My sink has a smell that appears every time the water runs. I have traced it to the overflow hole. I have tried running bleach through the hole which works for a few days. Next used a nipple brush to clean out the holes. Lots of black gunk came out, but the smell still returns. I think the brush needs to be longer to really do the job. Any suggestions? I plan on trying the baking soda/vinegar thing too.
The only way that I have been able to stop the odor completly is to replace the drain and the trap.
By drain I mean the Pop-up assembly which is all of the pipe going through the sink and including the trap under the sink, these can be bought at most hardward stores.
While you have this all apart you can do the cleaning that needs to be done, using brushes and whatever you need to get it all clean.
As you are taking it apart you will see what the odor is.
It sound like you are fighting a partial clog and the bleach kills the bacteria in it for awhile and then it comes back
I don't like drain cleaners that much and its not good for the septic tank if one is there.
Get under the sink and remove your sink trap and clean it out. Some newer traps on the U or pipe bend have a little plug to unscrew. I prefer to always take the whole trap out .
Loosen the trap sections and drain onto a bucket and take it to the bathroom. Clean out trap (junk goes in toilet bath tub to rinse out. Put trap back on and hand tighten trap especially plastic and if necessary gently snug with a large wrench.
Ether or if this is done your trap is out of the loop. Now the trap is not the problem and now its to water in the trap letting sewer gas out.
Happy Holiday!
Wow! Thanks for the prompt responses. Much Appreciated. I will try cleaning the trap and replacing the drain.
I'm still not sure how or why the overflow happens to get full of bacteria/mold. The weird part is I have this issue with 2 of the 3 bathroom sinks. The only commonality between the two is the use of Listerine at both sinks. The 3rd sink that doesn't have this issue has never seen Listerine. Could I be crazy?
IF you are crazy ( Listerine) Then everybody hear is way crazy! Think about they say you can make a bomb out of house hold cleaners!
How crazy is that !!
The bleach that you are pouring into the overflow hole is just flowing down the drain. It removes the surface mold, but not the mold buildup. In order to kill all of the mold spores, you have to prevent the bleach from draining out of the overflow channel. To do this, first remove the sink's pop-up stopper; you probably will have to remove the pivot rod and its assembly in order to remove the pop-up.
Once the pop-up is removed, stuff a rag down the sink drain hole. If you had to remove the pivot rod assembly, you should also place a pan under the sink to catch any runoff from the cleaning process.
Next, open a window to provide ventilation. Then, pour a mixture of 50 percent bleach and 50 percent water into the overflow opening. Use a funnel to do this, and stop when the mixture overflows the opening. Some of the mixture will leak through the rag and into the drain, so periodically pour more of the mixture into the overflow opening. Let the mixture stand for 30 minutes to an hour, clean the pop-up stopper with the mixture before and install it then flush the overflow channel with clear water, see the image below, Thanks.
John
IF you are crazy ( Listerine) Then everybody hear is way crazy! Think about they say you can make a bomb out of house hold cleaners!
How crazy is that !!
Well i think Listerine made a mold bomb in my sink.
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