Kitchen smell

[rick]

Hi folks,

My kitchen has had an odor for the last 2 weeks that won't go away. Smells like rotten garbage. I tried deodorizing the disposal and that didn't work. Best I can tell, the smell is coming from under the sink. The smell permeates out about 10 feet.

I don't see any evidence of a water leak, so it's not mold. Best I can figure it's garbage trapped somewhere. But where? And how do I get rid of it? I'm not averse to hiring a plumber to come out, but I first need to know what I'm possibly dealing with. For reference, the house is only 8 years old, and the pipes are PVC.

While I'm thinking of it, my daughter's bathroom sink was clogged with hair and stopped up so much it barely drained. I got some Drano gel last night and unclogged it, flushing it with hot water. All is well there, but is there any possible relation between the two?

TIA, Rick

[LayPerson Tom]

Weird, if you see not cracks, and you don't have a s-type of drain, without seeing/smelling it, out of luck.

tom @

[Lawrence]

It could be sewer smell from the drain but that is unlikely since the drain trap is supposed to avoid that problem. Does the sink drain well? Maybe an animal died under your cabinet or in the adjacent wall. Try cleaning out the cabinet completety and see what you find. Clean under there with an strong cleaner of pine-sol or citrus.

Not likely.

[Malcolm Hoar]

Good point. Also check for any gaps and drafts esp. where the pipes and waste lines pass through the wall/floor. Seal with caulk, "Great Stuff" or whatever as appropriate.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Could be related. How about under the sink cabinet? If there is a floor under the sink, it may have gotten wet under that base and is now moldy under it. Aside from cutting a hole, I don't know how to get access. You can cut a section out and easily patch it though with 1/4" plywood.

Could be a dead rodent under there too.

[Phisherman]

The area under the sink is a classic place for leaks--check it out carefully including the dishwasher pipes, ice-maker water line.

[rick]

A bit more background first. Last year I had a water leak at the icemaker, and water flowed down to the other end, damaging my cabinets, which I replaced (along with some drywall, the countertop and backsplash tile, along with a new sink and faucet) a couple of months ago. Everything seemed fine until I started smelling that smell. I'm getting a plumber out to look at it this week. I don't see any water under the dishwasher, which is the area that the smell is coming from (there, and under the sink).

I hope this isn't round 2. I'd smelled the original odor from wet cabinets from the first time and this is more of a pungent smell, with no visible signs of water damage like in the leak I mentioned above. BTW, the wall I'm talking about from the refrigerator down around to the dishwasher is an open concept (if that makes sense), so it's easy to tell if there's damage on the other side, and there isn't.

I also doubt it's a dead animal, although it would be great if that's all it is. I once had a house in which a rat got in between the walls from my garage to my front porch. Smell was awful and lasted a long time.

The problem with smell, I can't photograph it.

I agree. I took a shot.

[<aemeijers]

Dishwasher being the focus is a real good clue. I&#39;d suspect something stuck and rotting in the DW drain/pump/drain hose area. A loose clamp under the DW can make a leak that isn&#39;t big enough for visible puddles, but still stinks like crazy. (Is the smell similar to a trash can that hasn&#39;t been cleaned?) If a plumber is coming anyway, a R&R of the dishwasher, for recon if nothing else, is a good place to start.

aem sends...

[rick]

Well, as luck would have it, the smell just happened to go away a few weeks ago. Come to think of it, I haven&#39;t been visited by my ghost for awhile either.