[anegada]

I just had my kitchen redon a couple weeks back and realized that the insulation under the sink smells something like burnt plastic. Is this normal and is there a recommended way of getting rid of this smell?

[KBC]

Did the plumber heat pipes to install the new sink? If so he probably got a little heat on some of the backing board(plaster,insulation,etc) and this will not last too long(in my opinion)

Open the doors to the sink base,place a fan there and run it for a day or so,letting air in to dry all the old"musty"air out,then something like Arm and Hammer baking soda (just like you would use in a fridge) hidden in the back.

If this doesn't work let us know,there are cleaning companies in here with more advice for you,
Ken

[anegada]

Not sure if the plumber heated the pipes, but that sounds likely given the smell. So I did as you said and although the smell seems to be getting a bit better after 24 hours of running the fan with baking soda the smell is still there. Are there any other suggestions?

[KBC]

Any openings that could be closed off and sealed to eliminate the escaping smell?

[speedball1]

I just had my kitchen redon a couple weeks back and realized that the insulation under the sink smells something like burnt plastic. Is this normal and is there a recommended way of getting rid of this smell?

Have you scrbbed the insulation down with full strength bleach?

[anegada]

I have tried all of the above and the smell is still there. Any other suggestions?

Thanks

[seekmocha]

It's probably coming from the sound absorbing pads glued on the underside of the sink. A number of sinks from different manufacturers have this problem. I would describe the smell as "creosote" or the smell of roofing tar. It never goes away. Manufacturers recommend scraping off the pads with a razor blade scraper, and removing the adhesive with Goo-Gone. The manufacturer may send you self adhesive cork pads as a replacement.

Unfortunately, working under the sink to remove all the pads can be very difficult, especially where some of the pads are on the sides of the sink with very little clearance.

Some folks have advocated spraying the entire sides and bottom of the sink with several coats of Zinnser Bulls Eye Shellac, which supposedly can seal in the odor. Clear or Amber Shellac is thin enough so you could spray it with a pump-up garden sprayer. The advantage to that is the long angled nozzle of the garden sprayer might enable you to sneak up into the side wall crevices and spray the sides of the sink. Shellac dries fast enough that you can spray additional coats, once every 45 minutes. Spray at least 3 coats. However, shellac does have a highly intoxicating odor and explosive fumes. Use a good organics filtering mask and lots of ventilation. The good news is that the shellac odor will disappear rapidly. Having said all that, I haven't tried it myself, yet.

[speedball1]

Seekmocha, Welcome to AMHD!
Look in the upper left hand corner for the date of the post. You're responding to a old dead thread.
Cheers, Tom