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A sewage smell in your crawl space is usually from a damaged or clogged pipe leaking sewer gasses or actual sewage underneath your home, but there are some other common causes. Moisture, from poor or damaged encapsulation or a malfunctioning sump pump, can harbor mold and bacteria, causing a musty smell. Pests can also get stuck in your crawl space and die, which causes a sewage-like odor.

It is generally safe to stay in a house that smells like sewage for a short time, but you should get the problem fixed as soon as possible. While the level of sewer gas is usually low enough to only cause minor symptoms, prolonged inhalation can lead to headaches, nausea, or respiratory irritation. High levels of gas exposure can be more dangerous, and high concentrations of methane—a component of sewer gas—can pose an explosion risk in enclosed spaces. If you smell sewer gas in your home, ventilate the area and call a professional to locate, assess, and fix the problem, as it will not go away on its own.

The cost to repair a main sewer line clog is about $3,110 on average. The average cost range is  $1,310 to $4,950, but it can go as low as $215 and as high as $9,300 or more. The cost factors for this repair include the severity of the clog, pipe accessibility, video inspection, removal method, permits, pipe material, labor rates in your area, and time of year. Repairs made from outside during the winter can be more difficult due to the frozen ground or during the spring if the ground is saturated from a lot of rain and snow melt.

A two-way cleanout can help if there’s already a clog, but the best strategy to prevent one is by not rinsing grease, oil, or fat down your drains, not flushing or rinsing coffee grounds or egg shells down your drains, flushing only human waste and toilet paper (so no diapers, period products, bathroom wipes, or paper towels), and using drain guards on all of your drains.