock or a stain at the base on the form. Do not pull the toilet. That is a repair, with a risk of a bigger leak, and it is not a procedure this referral desk will write down. If several rooms smell, or drains gurgle while the smell is present, read gurgling drains and sewer line repair. A single slow lavatory, without gas, is closer to drain cleaning.
Roof vents let the plumbing breathe. A nest, a stuck cap, or a vent that was covered during a roof job can push smells back through the weakest trap. Looking at a roof vent is a contractor’s check. It is not a Saturday ladder plan on a tile roof in the sun. We will not describe how to clear one.
Empty houses have this problem on a schedule. People return from a summer away, or open a casita for guests, and the first complaint is odor rather than temperature. HVAC startup for a closed house is snowbird HVAC startup. The plumbing half is the traps. Run water before you blame the sewer in the alley. If sewage is actually coming up into a shower, stop using water and use the emergency path on emergency plumber. Smell alone, with dry floors, is not that page.
Sabino Creek does not pull toilets, snake vents, or perform plumbing. A request may be shared with an independent contractor. Their license is confirmed at roc.az.gov, and their price is theirs. More of what a plumbing request covers is on plumbing.
Choose Drain or sewer. Name the room, whether the house was empty, whether a toilet rocks, and whether any water is backing up. ZIP required. Submit requests a follow-up. It does not start a repair the moment you send it.