My wife and I have double sinks in our bathroom. When I turn the water on first thing in the morning, there is a nasty odor that comes out of my sink. There is no odor in my wife's sink. Does that mean that the likely source of the odor is stuck in the trap under my sink?
Any thoughts? I'm not much of a plumber so I really have no idea where to begin other than to take the trap off and check it.
Thanks! John
Hi, Yup. Check and clean the trap out. Water in the trap blocks odor.
Trap is possible. Clean out both. I would also consider a bad vent.
Has it always been like this, or is it a recent issue?
A dry trap may give off odor. You may be able to look down into it by removing the stopper (pop-up) to see if it is dry or not.
Much more likely is "gunk" (tech term) buildup either in the sink tailpiece OR in the sink overflow passages. This last is often overlooked. Moldy goo builds up in the overflow (or tailpiece) and you can get a whiff of it when the water flow disturbs it.
A turkey baster filled with bleach solution can be injected into the overflow and *may* help.
Jim
This is a relatively recent issue. I believe I first noticed it about a month ago but it's been getting worse.
I just cleaned both traps. Hers was pretty clean. I have no idea what in the hell was in mine but it was goopy and stunk *really* bad. Just the water I dumped out of it stunk, but then it was all nasty inside. I ran a towel through it and it's pretty clean now. I have no idea what the heck that was but I'm glad to be rid of it. I should have thought to clean the trap earlier, but like I said...I'm not much of a plumber. :)
Thanks! John
My problem may, or may not, be related to yours but here it is:
We were getting some really obnoxious odors from the upstairs sinks. Lordy, it was enough to make one gag. The other things was that the *one* of the two upstairs toilets wouldn't flush properly.
I tried everything I could think of and not being a plumber I was eventually forced to call in Roto-Rooter. I hate it when I have to call someone in.
Roto-Rooter cleared out all the traps and pipes and still couldn't find anything. To make a long story short, he calls in the problem to the office and checks the Studor Mini-Vents. I have never seen one before and I didn't even notice that they were there until they were pointed out to me. He kindly offered to replace them for me (for a fee, of course) and I graciously declined.
I went to Lowes (Home Despot didn't carry them) and the Lowes guy said I should buy some much cheaper vents; the expensive Studors weren't necessary. Not knowing anything, I took his advice -- bad mistake! I wound up replacing the cheap junk vents with the Studors and the stomach-turning drain stench and toilet flushing problem disappeared.
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