View Full Version : Smelly drains
falch313
Oct 14, 2006, 05:43 AM
Does the stack pipe need to go straight up? Mine (pvc) has a curve in it, a 90 degree pipe that takes the stack approx. 1 ft over and up (just below the roof) to avoid a beam. The ceiling height in this utility room is about 8 ft. I have a very small 1 floor house and all my plumbing action is confined to a 10 sq ft area. Kitchen, bath and utility room back to back. It was all replaced last year. Please help it stinks.
Karen
speedball1
Oct 14, 2006, 06:00 AM
Hi Karen,
"Does the stack pipe need to go straight up?"
You're referring to the vent stack. No, The vent can have as many turns as you wish to install as long as it teminates at least 6"above the roof line.
Can you tell us where it smells the worst? A drain? The walls? Disposal?
Regards, Tom
falch313
Oct 14, 2006, 06:40 AM
It seems to come from the sinks, kitchen and bath. It improves somewhat when I pour bleach down the drain. I was thinking that food scraps gathered in that elbow section underneath so I now let the water run. I smelled it on top of the roof yesterday in the vicinity of the pipe. I also noticed that water had gotten underneath the old shingles in the same area and that there was some rot. Perhaps an animal has gotten into the pipe from the outside? I will crawl back up to look today. It smells like rotting gym socks. Could my well water be funky? There was a UV filter when I bought this place last December. I replaced it with a new unit. Perhaps the lamp doesn't work anymore? The little blue light went oud ans I was told by the local distributor that the batteries sometimes go bad, but that the filter is still working. Now, they say it has a lifespan of 1 year so we are getting close. I take baths on a daily basis and water my garden extensively. Would that affect the lifespan of my lamp? Could the whole problem be rotten water?
speedball1
Oct 14, 2006, 06:51 AM
That elbow section you refer to is called a trap and it's self scouring. Do you have a disposal? Do any of your fixtures bubble or gurgle when something's drained or flushed? If a particular drain smells the worst then tonight pour a 1/2 gallon of bleach down the drain and let it set overnight. Next morning,(and this is important) flush it out with a few large pans of boiling water.
Does this make it smell beter? Tom