A stinky drain

When I run water down the sink drain in my kitchen, I get a hydrogen sulphide smell in my living room.

Past years, I've tried hydroxide drain cleaner, boiling water, some Zep enzyme stuff from Home Depot, and can't think of what else. Oh, yeah, a slug of hydroxide based coil cleaner.

I don't put any grease in the drain, though the last people were fond of beef, from the smell of the oven. They moved, in 1993.

This Am, I rinsed a dish in the sink, and was blasted by hydrogen sulphide smell in the living room. Any ideas what to do next? That sulphide smell is getting worse. Only happens when I run water down the kitchen sink drain.

Went to the roof, flushed a bunch of water down the roof vent. The vent about 1 inch ID swollowed all the water I could run out of my garden hose. So, it's not likely a clogged roof vent.

What else might solve the problem, and end the sulphide smell in my living room?

Reply to
Stormin Mormon
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You might try some bleach in the drain. Should kill the odor and maybe bacteria in drain causing it.

Hydrogen peroxide could also work.

Frank

Reply to
Frank

Do you have a sink in your basement that doesn't get used often? If so, the water in it's drain trap might have evaporated, allowing sewer gas to get into the basement through that drain. When you run water in the kitchen, It might be creating pressure that actively drives the gas into the basement, where it then either wafts up to your living room, or gets sucked into the HVAC cold air if you have forced air heat.

If this is the problem, just remember to periodically turn on the sink for a few seconds every month or so.

Reply to
salty

Are you sure it's actually from the drain? It you were to say get a jug of spring water at the store and pour it down the drain would you get the HS smell? I ask since I sometimes get a HS smell at my sink, but only when I use the infrequently used sprayer, and it takes a second or so for the smell to hit you so you might think it was from the drain when it really isn't. I believe it is the HS generated by the water reacting with the water heater anode, and in the sprayer hose the water sits long enough for the HS to percolate out and form a large enough bubble to be detected when released. The regular faucet which is used frequently never has a HS smell so I presume the HS is in low concentration and dispersed enough to be undetectable there.

Reply to
Pete C.

The "twist" in his issue is that the smell presents itself in the livingroom.

Reply to
salty

Apparently I missed that on my quick skim. Unless he has a floor drain in the LR, I can't imagine the connection. Again, the jug of water thing would be a good test since it would isolate the issue to a function of running the water (supply) or draining the water.

Reply to
Pete C.

I'm thinking he has a dry drain trap (a sink that doesn't get used often?) in his basement that is actually the source of the smell. Water draining in the kitchen sink could create pressure enough to force sewer gases out of a basement drain that are then either sucked up into a forced air heating system, or simply waft up into the living room

Reply to
salty

Perhaps, but testing the theory involves a huge amount of effort. He might have to run the water for a few moments in the rarely used sink.

Reply to
JoeSpareBedroom

Perhaps my memory is wrong, but I don't believe he has a basement.

Reply to
Pete C.

Are you sure it's actually from the drain?

CY: Well, the smell is in the living room, after I run water down the drain. I don't smell it in the kitchen.

It you were to say get a jug of spring water at the store and pour it down the drain would you get the HS smell?

CY: I could try it with a bucket of water from the bath tub. Would that be much the same?

I ask since I sometimes get a HS smell at my sink, but only when I use the infrequently used sprayer, and it takes a second or so for the smell to hit you so you might think it was from the drain when it really isn't.

CY: The aerator runs very low flow, and so I do use the sprayer. Hmm. Makes me wonder, since you mention sprayer, and that's usually when I get the smell.

I believe it is the HS generated by the water reacting with the water heater anode, and in the sprayer hose the water sits long enough for the HS to percolate out and form a large enough bubble to be detected when released. The regular faucet which is used frequently never has a HS smell so I presume the HS is in low concentration and dispersed enough to be undetectable there.

CY: Well, that's a definite possibility. I'll have to make a point of using the sprayer several times a day, and see if that changes things. Wonder why the smell is in the living room, not the kitchen?

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

I'll pay more attention. But, I'm certain the smell is in the living room, and somtimes seconds or minutes after I use the drain.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

I'll get a bucket of water from the bath tub.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Got a bucket of water from the bath tub. Pour into sink. Yep, sulphide smell in living room, again. Not as bad as earlier today, but definitely sulphide.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Very strange. Only things that come to mind are an issue with a drain or vent line in the vicinity of the LR. A break perhaps in a spot where the drain water running by causes a brief pressurization and burps out some sewer gas? Are the lines accessible to inspect?

Reply to
Pete C.

I was under the trailer this summer, first time I've ever been under the trailer. The drain line is inch and a half PVC, I think. Anyhow, one section about 18 inches long was unhooked. Someone had a patch pipe, and two fermco connectors. The one end of the patch pipe was just hanging, all sink water went on the ground. I sawed the patch to length, and put it back together, with the two fermcos. And yes, I did tighten the spiral clamps.

Makes me wonder if there's another Fermo connector that didn't get tightened?

I can't remember how accessable it is, but it's a miserable job to get a fat man like me under a low trailer.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

through the years, my experience is that HS smell mostly comes from softened water reacting with the anode in a water heater......but some waters may cause this issue without a softener.....just not in my area.. is it possible you have a floor drain in or near your living room? it is not uncommon for people to remove the plug on the side of a floor drain and then never replace it. I always recommend removing the anode from a water heater """DISCLAIMER"""" although it will void the warranty on the heater.....but WHOEVER got a replacement for their water heater after a few years anyway...99 percent of the people would just replace the heater instead of fighting over the warranty anyway.

Reply to
news

Most any crawl (slither?) space sucks to try to work in. I suspect that's the only way to isolate the problem though. Good luck.

Reply to
Pete C.

No water softener here, but our coop water is very soft and somewhat alkaline as well, like 9 ph. Never notice HS from the regular faucets, but the kitchen sprayer that sits for days or longer between uses seems to accumulate detectable amounts.

Reply to
Pete C.

We had a similar problem at our cabin. We had three different plumbers out to investigate and none of them could find the culprit. I mentioned the problem to a lady friend of ours and she said the smell was from no anode in our water heater. We replaced the water heater and the smell went away.

Although the smell only seemed to show up when we used the shower it was hard to determine where the smell was coming from.

cm

Reply to
CM

Living in a trailer, I don't have a cellar. However, I do have a double sink, and the other side doesn't get used often. You may have just found the answer.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

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