has anyone experienced this before?!?! I have lived in many a house or apartment and never experienced this. previously i was using boiling water and bleach. the plumber cleaned the trap and said to use some kind of enzyme that eats the bacteria that accumulates in the drain!!
2007-08-25 07:24:48 · 11 answers · asked by luvpaddington 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Do It Yourself (DIY)
What all of the "P" and "S" trap promoters are failing to recognize is that even with water present and filling the trap, an improperly designed (ie: improperly vented) plumbing system may actually allow the sewer gases to pressurize the system....and voila'...the sewer gas overpowers the "weight " of the water in the trap, contained by the static air pressure that the vent system is designed to equilibrate or equalize. This idea can be demonstrated by taking a 2-litre bottle of water, turn it upside down and the water "glugs" out as the walls of the bottle flex in and out as air pressure, vacuum pressure and gravity battle for control of the water. The walls flex as gravity fights to pull out the water against the outside air pressure's "vacuum" holding it in. Now, try that with same bottle, only now drill a hole in the bottom and repeat the experiment. No "glug" as the equalized pressure allows the water to be effortlessly pulled from the bottle by gravity. The hole in the bottom of the bottle represents the plumbing vent system. Oftentimes, the installing plumber will try and avoid running another vent stack, by installing an Air Infiltration Device under the sink. These, while code compliant MUST BE INSTALLED in such a way as to make their use somewhat impractical, and almost always destined to fail. Either way, I am most certain that your problem is the result of improper venting. I am willing to bet that the smell is the worst if you turn on some other plumbing fixture at the same time, which puts more of a demand on the inadequate ventilation system.
Let me know what you find out....and good luck.
Cheers,
MJ
Emjay Building and Design Ltd.
Nevada City CA.
"Redefining Craftsmanship"
2007-08-25 14:08:30 · answer #1 · answered by mjohnsonishere 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The trap ( U-shaped pipe under the sink) is what prevents sewer gas from entering the home. If it is filled with water, thats all there is to it. I am guessing here but, do you get the smell when you are running water into the sink? If so, try using the stopper and place one cup of bleach into the sink. Then slowly (to prvent splashing) fill the sink with water (cold or hot) and let it run through the overflow hole(s) in the sink. Sometimes bacteria can build up inside the walls of the sink and cause the smell. Let the water run until you no longer smell the bleach. Enzyme cleaners work by clinging to and "eating" organic matter. One product I like is Draincare by Zep. It is harmless to all types of drain systems (including septics). It takes a little longer to work (overnight) but does work.
2007-08-25 09:04:13 · answer #2 · answered by sensible_man 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, we had a mobile home on a campground and we had this problem ALL THE TIME! It is quite gross to think about and the smell is horrendous! We sold the mobile home and now, we vacation elsewhere... Did the plumber tell you what kind of enzyme to use? If not, perhaps this will help you:
http://www.plumbingsupply.com/roebic.html
http://www.jsplumber.com/bc_page.htm
http://www.bioguardplus.com/index.php
I feel for you! Good luck... and make sure you run water down the drain morning and night... This will help
2007-08-25 07:34:16 · answer #3 · answered by The ReDesign Diva 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If you have a trap filled with water it is impossible for gas to come up in the sink drain. Look at other reasons for the odor. Is there an open vent in the wall. Was there ever time when there were two waste lines someone didn't cap off the other line?
2016-05-17 21:32:12 · answer #4 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is common in little used sinks. The trap traps the gas from escaping with the water that is held there. As you know water evaporates. For sinks and showers that are not used much, you should run water in them every few days to refill the traps.
2007-08-25 09:37:30 · answer #5 · answered by jason m 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i agree with other poster...you need an S trap installed under the sink. the other issue can be that the plumbing doesn't have a vent. a vent is a 1.5" pipe that extends up through your wall or roof and doesn't carry water but releases gases and pressurizes the drain so it drains quickly. my kitchen drain stank all the time, and i installed both these to fix the problem.
2007-08-25 08:43:40 · answer #6 · answered by handygirl 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you have sewer gases coming in, then you don't have a trap, traps fill with water and make a seal so gases can't get through. As for enzymes! Was he a plumber or a scientist?
2007-08-25 07:30:29 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
This is pretty common in sinks or drains that son't get used much. The water level in the drain prevents sewer gas from coming up, if the drain dries up the gasses will escape.
2007-08-25 07:32:35 · answer #8 · answered by Kraig P 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
652
2015-11-16 19:03:55 · answer #9 · answered by ✔ Sandy 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Be very careful with this. If it cannot be fixed or controlled, you need to move.
2007-08-25 07:33:45 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋