Our kitchen sink has an odor of death coming from it..I mean it smells bad, but not all the time, just once every few weeks. What can be done to prevent this? What could be causing it, trapped food? Water goes down just fine. I've tried baking soda and letting it sit in there, but to no avail. The pipes under the sink are plastic (PCV? or whatever they are called)
Many thanks for your suggestions, Chris
Make sure the roof vent stack is clear. If not, the draining of the sink could siphon the residual water in the trap away. HTH Tom Someday, it'll all be over....
If the trap is white plastic, put a bright light behind the trap and you can see the water level in the trap. When it smells, see if the water level is still OK. The water is what keeps sewer gas smells from escaping.
It that is OK, it is probably caused by molds growing in the scummy residues inside the plastic pipes between the sink outlet and trap. Pouring bleach solution *may* solve it temporarily, but the real fix is to take the plastic apart and thoroughly scrub the interior surfaces with a bleach solution using a brush.
Speedy Jim
Thanks very much folks for you help and tips! Chris
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